Compiled by NAN HIDAYAT NAN AZMIE, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN
AS China’s pet industry continues to grow, daycare centres for dogs have become a new trend in major cities such as Shanghai and Huzhou, complete with a school bus to pick up the canines every morning before their owners go to work, reported China Press.
Operating much like human preschools, these daycare centres arrange for the pups to be picked up by bus to spend the whole day playing games, training and learning to socialise with other dogs.
Many owners believe interactions with other dogs at the centres help improve their pets’ overall well-being.
Fees at premium daycare centres for dogs can reportedly exceed 10,000 yuan (RM6,113) per month.
Wang, the founder of Pet Four Seasons daycare, said a typical day includes exercise, health checks, naps, sunbathing, socialising classes and obstacle courses.
Wang charges 218 yuan (RM134) per day for large dogs and 180 yuan (RM110) for small ones.
There are never more than 12 dogs in a day, allowing caregivers at Wang’s kindergarten to pay more attention to each dog.
Pet owner Han, who works in Shanghai, sends her border collie to such a centre at 8am every morning before picking it up at 6pm.
According to Han, the pup suffered from separation anxiety when left at home, causing it to vent its frustration by damaging furniture and household items.
“Now my dog comes home calm and well-behaved. This is the ideal arrangement,” she said.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
