A pet owner surnamed Chen finally put her mind at ease when Xiaomi, her pet dog, was taken to free foster care in Guangzhou's Baiyun district earlier this month after Chen was sent to quarantine and the animal was left alone.

A few days ago, Chen, who lives on Baiyun's Huangshi street, phoned the district's bureau of agriculture and rural affairs for help, as she had to be sent to a quarantine venue after COVID-19 infections had been reported around her home.

Chen was extremely anxious when she had to be separated from Xiaomi at that time, since the dog would be unattended.

After Chen phoned for help, a member of the cat and dog rescue team quickly arrived at her home and took Xiaomi to a local pet hospital.

Meanwhile Chen could watch Xiaomi via videos on her mobile phone.

Chen is not alone. Many local residents have sought help from the bureau and neighborhood committees to take care of their dogs and cats when they have to leave home for quarantine and treatment.

According to a statement released by the Baiyun district bureau of agriculture and rural affairs, local pet hospitals are entrusted to take care of pets free through government purchases of services.

A special cat and dog rescue team was established in April to take animals to pet hospitals or temporarily look after them, the statement said.

Each pet from a risk area has an independent "room" and they will receive nucleic acid tests regularly to ensure their health. Veterinarians are assigned to take charge of the daily diets of pets, it added.

This round of COVID-19 in Guangzhou has lasted for a longer time, and many pet owners need help to look after their pets, officials from the bureau said.

The bureau works with local neighborhood committees, village administrative committees and relevant departments to provide rescue and foster care services for pet owners as much as possible and solve problems for residents who have been affected by the pandemic, officials said.