Raising pets, raising an industry

Liao Wentao put the body of 2-year-old Garfield on a small bed surrounded by flowers. Then he let the cat’s owner say a last goodbye before cremation. Liao, 26, is a pet undertaker. “We send off 400 to 500 pets each year, and there’s a great demand for pet funerals,” he told China News.
廖文韬把一只两岁加菲猫的遗体放在鲜花环抱的小床上，让主人与猫告别，随后他将猫火化。26岁的廖文韬是一位宠物殡葬师，他在接受中国新闻网采访时表示:“我们一年送别400只到500只宠物，宠物殡葬需求很大。”

Keeping pets has become a trend for young people in China and people are more than willing to pay for whatever their pets need. From 2019 to 2021, China’s pet market grew by almost 18 percent and hit 348.8 billion yuan in value in 2021, according to a report by iResearch Consulting Group.
养宠物已经成为中国年轻人的一种新兴生活方式，他们心甘情愿为自己宠物的任何需求买单。据艾瑞咨询的一份报告显示，从2019年到2021年，中国宠物行业市场规模增长了近18%，2021年规模达3488亿元。

As the pet economy thrives, animal lovers’ diversified needs have boosted the emergence and development of related businesses such as bathing, pet food, pet beauty and healthcare.
随着宠物经济蓬勃发展，动物爱好者的多样化需求推动了宠物洗护、食品、美容、保健等相关业务的出现和发展。

In addition to basic services, pet owners are increasingly paying for many new services, such as training, pet funerals, insurance, photography and entertainment. The growing pet market has also given birth to a large number of new pet-related jobs, noted CCTV News.
除了基本的服务，宠物主人在许多新兴服务上的消费越来越多，诸如宠物训练、葬礼、保险、摄影和娱乐。据央视新闻报道，宠物市场规模不断扩大，这也催生了大量与宠物相关的新工作岗位。

Liu Wei, 33, is a famous pet detective in Shanghai. He and his team work on finding families’ lost pets. “We have successfully helped find more than 1,000 pets. Besides cats and dogs, there are other pets like birds, lizards and hamsters,” Liu said.
33岁的刘伟是上海有名的宠物侦探，他和团队帮助养宠家庭寻回走失的宠物。“我们已经寻回1000多只宠物。除猫狗外，还有鸟、蜥蜴、仓鼠等宠物。”

According to Liu, being a pet detective requires a sense of responsibility, kindness and love for animals. Pet detectives also need to be clear-eyed. People who take this job also make use of high-tech products such as infrared thermal imaging devices.
刘伟表示，做宠物侦探不仅要有责任心、爱心，喜欢动物，还要有敏锐的洞察力，并需要红外热成像仪等高科技设备协助。

“Tracking down pets requires lots of technical knowledge, for example, when we look for cats, knowing their breeds and habits is a must,” said Liu.
刘伟说：“找寻宠物，是一门真正的技术活。比如，找丢失的猫咪，必须问清楚品种、习性等。”

“In many big cities, cats and dogs have become an indispensable part of many families and are taken good care of. So what we look for are not just pets, but family members.”
“在大城市，猫狗已成为许多家庭不可或缺的一份子，并被细心呵护。我们寻找的不是宠物，而是每一个家庭成员。”

Apart from pet undertakers and detectives, some people work as pet food testers, pet sitters and pet trainers.
除了宠物殡葬师和宠物侦探，有些人还从事宠物食品试吃员、宠物护理员和宠物训练师等工作。

According to Tu Di, secretary-general of the Hunan Pet Industry Association, the booming pet market shows people’s improved living standards.
湖南省宠物（诊疗）行业协会秘书长屠迪认为，蓬勃发展的宠物市场是人民生活水平提高的体现。

However, there are also problems with the industry, for example, the high fees of taking pets to the vet. Many pet owners have called for stricter pricing regulations for pet medical services, reported Global Times.
然而，宠物行业也存在一些问题。例如，带宠物看兽医的费用昂贵。据《环球时报》报道，许多宠物主人呼吁对宠物医疗服务实行更严格的定价规定。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高一855期