Being in the doghouse has never been easier. Gone are the days of squalid kennels and rusty chains, boiled mutton bones and rice served in dented aluminium bowls twice a day, the bi-monthly bath in the backyard which would leave both dog and owner sopping wet.
Today’s dogs are living the high life and how. From hotels that offer luxury boarding, bakeries that make doggy treats, spas that offer not just a wash but also blow-drying, colouring and bead weaving.
Take for instance the facilities offered at Harley & Me — Hotel for Dogs , the new pet hotel and club, located at Panaiyur, which opened last month in the city. The hotel , a subsidiary of Pets 101, a pet management company, offers not just luxury boarding in clean, air-conditioned, spotless cubicles (a far cry from the dingy, cramped kennels of yore), but also a vet-certified swimming pool, an 8,000 sq. ft. play area, a grooming studio and massage parlour, a pet store offering luxury products and a pet café.
“This is the first of its kind in India,” says Arunodaya Reddy, its founder and owner, as he supervises the blow-dry of little Krishna, a Shih Tzu, who is just done with his swim. “The idea is that when people go on a vacation, their dog does too. Most of the dogs who come here don’t want to go home after staying with us,” he laughs.
The boarding and membership isn’t inexpensive — for instance, the cost of boarding a dog can be anywhere between Rs. 700 and Rs. 1,000 a night but “people love their dogs and are ready to spend money on them. But they just don’t know how to do it the right way,” says Arunodaya.
Not everyone wants to leave their family behind, even if it’s the best possible place in the world. Enter the pet-friendly hotel — the sort that extends hospitality to both pets and their owners.
The Westin, Velachery, is one of them. According to Shrikant Wakharkar the general manager of the hotel. “Times have evolved and nowadays pet owners treat their pets as companions, involving them in almost all activities including working, playing, travelling and shopping. Keeping up with this change, we at Westin allow animals to accompany our guests and we take great care in assuring our four-legged guests also feel comfortable. Pets are no longer about providing security but instead fill an emotional need for companionship. The connection between a pet and an owner has definitely reached a stage where now owners have become more concerned about providing the best even to their pets,” he says.
Ridhima Coelho, co-founder Paws, The Pet Store, a Bangalore-based enterprise agrees, “Today pets are an extension of family and people are ready to buy them stuff they never would have thought of doing before. This Diwali saw so many people coming to my store to make sure they got something for their four-legged family as well. We stock grooming items like perfumes, tooth brushes, wipes, shampoos and luxury conditioners. Right now, the most popular purchases for pets include luxury shampoos, paw butter, winter wear and designer beds customised to match their own home furnishing,” she says, adding that the store even has an in-house bakery that makes cakes and specialised treats for dogs.
Sure, you may not be able to spend $ 40,000 a year on grooming your dogs (Mariah Carey does) but you probably don’t mind shelling out a few thousand rupees to make your dog look more like Lady and less like the Tramp. Head over to Kabbs, Besant Nagar which offers complete grooming and styling services for your pets. Sundar, its owner says, “The grooming industry is a lot better than it was a few years ago. People are more open to experimentation — recently I gave a St. Bernard a lion cut, it looks so much better than completely shaving the hair.”
And as more people go organic, natural and local, their pets aren’t planning on getting left behind. “We only use eco-friendly, non-synthetic, locally sourced grooming products,” says Sundar. “You don’t have to worry about them reacting with the skin,” he adds. And not just products but food as well, says Ridhima.
“Today people want holistic, organic, natural food,” she says. “The dog market is wider and people with dogs interact more with one another both in person and over social media. They do a lot of these things so that they can talk about it when they meet.”
