Feature: Pet-care service comforts quarantined owners

A staff member cleans the lawn at a pet-care center which helps look after pets belonging to quarantined people in Changsha, capital city of central China's Hunan Province, April 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

CHANGSHA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- A woman stood at the window, watching a gray car drive away. There were tears in her eyes, but her sadness was mixed with relief.

The lady surnamed Yi, 41, was gazing after her three pet dogs as they headed for a pet-care center.

Yi and her relatives live in Changsha, capital city of central China's Hunan Province. Starting on March 30, they had to be isolated at home because the community went into lockdown for COVID-19 prevention and control.

On the first night of isolation, Yi couldn't sleep. She was afraid of being separated from her loyal friends.

"If we were sent somewhere else for quarantine, who was going to take care of my dogs?" she said.

The dogs were part of the family since before her daughter was born. "It's my duty to keep them safe and sound," she said.

As Yi pondered the problem, she suddenly recalled a WeChat group she had previously joined. She had read about the group through an announcement released online by a local animal-protection organization named Changsha Adoption Day, saying that a pet-care center would help look after pets belonging to quarantined people.

She quickly got in touch, and volunteers from the Juzijia pet-care center told her that they collected pets from their owners' doors, taking care of them until the owner is released from the quarantine. The service was free of charge.

Pet owners were constantly joining the WeChat group, and volunteers took pains to reassure them. After reading the chat records, Yi began to feel much better.

When Yi received a call on March 31 informing her that she must move to a designated isolation site, she immediately sent a message in the group seeking help.

Volunteers soon arrived at her community. With the help of community workers, Yi's three dogs and their belongings were disinfected, and they were then transferred to the care center.

Hu Yiming, manager of Changsha Adoption Day, explained how the service began. "We started offering free pet-care services as soon as we learned about the launch of the construction of a makeshift hospital in Changsha on March 27," said Hu.

The organization published the information on the internet on the same day, so that more pet owners could find the information, just like Yi did. "We contacted two pet-care centers that could provide temporary shelter, and we began to recruit volunteers," Hu said.

They received more than 1,017 applications, and 205 volunteers were selected to participate in the pet-rescue activity.

Yang Lingchen was among those lending a hand. As the deputy director of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, he contacted Hu at the earliest opportunity, offering to help the project with his professional experience.

He has provided guidance and suggestions to volunteers on disinfection operations and the centralized management of the pets.

As of April 9, they have received consultations from 460 families and helped bring hundreds of pets from 32 families into the care center.

"Pet-care services are not only conducive to caring for the pets in a proper way, but also help avoid the risk of epidemic transmission," Yang said.

Changsha is not alone in providing such services. The southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen has also put its first centralized pet-care center into trial operation, offering kenneling services to pet owners under centralized quarantine.

Covering an area of 8,500 square meters, the pet-care center has a total floor area of nearly 1,500 square meters. Once it is fully operational, it will be able to house a maximum of 300 dogs and cats.

Juzijia pet-care center also offers an all-day live broadcast service to the animals' owners. As Yi settled into her isolation hotel, she was always watching her dogs through her mobile phone.

She noticed that the young man who was responsible for taking care of the dogs worked so hard. "He played with the dogs and cleaned the rooms every day. The dogs have a nice living environment, and are free to run around," Yi said.

"I watch them live every day, from beginning to end," added Yi. She has even taken naps to the sound of barking dogs, confident that her loyal friends are safe and well. 

A staff member plays with dogs at a pet-care center which helps look after pets belonging to quarantined people in Changsha, capital city of central China's Hunan Province, April 7, 2022.(Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

A staff member plays with dogs at a pet-care center which helps look after pets belonging to quarantined people in Changsha, capital city of central China's Hunan Province, April 7, 2022.(Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

A staff member feeds dogs at a pet-care center which helps look after pets belonging to quarantined people in Changsha, capital city of central China's Hunan Province, April 7, 2022.(Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

A staff member plays with dogs at a pet-care center which helps look after pets belonging to quarantined people in Changsha, capital city of central China's Hunan Province, April 7, 2022.(Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

A staff member feeds dogs at a pet-care center which helps look after pets belonging to quarantined people in Changsha, capital city of central China's Hunan Province, April 7, 2022.(Xinhua/Xue Yuge)