With the seven-day Spring Festival holiday approaching, many local residents in Shanghai are facing a very untraditional problem -- what they should do with their pets while they are away on vacation.

Many pet owners turn to animal-loving friends to look after their cats and dogs while they are out of town. Sometimes, however, the pet-sitters grow a little too attached to their new four-legged friends.

Xia Lushu, a 26-year-old office worker, agreed to take care of her boyfriend's puppy while he was traveling for a month on business.

Xia's mother fell in love with the dog at first sight and became a loyal caretaker. The puppy brought great joy to the retired woman who had often complained about being lonely.

The problem arose when Xia's boyfriend returned and wanted his puppy back. Neither Xia's mother nor the little dog wanted to be separated, so the boyfriend had to give away his pet.

Some puppy owners encounter worse situations that can cost them personal relationships.

Xiao Wei, a 36-year-old technician, was at odds with his wife who spent all her spare time playing with a little dog. Her friend had asked her to take care of it while the friend was out of town.

Xiao's wife cooked for the dog, played with it and even watched TV with it while Xiao felt increasingly jealous and began to complain. When her friend came back, the annoyed husband with little delay kicked out the furry invader.

"I would probably send my pet to a friend who once fed a puppy, if my family is all away," said Jessie, a girl who has been raising puppies for nine months. "I hope to see some professional pet caretakers but I haven't got to know any."

As a matter of fact, pet shops are flourishing in Shanghai and other major cities across the Chinese mainland. They provide a wide scope of pet-care service such as selling pet food, operating pet clinics and even running matchmaking services. Most of pet shops are able to take care of pets according to the owners' request.

"We feed pets the same food as they have at home and give them sufficient time to play around. What's more, they are kept in individual cages to prevent cross infection," said Zhou Fujun, who manages the Naughty Family Pet Center, a renowned pet shop in Shanghai.

But pet shops do not accept all pets. Pets like puppies and kittens must have received all of their shots and acquired a health license before a pet shop will take care of them.

"We check the pets' health when they come here the first time even if they already have a health license. It is vital to head off infections before they start," said Zhou. Pet shops are also supposed to inform the owners if their pets are not feeling well during their stay.

At Naughty Family, kennel charges range from 60-80 yuan (US$7.2-US$9.6) per day for dogs, while other such shops in the city charge anywhere from 30 to 100 yuan (US$3.6-US$12) per day for boarding.

Currently, there are more than 40 professional pet shops in Shanghai.

(Shanghai Daily January 5, 2004)