Ekda was let free in the open lawn. The one-year-and-nine-month white Labrador made new friends, interacted with them, greeted her owner’s peers and joyfully wagged her tail. Tom, the male beagle growled for a short while, but soon he was very happy mingling with the other beagles. Ekda, Tom and 20 other pet dogs had a get-together with their owners at an event jointly organised by Aishwarya Srikkanth, Adithyaa Srikkanth and Skanda Sundaram of >itspets.com and Rohit Koliyot of >petcialize.com .
A new avatar
Ekda’s owner Harish Anand Thilakan was surprised to see his pet’s different avatar. Said Harish, “Ekda has always been petrified of vehicles, other dogs and people, but today is different.”
Socialiasation among pets and their owners was the main objective of the event. “We have grown up with pets at home. Pet socialising events are popular abroad and has picked up very well in Bangalore. We realised Chennai needed one as well, where pet owners can discuss their problems and share experiences of their pets,” said Aishwarya. Rohit said, “We announced the event on social media, and plan to have it twice a month.”
Tara, a fluffy Yorkshire terrier was one of the first to arrive for the party. She was active and happy to be posing on top of the table. As I bent down to capture some precious moments of two Labradors —Lilly and Ekda — playing with each other, a beagle was licking my foot.
While the pet owners were having a tête-à-tête on pet food, pet behaviour and accessories, their pooches were exchanging their hellos in their own way.
Like-minded people
Divya Mardia who had brought two of her beagles said, “This city is not very pet-friendly. Many parks and apartments don’t allow dogs. I am glad to meet like-minded pet lovers, and my pets too get to socialise.”
There was a stall with imported accessories for pet dogs and pet food by the itspets team.
Pointing out that that were few opportunities where dogs can meet in a relaxed environment, dog trainer Nivedita appreciates the effort. “Unlike in a vet’s place, here the dogs don’t face any kind of pressure; they are relaxed. Just like children, they too observe and learn from other dogs,” she says.
