Busy China pet owners fork out hard-earned cash on ‘kindergarten’ courses for animals
According to a report by the mainland news outlet, Economic View, the class focuses on skills such as nodding, head shaking, bowing, ringing bells, closing doors, fetching slippers and toys, crawling and frisbee catching.
The courses run for 30 days and cost 11,000 yuan (US$1,500).
Such kindergartens have become a salvation for full-time workers who find themselves unable to devote enough time to their pets.
“The kindergarten even bathes the dogs and sends them home clean, which makes my life much easier after work,” one Labrador owner told Economic View.
She also said her pet appeared happier when playing with other dogs.
The owner of a Bengal cat, cited similar reasons for using the service.
“I read online that if a cat often stares out the window blankly, it might be feeling lonely,” the owner said, adding: “Lately, that was the case with my cat, as I am too busy with work to keep it company during the day.”
Other anxious pet owners said they valued the expertise of the kindergarten teachers to train difficult animals.
At one pet school an intensive one-on-one, 45-day course provides full boarding and costs 12,000 yuan (US$1,650).
Some pet kindergartens only provide day care services, the most expensive of which costs 700 yuan (US$95) a day and includes pick-up and drop-off by a “school bus”, or a “boarding school” format that provides closed training with 24-hour monitoring.
An entrepreneur who established a pet kindergarten in Shanghai told the Economic Review that their facility can accommodate about 30 dogs and seven cats.
Online opinion about the trend has been varied.
“This 11,000 yuan is well spent! When I retire in a couple of years, I plan to get a puppy and will definitely send it to learn some skills,” said one person.
“How is it more expensive than my child’s summer classes?” said another.
“This is pitiful. Now dogs have to attend training classes too? It’s not enough to push kids, now we’re pushing dogs?” said a third.
China’s pet industry has experiencing rapid growth in recent years.
According to a report by iiMedia Research, China’s pet economy was worth 493.6 billion yuan (US$68 billion) in 2022 and is projected to almost double by 2025.