A woman surnamed Duan was not allowed to bring her pet dog on the train during a visit to Henan Province, so she left it with a kennel in the Tongzhou district in suburban Beijing.

In a similar case, a man surnamed Li also left his dog with a pet animal hospital offering such a service while his family went traveling during the week-long vacation.

During the festival period, Pets' Home, the biggest pet lodging and training service center in Beijing, signed more than 50 service contracts with pet owners, who were temporarily not able to look after their pets for different reasons, including leaving the city to meet relatives, going abroad or going traveling.

Actually, Pets' Home has witnessed a steady growth in business since it was put into operation two years ago. Pet animals, mainly dogs and cats, have been entrusted to the center for periods ranging from several days to several years.

According to the center's manager Yang Yang, pets are provided with board, medical care and outdoor exercise. Each of them have a four-square-meter room to live in and a six-square-meter outdoor space to move around. Extra services are also provided upon request.

(eastday.com February 9, 2003)