Pet lovers have a reason to cheer. Adopting and re-homing animals has gotten a whole lot easier, thanks to technology. Petdom, the latest entrant in the pet adoption sector, brings together a network of shelters, individuals and ethical breeders on one platform to address the huge gap in the industry. Set up by three pet lovers — Abhinav Tyagi, Udit Agarwal and Neha Khandelwal — the platform has managed to facilitate nearly 92 adoptions since its inception in December 2015.
“I wanted to bring home a four-legged member, and the only information available online was on OLX and Facebook groups. There was no single platform with information on pets available for adoption or background information on the animal – whether it was suited for apartment living or needed a larger home,” says Abhinav Tyagi, adding, “This motivated me to look for like-minded people; we combined our love for animals and technology to set up Petdom.”
Abhinav continues, “Petdom is a first-of-its-kind comprehensive pet adoption platform. We leverage technology to bring animals from individuals, shelters, ethical breeders and NGOs under one virtual roof, making their discovery easy. We combine our experience of working in product, business, design and technology companies, and apply our skills to make Petdom possible.”
The basic premise for the start-up is loosely based on the lines of the US-based Petfinder. The platform, apart from listings of pets available for adoption, features details such as health and character profiles of the available pets and information around parenting, under one umbrella, to expedite the adoption process.
But why the name Petdom? “The idea was conceived of when the fifth season of Game of Thrones was aired. That was our inspiration; there are kingdoms for humans, so why not a kingdom for pets? So, Petdom, because pets rule our world,” explains Abhinav.
Petdom also filters the availability of an animal based on the filters set by a user. For instance, they wouldn’t recommend a Great Dane for someone living in an apartment. The website and app have a list of filters that one needs to set in place before being able to view or choose a pet. “We’re trying to make the process seamless. Currently, we have only dogs available for adoption, but are working on introducing cats and other animals,” says Abhinav, adding, “Dog owners are required to put up all the information about the pet that they’re looking to re-home, including details of vaccinations and de-worming. The idea is to let a user have a clear idea about the pet they’re going to adopt.”
The company has tied up with other organisations, such as People for Animals, Friendicoes, SPCA, Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre and Sonadi Charitable Trust, to have their adoptable dogs listed on the platform. “At present, we have over 400 dogs listed, and the number is likely to hit 10,000 soon.”
Currently, Petdom is active as a website and an Android app. But work is on to release it on iOS by mid-March 2016. The platform also lets users look for pets listed by specific organisations. “Once a user looking to adopt a pet shortlists an animal, a meeting between the two parties — the user and the person who has listed an animal — is set up. The person looking to adopt a pet is required to sign an agreement that states that they will not ill-treat the animal or use it for breeding purposes. We also carry out periodic checks on people who’ve adopted animals from our platform to ensure that they are well cared for.”
While Petdom is headquartered in New Delhi, they have a presence in various other cities, and have facilitated adoptions in Chennai, Bangalore, Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad, Pune and Mumbai.
Incidentally, as most entrepreneur stories go, the co-founders of Petdom, too, held well-paying jobs with reputed companies, before they decided to give it up to pursue their dream. “Fortunately, my father wasn’t too keen on me working for an organisation and encouraged me to go ahead with my plans. While our families were a little taken aback by our decision, with a little convincing they were very supportive. And now, we’re happy finding homes for pets on our platform,” smiles Abhinav.
