Despite a weak economy, the pet market in Taiwan is booming. On average, Taiwanese households are taking in just over 2.5 million puppies and kittens a year, representing an annual growth in pet ownership upwards of 10 percent — a number that far outpaces the annual human birth rate of 1.5 percent. Taiwanese nowadays are simply more likely to play parent to their "furry kids" and forgo having children of their own.