China News Service, January 17th (Zuo Yuqing, Zhongxin Finance and Economics) The Chinese New Year is approaching, and many wanderers can't wait to embark on the journey back home.

When "the first batch of people who dared to bring their dogs back to their hometown have been driven crazy by the dog walk" became a hot topic, many people also chose to entrust their pets to pet shops in the cities where they work, so as not to let their pets go crazy. During the Spring Festival holiday, "keep the empty room alone".

　　It is normal for the pet boarding business to increase prices during the holidays. However, the prices of related services such as pet boarding and door-to-door feeding this year are higher than in previous years during the Spring Festival.

The price of foster care in some pet stores has risen

　　Xiao Qin, who lives in Beijing, has already found a temporary home for his beloved rabbit long before buying the ticket to return home: the pet shop where he fostered pet rabbits in previous years.

But after making an appointment, she found that there was an extra "labor fee" in this year's foster care fee.

　　"The price of cages of different sizes has increased by 10 yuan per day. It is said that it is artificial overtime during the Spring Festival. There is no such thing during the Spring Festival in previous years." Xiaoqin told Zhongxin Finance and Economics that the foster care fee of pet shops this year has increased by 10%-40% year-on-year. %.

This means that, based on the number of days she expects to be in foster care, she will have to spend hundreds of dollars more.

　　"It may be because more people go home for the New Year this year, and they go home earlier." She said.

Data map: A pet rabbit foster care shop in Beijing.

Photo by Zuo Yukun of Chinanews.com

　　During the visit, Zhongxin Finance found that although some pet shops in Beijing have adjusted the foster care prices during the Spring Festival, it is still "difficult to find a cage".

A number of pet stores told Zhongxin Finance and Economics that the foster care places in the store had been sold out as early as two weeks ago.

　　"It's hard to book cages now." A pet store clerk said, "The demand for foster care is so hot this year, we've turned down a lot."

High-priced foster care urges door-to-door feeding

　　The high-priced and sought-after pet foster care has also led many people to choose the relatively cheap door-to-door feeding service.

However, the price of door-to-door feeding this year has also "increased all boats".

　　Some netizens said on social platforms that the price quoted by the pet shop they consulted for door-to-door feeding during the Spring Festival has increased by 40% compared with usual times.

"It is said that employees need three times the salary during the Chinese New Year."

　　A survey conducted by Zhongxin Finance and Economics found that many professional pet shops and small programs in first-tier cities have quoted more than 100 yuan for one service.

This has also given birth to part-time door-to-door feeding services. Many local people with experience in raising pets have earned "extra money" during the Spring Festival.

On a second-hand trading platform, many people work part-time during the Spring Festival to "come to feed".

　　On some social platforms and second-hand trading platforms, many people said that they can feed cats and walk dogs on their behalf. The price ranges from 30 to 60 yuan. Additional service charges apply.

Be vigilant against the chaotic situation of foster pets as the pet economy heats up

　　According to data from iiMedia Consulting, the scale of China's pet economy industry will reach 493.6 billion yuan in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 25.2%. It is estimated that the market size will reach 811.4 billion yuan in 2025.

　　The ever-increasing pet economy has made the demand for pet services more refined and diversified.

In addition to pet food, the demand for pet medical treatment, pet grooming, pet foster care, etc. is increasing, which has also created some industry chaos.

Data map: In the pet "hotel", the cats who are "on vacation" enjoy various services.

Photo by Yu Jing

　　Zhongxin Finance noticed that some netizens reported on social platforms that they encountered problems such as high prices, poor care, and even death of pets in pet foster care.

　　In this regard, some people in the industry pointed out that surrogate care has great uncertainty. Pet owners should choose a regular pet store and sign a detailed foster agreement with the merchant before fostering, so as to avoid difficulties in safeguarding rights in the event of an accident.

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