Yan Jinsheng still keeps a dog immunization certificate and a small dog tag from the 1980s, which record information about a Chinese rural dog he raised in Tianjin when he was a child.
"Back then, it cost more than 5,000 yuan to get a dog license in a big city, and purebred dogs were still a luxury for the general public," recalled 47-year-old Yan Jinsheng.
With the rapid development of China's economy and the improvement of residents' living standards, pets are gradually becoming a part of more and more families. The "2023-2024 China Pet Industry White Paper (Consumer Report)" shows that in 2023, the number of pet dogs and pet cats in China reached 51.75 million and 69.8 million, respectively.
Wu Yi, associate professor at the College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, said that behind the data is the change in the lives of Chinese people: pets have become more and more people's life companions, and their role has shifted from guarding the house to providing emotional companionship.
Yan Jinsheng, the current vice president of the Pet Industry Branch of the China Animal Husbandry Association, believes that the pet-owning population has expanded from the wealthy to the elderly and then to young people. "China has now entered an era of nationwide pet ownership."
The growing number of pet owners and the increasing emphasis on the quality of life for pets have driven the vigorous development of China's pet economy.
Looking back, China's early pet industry mainly revolved around pet ownership and simple transactions. The market was small, with limited product variety, and primarily served a small group with specific needs. Pet food and supplies were largely imported. However, as the number of pets continued to grow, the market's consumption potential was unleashed.
Yan Jinsheng keenly recognized the development potential of this field and founded the pet chain brand "Saint Pet" in 2013. The brand provides a range of services including pet-related vocational training and pet store management, aiming to cultivate talent for the industry. Currently, "Saint Pet" has opened over 2,000 chain stores in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu.
According to the white paper, the urban pet (dog and cat) consumer market in China reached 279.3 billion yuan in 2023, and is expected to jump to 361.3 billion yuan in 2026. A search on the Qichacha platform shows that the number of registered pet-related companies in China has increased year by year over the past 20 years; as of the end of September, more than 1.23 million new companies were registered this year.
The dramatic increase in the number of pets has made it even more important to build a harmonious social environment for humans and pets.
"The concept of civilized pet ownership is becoming increasingly popular, and more and more people are voluntarily vaccinating their pets and buying collars, which brings more market opportunities," said Yan Jinsheng.
The number of training schools focusing on pet behavior correction and socialization is also increasing. According to data from Qichacha, there are nearly 30,000 companies in China with "pet training" in their names or business scopes, with approximately 7,000 new companies added last year alone. Some companies have even launched "pet kindergarten" programs, training pets to interact amicably with other pets and humans.
The popularization of the concept of civilized pet ownership has led to a continuous increase in the acceptance of pets in Chinese society, and more parks, shopping malls, and hotels have joined the ranks of creating "pet-friendly" environments.
Zhou Jingru, a Beijing resident, recently took her two-and-a-half-year-old Corgi to a shopping mall in Chaoyang District. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the mall had started providing free pet strollers, allowing her to push her beloved dog while shopping.
"This is such a great experience! The stroller also comes with a pee pad and a lid. Once the lid is closed, I don't have to worry about encountering customers who are afraid of dogs in the mall," Zhou Jingru said excitedly.
