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umerous pet lovers in Semarang, Central Java, are placing their pets in animal day-care centers to ensure they are cared for while they are on their Idul Fitri holidays.

Dozens crammed into Griya Satwa Lestari pet day care, one of the biggest animal day-care centers in the city on Jl. Kumudasmoro Utara. The day care had seen many customers since early in the morning.

'€œWe have the capacity to accommodate 100 animals of different sizes during normal business, but during Idul Fitri, we receive twice as many,'€ vet Ana Ekawati of the pet day care told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

She said many pet owners often had to take their own cages in case the day care ran out.

Some customers even told her they did not mind if their dogs were chained up, as long as they had a place.

'€œWe can'€™t say no,'€ Ana said, adding that most customers left their pets in the day care for a week.

Pets kept in Griya Satwa Lestari vary from birds, cats, small dogs to big dogs. The cost for a cat or a small dog on regular days starts from Rp 45,000 (US$3.8), while customers with big dogs are charged Rp 65,000 per day. The day care charges an additional Rp 10,000 during Idul Fitri.

Ana said the additional charge was necessary as staff had to work overtime and even miss their Idul Fitri celebrations. The day care also had to assign an on-duty vet, so customers felt comfortable leaving their pets.

Yuda, a resident of Kagok village, was relieved to learn that his dogs had a space at the day care. He said that every Idul Fitri he entrusted two of his three dogs to the pet day care.

'€œWe spend Idul Fitri in Klaten [in Central Java]. We leave the other dog at home to guard the house,'€
he said.

Rosita, another vet at the pet day care, said she treated an average of eight pets a day, but she could serve 10 on busy days.

Pet owners wanting their cats or small dogs washed must pay Rp 55,000 per treatment. For big dogs, the price reaches Rp 70,000.

The prices are almost the same as a decent haircut for humans.

Myra said she had spent a lot of money on keeping her dog Gendhis healthy and happy.

She said her dog was suffering from canine distemper, a contagious viral disease commonly found in dogs.

'€œWhat matters the most is that she gets well and returns to running around just like other dogs do,'€ Myra said.

Ana, who has been working at Griya Satwa Lestaru for 15 years, said she was happy to see an increasing number of pet owners who were concerned about the welfare of their pets.