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Few Chinese know that burying their pets in own backyard might break laws. But with the pet funeral service booming in China, an increasing number of pet keepers have begun to abide by the law -- consciously or not.
This year's tomb-sweeping day, which fell on Monday, became busier for Zhou Shan, a programmer in Beijing. Besides paying respect to the graves of her relatives, she also visited a special tree that was an exclusive resting place for the ashes of her beloved Samoyed.
"Emily became my dearest 'sister' when I was 12. We had spent 11 happy years with each other. I know I can't afford her a grand funeral, but at least she deserved a decent burial," Zhou said.
Emily was sent to Baifu Pet Heaven, a pet loss service provider based in suburban Beijing. The company owned a forest of over 100 mu (about 6.7 hectares). Owners can claim a tree for 2,000 to 5,000 yuan (300 to 750 U.S. dollars) for their pets to be buried there.
"More than 4,000 trees have been claimed since we began to provide the service in 2005," said its founder Chen Shaochun. "We have also cremated nearly 20,000 pets."
According to the statistics from a popular pet magazine Dog Fans, around 4.25 million dogs and 2 million cats are kept in China, and the figures are increasing by 30 percent every year.
A research in 2014 estimated that over 10 million dogs were being kept across the country, and the total number of pets exceeded 100 million in number including cats, birds and other species.
The Chinese law on animal epidemic prevention requires the bio-safety disposal of animal bodies, especially those died of illness or for unknown reasons. The Beijing municipal government also stipulated in 2014 that random disposal of pets was prohibited.
The bodies of deceased animals, if mishandled, may spread bacterial, virus and parasitic diseases, said senior veterinarian Zhou Guilan from Beijing Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center.
"Other Side", one of pet cremation companies that have sprung up in big Chinese cities, saw a surging demand in recent years. The prices varied from several hundred yuan to more than 1,000 depending on the weight of pets.
Cremator Wang Xilong said that besides dogs and cats, he also cremated rabbits, parrots, chinchillas and tortoise.
"It (cremation) is not cheap actually. But more and more pet owners, rich or not, have chosen to pay for it," Wang said.
Ding Mingxing, director of the veterinary medicine department of central China's Huazhong Agricultural University, said the increasing "pet patients" in his university's animal hospital showcases their rising status in Chinese families.
"Normally there are 20 to 30 cases every day, some of them are just minor illnesses such as hair slip or itching," Ding said. "Overprotective pet owners are increasing."
With DINK (double income no kids), empty-nest elderly and bachelor families increasing in China, the number of pets is also on the rise, said Xia Xueluan, professor of sociology from Peking University.
"More public funds should be allocated to build crematories and offer funeral services for companion animals. It's also a part of a humane society," Xia said.
