A man (right) and his dog Maimai at the grave side of Maverick, who was the father of Maimai, at CKC Pet Cemetery in Beijing's Tongzhou district on March 30, 2010. Such graves are too expensive for many pet owners. (Shi Huili/for China Daily)
More pet owners are willing to bury their pets in pet cemeteries despite the high cost, the news website cyol.com reported.
There were about 100 million pets registered in China in 2015, and over one million pets need to be buried every year, according to a survey.
In a Beijing suburb, a cemetery called "Pet Heaven" is located where more than 4,000 pets are buried. Pet cemeteries such as "Pet Heaven" can be found in many cities.
However, burial at a pet cemetery is not cheap. In "Pet Heaven", a grave alone costs about 2,000 to 5,000 yuan ($314 to $785). The price of gravestone ranges from 1,200 to 1,600 yuan depending on the size. Price for cremation is weight-based. For a pet weighing less than 10 kg, the cremation fee normally is no more than 1,000 yuan.
A system for harmless treatment of diseased animals has been put into operation in Beijing since January 1, 2017. Though it is free, many pet owners still choose to bury their animals by themselves or have them cremated in places such as "Pet Heaven".
