Stereotype-defiers: true features of Chinese pet owners

Along with rapid social development, an increasing number of pets play a more significant role in Chinese families. A case in point is that the number of pet dogs exceeds 150 million this year. A blog article by a veterinarian shows that men are keener on raising pets than women: some 56 percent of men keep dogs and a majority figure, 67 percent, raises cats.

Among pet owners, dog owners comprise the overwhelming majority at 61.74 percent, while 19.13 percent own cats and 6.09 percent own turtles.

South China's Guangdong province claims the largest percentage of pet owners, at 10.62 percent, with East China's Jiangsu province following closely with 10.40 percent. Shanghai and Beijing account for 9.08 percent and 7.66 percent, respectively.

As for age groups, people between 25 and 30 are the largest group of pet owners at 37 percent, while only 8 percent of people older than 45 own pets.

To subvert the stereotype of pet owners' occupations, 25 percent are administrators and only 8 percent are retirees and housewives.

A majority of families, 32 percent, are willing to spend 1,000 to 3,000 RMB on pets. At the high end, 11 percent can afford to spend 10,000 yuan on pets and 9 percent of families can afford less than 1,000 yuan.