Pet owners should beware of thousand-dollar dog baths, warns Hong Kong Consumer Council

The city’s consumer watchdog has warned pet owners to be wary of exorbitant charges for additional services at pet hotels that could reach up to thousands for just a bath.

The Consumer Council looked into 20 licensed boarding establishments for pets, which charge between HK$90 and $800 in boarding fees per day for cats and dogs based on the different animal sizes.

But what the council found varied in pricing the most were fees for additional services such as baths for dogs, which could range from HK$80 to $1,550, a price difference of 18 times.

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While the law requires the hotels to be licensed and to meet certain hygiene conditions for boarding, fees and other miscellaneous services are not regulated and do not have to meet any uniform standards.

“Pet owners’ expectations and demands for pet care often exceed the basic necessities, so they have to be careful when looking at costs for other services,” said Michael Hui King-man, chairman of the Consumer Council’s publicity and community relations committee.

“Some animals are harder to handle, and different breeds also have different requirements.”

The council also urged customers to check if their establishments have extra surcharges during festivals and long holidays such as the upcoming Lunar New Year, during which some hotels charge up to double the original boarding fee.

There are a total of 49 licensed pet boarding establishments across the city, according to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation department, which regulates them.