(File photo)

The pet boarding business is booming in China thanks to the upcoming 8-day National Day holiday break, starting from Oct. 1. According to Guangzhou Daily, pet sitting services at many pet clinics or pet stores are already fully booked.

Statistics from Jiangsu Small Animal Veterinary Association showed that 8% of families in first- and second-tier cities of China are keeping pets.

Though pet sitting services are in high demand right now, most places have not raised their prices.

However, the Guangdong Pet Industry Association has reminded people to pay attention to boarding contracts, since pet boarding is still an immature business in China that lacks regulations and codes of practice.

An employee of a pet store told Guangzhou Daily that it only receives small-sized pets of less than 10 kilograms, but the service has been fully booked for the National Day holiday. The employee said holidays are the peak time for such services and advanced booking is necessary.

Most of the boarding service providers only offer less than 20 boarding rooms for pets, and those for large pets are in even more limited supply because they take up too much space.

Pet boarding services offers a convenience to pet owners, but many still adopt a wait-and-see attitude. Some of them worry that their pets may not adapt well to the new environment, while others express their concerns over the sanitary condition of the boarding platforms.