Two-year-old Harry lives a life many would envy. He has lots of toys, designer clothes and a maid who tends him 24 hours a day. He even has orange highlights in his hair and often enjoys spa treatments.
Not bad, considering Harry is a red poodle.
The pampered pooch lives in Taipei with his owner Cindy Tsai, who also has a three-year-old golden retriever and spends over NT$12,000 (US$363) on her dogs each month.
PHOTO: AFP
"My dogs are like my sons, and I want the best for them. In fact, I hire a maid not to take care of me but them," Tsai says.
Tsai is among a growing number of Taiwanese people who are willing to lavish money on their pets, creating an industry that observers estimate to be worth more than NT$20 billion a year.
There are more than 1.3 million household dogs and nearly 250,000 domestic cats kept by the nation's 23 million people, according to figures released by the Council of Agriculture (COA).
Pet cafes and restaurants have mushroomed across the country in the past few years -- reflecting a trend in wealthy Asian societies from Hong Kong to Tokyo -- while boutiques, photo studios, clubs, hotels and spas open one after another to cash in on the trend.
Tsai works for a large pet company which has three stores in Taipei offering a wide variety of pet supplies and accessories as well as grooming, spa and hotel services.
The company's newest store Doggy House Tienmu opened earlier this month in the capital's Tianmu area and touts pet products from Japan, the US, France, Germany and Finland as well as a beauty room equipped with a jacuzzi.
Its brightly lit sales area displays pet food, clothes and accessories on wooden shelves and jewelry in glass cases, creating the ambience of a boutique. An in-store cafe also provides pet owners a place to relax with their four-legged loved ones after shopping.
Customer Eddie Liao, an engineer in Taipei, is shopping for imported brand-name items for his two-year-old beagle Hsiao Mi, meaning "little beagle."
"I am raising Hsiao Mi like a child. I buy him a water bed and lots of nutritional supplements and toys. I am also planning to get insurance cover in case he goes missing or dies," Liao says.
Some young entrepreneurs reported impressive results from their pet-related ventures.
Mimi Huang, 28, quit her sales job at a wedding photo boutique two years ago to set up a photo studio for pets in Taipei. She now earns up to NT$1 million a month in peak season and recently launched a second studio in Taichung City.
Her "Dog Photo Studio" in Taipei is decorated with photographs and posters of her patrons, the majority being dogs and cats but also including pigs, turtles, ducks, birds, rabbits, and rats.
For a price between NT$3,990 and NT$25,800, customers can have their pets photographed in various costumes, hats, sunglasses, scarves, wigs and even fake eyelashes.
But not all are making a quick buck by entering the pet business.
Liu Su-may, a manager at Tian An International Travel Service, started the nation's first pet tours, "Happy Go Happy," in June aiming at promoting interaction between devoted pet owners.
But while operating her business for fun, she has frequently found herself barking up the wrong tree.
"Some hotels will not take animals in for fear that other patrons will protest, so it is a problem finding accommodations for pets," Liu sighs.
"We are still communicating with many hotels and I hope tourism operators will realize the good business opportunities in the pet market."
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