With a host of services such as acupuncture treatments and gourmet pet food delivery springing up to cater to the city's legions of pets and their indulgent owners, it was only a matter of time before talent agents would get in on the act. A handful of agents have emerged to represent pet owners keen to secure wider exposure for their beloved animals in different media.

Tam primarily manages show business personalities through his agency HK Genesis. But the self-professed animal lover says he expanded his services in June to include dogs after receiving an increasing number of requests for animal talent.

'We had inquiries about animal talent, though the question was usually whether we had friends with a certain type of dog,' Tam says.

He has since signed 30 owners to three-year contracts for their dogs, including Leung, who is delighted at how his poodle has performed at photo sessions for Season pet magazine and Apple Daily.

'I am very proud of Sai Lo,' says Leung. 'He isn't afraid of the cameras at all. In fact, I think he likes it.'

At the Murine Tsui Modelling Agency, founder Murine Tsui To-yeen also added an animal section to her business and within five months has added 39 pets to her books. She was encouraged by a friend at a production house, who booked her pets - a dog and a cat - for a pet food commercial, Tsui says.

'[My agency] has been around for 16 years and everyone in the industry knows me as an animal lover.'

She doesn't secure pet owners under contracts but, like Tam, she takes a 20 per cent cut of earnings from assignments.

It isn't particularly lucrative for the owners - most local jobs pay between HK$400 and HK$1,500 per hour and usually take at least two hours. But most are just happy to see their pets in photos and don't mind, Tam says.

He says such arrangements are unethical and make it easy for owners to be taken for granted by clients.

Jennifer Chan, who launched the Wahfugu animal talent service last month as a division of her online pet supplies business of the same name, takes a more laid-back approach.

She doesn't charge a commission because demand for animal talent in Hong Kong is still low and advertisers aren't used to having to hire animals. 'At the moment we're not exactly like a top modelling agency. Let's just keep it fun,' Chan says.

Still, the talent section of Wahfugu.com already features photographs and particulars of about 30 animals, mostly dogs.

Chan recruits her talent in three ways: by approaching owners when she comes across attractive animals on the streets, encouraging people to submit portfolios to her site, and through charities. The last is more of a service to Hong Kong Dog Rescue and the Lamma-based Lifelong Animal Protection Charity to match their animals with clients, with the income going to the shelters.

Through her contacts as a former advertising account director, Chan has been able to place animals in ads for Sony, Smartone and local designer Henry Lau Chi-wah. She hopes to develop a regional service and is now trying to break into the Singapore market, where she already represents two Yorkshire terriers.

Typically, animals appearing on local television are owned by actors or borrowed from acquaintances and aren't paid.

When a Dog Loves a Cat, a TVB drama from 2007 featured the pets of the two lead actresses. But Jack, the schnauzer who has a starring role as the smart and pampered dog of a small family in the series, The Stew of Life, was put forward for the role by its owner, a professional dog trainer.

Having been trained since he was a puppy, Jack does more acting than most animals appearing on television. 'He can eat, bark, show emotions, all on command,' says Amy Wong Sum-wai, the show's executive producer.

Companies or advertising agencies often turn to kennels or pedigree clubs such as the Golden Retriever Club and the German Shepherd Dog Club when casting commercials.

Rebecca Ngan Yee-ling, a spokeswoman for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, says the society regularly gets calls from film and television producers asking to 'borrow' specific breeds from their kennels, usually as a sort of prop.

When such requests are turned down, producers often offer to buy the animal, which the SPCA also rebuffs because 'they don't think about what will happen to the dog beyond filming', Ngan says.

'In the course of filming they might just look at the animal from an operational point of view, as a prop. We have to remind those people that they should also look at it from the dog's point of view. For instance, is there another way to shoot a scene besides putting the dog on a high point, which can be very scary?'

However, Ngan supports the services of an animal talent agent if the person is familiar with the needs of the animal and if the owner is present for the filming.

Agents tend to rate good looks above talent in animals, with golden retrievers and poodles among the more sought after breeds.

People who hope to earn money by providing dogs for commercials probably need to have purebreds that look clean and happy, Chan says.

Most clients just require obedient animals that won't bite rather than canines trained to perform tricks.

'Few are required to be able to jump and bark on command. Most are used in photo shoots and simply have to be able to sit still for four to eight hours; with TV commercials it's up to eight hours,' Tam says. 'Usually the dogs just need to look nice and be able to walk with the models. So the dogs definitely can't be afraid of people.'

It's on special assignments that trained dogs come into their own.

'Looks are important but good training is the most important,' says TVB's Wong. 'You don't want to waste time on set with a dog that won't behave. Jack is very good. He usually gets his part done in the first or second take.'

But an unruly dog will require many takes, which means producers must spend more money to keep rest of the cast on set, she says. 'It's hard to find good animal talent.'