The growing passion for pets among more and more Chinese people has nurtured a new career in China -- the pet nurse, who is well trained to give professional care to the pets.

Sources from the housekeeping market in Guangzhou, south China's economic powerhouse, said that currently there are no more than 100 professional pet nurses in the city, an extremely meagre figure compared with the market demand.

Statistics show that more than 30,000 families with pets in Guangzhou are seeking qualified pet nurses.

A Miss Wu in Guangzhou, who has just started her third job as a pet nurse, said she is now taking care of two precious dogs for a local family.

Besides giving shower, manicure and massage to the pets, Wu also trains the dogs to make some simple performance. Currently, she works three days a week and is paid 1,300 yuan per month (160.9 US dollars).

The average monthly salary for most pet nurses is between 900 yuan and 1,000 yuan, and some can even get more than 1,500 yuan, much higher than that of normal housekeepers.

Sources from China Animal Agriculture Association said that currently there are about 150 million pet dogs in China -- about one for every nine people. The national capital Beijing had more than 500,000 pet dogs in 2004.

Source: Xinhua