Woman spends ₹1.64 lakh to send her pet dog to kindergarten; package includes dedicated school bus service

A young woman from Shanghai has gone viral across China. She spent 12,000 yuan (around ₹1.64 lakh or $1,700) to enrol her six-month-old Samoyed dog in a pet kindergarten, according to the South China Morning Post.

The woman, who goes by the pseudonym Taotao and was born in the 1990s, said she chose the arrangement because her busy work schedule left her with little time. She could not give her pet enough time.

The package she chose includes personality testing, behaviour training and social activities. It even has a dedicated school bus service for daily pickup and drop-off.

"I am usually too busy with work and do not have much time to keep it company," Taotao told Cover News.

China's pet market

China's urban pet industry has entered a new phase of rapid, high-quality growth. Consumers increasingly treat their animals as family members rather than just pets. It shows in the numbers.

According to a December 2025 report by market consultancy Daydream, China's urban pet consumption market grew by 7.5% in 2024, surpassing 300 billion yuan (over ₹4.10 lakh crore) for the first time.

The cat-related market alone reached 144.5 billion yuan ( ₹1.97 lakh crore), a 10.7% increase. By 2027, the urban pet market is projected to expand to 404.2 billion yuan ( ₹5.5 lakh crore).

The urban dog and cat population reached 124.11 million in 2024, up 2.1% from the previous year. The number comprised 52.58 million dogs and 71.53 million cats.

Pet ownership among Chinese households has risen steadily, from 13% in 2019 to 22% in 2023. However, this remains significantly lower than the United States at 70%, Germany at 36% and Japan at 28%.

India's pet market

India's pet ownership rate stands at 43%, below the global average of 55%, according to a December 2024 survey by TGM Global Pet Care Survey.

Dogs are the most popular pets in India, with 63% of pet owners reporting a canine companion. Cats follow at 42% and fish at 19%. This differs from the global average in TGM's survey, where dogs accounted for 58% of pets, cats for 53% and fish for just 9%.

Separate data from Mordor Intelligence paints an even more dog-dominant picture. According to their analysts, dogs made up 87.7% of India's pet population in 2022, compared to just 9% for cats.

However, cat ownership has grown rapidly, particularly during the pandemic. Cats comprised only 0.5% of India's pet population in 2020. But, the cat population grew 88% between 2017 and 2022.

On the commercial side, dogs also dominate India's pet product market, accounting for 92% of the market in 2022. Dog food sales were valued at $562.7 million that year, with analysts forecasting this figure to reach $1.76 billion ( ₹16,650 crore) by 2029.