Ever thought your pet might be craving a massage or a spa session? Or do you feel a quick bath and rough rub with a towel would suffice for them? No wonder, the pet seems to dread the weekly bath, howling in resistance.
“Most pet owners mistake pet grooming as a luxury and do not understand it is, in fact, a necessity,” says Shelly, founder of Shevar, a pet salon in Bengaluru.
Shelly says this profession for her was a career switch. “My husband and I were dentists. While on a trip to Singapore, we realised how pet owners took their responsibility seriously for there was a pet salon in every locality. That motivated us to bring over this business to India.”
ADVERTISEMENT
“One of the best ways to forge a connection with your pet is through the time you invest in grooming it,” observes Radhiya Hemachandra, a pet stylist from Fuzzy Wuzzy, known for its breed specific services for show dogs.
Radhiya elaborates, “Most pet owners take the maintenance of their pets lightly only because they are not aware of the proper methods of care.”
She then lists the common grooming mistakes pet owners make — allowing water to enter the nose and ears of the pet while giving it a bath, or cutting knots formed in the fur using unprofessional tools. “It is important to regularly brush your pets so that the hair would be de-tangled from time to time. Otherwise like in the case of most of our new customers you may have no choice but to shave the fur of your dog.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Shelly opines, “Dogs get scared while they look at themselves in the mirror. They do not seem to recognize themselves after they are shaved. Do not cut the nails of your pets at home. This requires professional intervention as these nails have connected veins, which if damaged may cause bleeding,” warns Shelly.
“While it is important to dry your pet after a bath, ensure that the sound of the blow dryer does not scare it,” suggests Radhiya. Another mistake committed by owners is when they use their shampoos and conditioners on pets.
“Human products are harsher and may cause itching,” observes Shelly. With our increasingly busy lives, where one finds it hard to make time for oneself, taking care of your pets too seems to be a challenge. This is where the city’s pet salons step in. From nail clipping, hair de-tangling, medicated bath treatments to total makeovers, these are just a few of the services from their list.
While pet salons offer a variety of bath treatments like medicated bath and tick and flea removal bath, Radhiya vouches for full hygiene grooming as the most-sought-after service in her salon.
Customers, who do not mind pampering their pet little more generally prefer breed specific makeovers where the before and after transformations are appreciated due to changes in hairstyles.
So how do the pets respond to these treatments? “Dogs love lapping up in the bathtub, while cats show slight resistance,” observes Shelly. Radhiya asserts that it is important for a stylist to take time to understand the needs of the pet. “I believe every pet has an individual time need and depending on that I decide the time of the session.” Like humans, animals too have ailments like arthritis which require Ayurvedic therapies and massages. “However, what I have learnt is the best therapy for a pet is love which can only be achieved with proper care and training,” she says.