Dog and cat care services make a killing during Tet

Overloaded dog and cat grooming services

Ms. Minh Thu, Bach Mai, Hanoi called major dog and cat care centers in Hanoi such as: Pet Health Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Hai Veterinary Clinic, Petmart, Lino pet salon ... to register for bathing, shampooing, and hair trimming services to beautify her 1-year-old Poodle for Tet. However, all of these centers announced that their appointments were fully booked because the demand for care and beauty for dogs and cats during Tet increased so much. Some stores even said that they were fully booked since the beginning of February 2018.

According to Ms. Thu, Poodle is a foreign dog breed, its hair grows very fast, every 2-3 weeks it has to be taken to the spa for trimming. However, during the time near Tet, she was busy with work so she forgot to make an appointment with the store early. When Tet approached, all stores announced that they would not accept any more appointments even though she was willing to pay a higher price for the service.

Dog and cat care services "make a fortune" during Lunar New Year.

Not only did she make appointments at large centers, Ms. Thu also called smaller facilities located in alleys and lanes that specialize in taking care of poodles, but these facilities all reported that their appointments were fully booked.

According to dog and cat care centers, the usual care process for a dog like a Poodle includes: ear cleaning, nail cutting and sharpening, paw scraping, sweat gland squeezing, bathing and drying, and trimming and styling. For a dog under 3 kg, the price for care and grooming services is 250,000 VND/dog, for a dog from 3 - 5 kg it is 300,000 VND/dog, for a dog from 5 - 7 kg it is 350,000 VND/dog, for a dog from 7 - 10 kg it is 400,000 VND/dog.

Bathing and grooming services include: ear cleaning, nail trimming, foot shaving, gland extraction, bathing and drying. For this service, dogs and cats under 3kg cost 100,000 VND. From 3 - 5kg cost 150,000 VND. From 5 - 7kg cost 200,000 VND. From 7 - 10kg cost 250,000 VND.

In addition, the beauty service for dogs and cats also includes: Ear and tail dyeing service for dogs and cats under 5kg for 250,000 VND. From 5 - 10kg for 300,000 VND. Dyeing service for 4 legs under 5kg for 250,000. From 5 - 10kg for 300,000 VND. Ear, tail and 4 legs dyeing service under 5kg for 400,000 VND. From 5 - 10kg for 500,000 VND

According to the staff at Dr Hai Veterinary Clinic (Lac Trung, Hanoi), they have been fully booked for many days now. Previously, the center only took care of and trimmed 9-10 dogs per day. However, near Tet, the store often takes in 14-15 dogs for trimming and bathing. The trimming and bathing process for each dog takes 3-4 hours. Currently, the staff at the center have to work continuously from morning until 9pm before they can rest. Therefore, the center cannot accept any more appointments.

According to the owner of a dog and cat spa on Au Co Street: "The bookings have been full since the beginning of the month, from February 3 until now I dare not accept any new orders. Because the previous orders were full until close to Tet. From the beginning of the month until now, I have not had a single day off, we work on holidays, Saturdays and Sundays."

According to the owner of Lino Pet Salon at Lane 309 Bach Mai, the closer it gets to Tet holiday, the more orders there are. However, the shop cannot accept more orders because appointments have been booked several weeks in advance.

Dog and cat sitting service is also full

Not only dog ​​and cat care services, dog and cat sitting services also attract customers. Due to the characteristics of many families returning to their hometowns for Tet, dog and cat boarding services are also busy.

According to an employee of Dr Hai Veterinary Clinic (Lac Trung, Hanoi), the cost of keeping each dog is about 120,000 - 150,000 VND/dog depending on weight. Currently, the center still accepts dogs and cats but requires a deposit in advance or the cage will be full.

The demand for sending dogs and cats increases during the Lunar New Year. Photo: PM

Ms. Thanh Huong (Thanh Nhan, Hanoi) said: "Dr. Hai's Veterinary Clinic is near my house, so I decided to leave my pet dog for 5 days so that my whole family could go home to celebrate Tet with my grandparents."

According to Ms. Huong, traveling back to her hometown by bus is very inconvenient for a family of 4 with a dog. Therefore, she had to leave her dog at a care center. Although the price is expensive, there is no other way.

Ms. Huong said that, learning from last year's experience, she booked a room for her dog in early January 2018. Because it is very troublesome to leave it at a relative's house during Tet. Sending it to a care service costs a little more money but is more secure because the pet dog is well taken care of and does not bother anyone.

At the Petmart store on Kim Ma Street (Hanoi), the store's staff shared that towards the end of the year, there are more and more orders for pet rooms. The room rate is usually around 150,000 VND/day/dog. The VIP room rate for cats and dogs is 350,000 VND/day/dog. Dogs will be provided with enough food, water, and exercise. If they are kept for more than 3 days, they will be bathed for free.