Everybody needs a dog’s day

Families in the city who can’t keep a pet get some quality time with dogs through home and outdoor visits

September 08, 2017 01:01 pm | Updated 01:01 pm IST

Imagine a family living in Mumbai who want to get a dog as a pet. They buy a puppy from a pet store, because they want the kids to grow up with dogs. But the father is never around to play with the dog or take him or her for walks, the mother, likely juggling a job and household, is already overburdened, and the kids are too young to do this themselves. Result: a young animal that needs to work out its energy has no outlet for it. In addition, the puppy will start teething. To those who don’t know much about dogs, the resulting behaviours can easily be mistaken for aggression. It all leads to a situation where the dog could be abandoned. If you’ve seen Facebook groups like Yoda and Animals Matter to Me in Mumbai, you’ll know that the problem of abandoned pets needing to find homes is a near-daily phenomenon.

What if, instead of committing straightaway to getting a dog and all the care and attention that goes into keeping one, people had a chance to experience some time with dogs first to see how it would work? A test drive, so to speak? That’s what Good Dog Mumbai, a service started by dog trainer and canine behaviour correction specialist Mitali Parekh offers. Aside from families who want a pet but are unsure of the commitments, Good Dog also provides quality time with affectionate dogs to families who are pining for a pet but can’t have one or would like children or senior citizens at home to socialise with dogs. For all this, Good Dog organises home visits in New Bombay, South Bombay and some other parts of the city.

Ms. Parekh started as a dog trainer and behaviour correction specialist in 2011, and continues with that primary service, training about three dogs a month. Besides training dogs for discipline, she also teaches them games that focus on agility or nose games that utilise their sense of smell. “I teach the owners these games as well, because it’s important to understand that dogs need a lot of activity and it’s important to engage with them further than just taking them for a walk.” On weekends, she started organising treks for her clients and their pets around Navi Mumbai, experiences designed for dogs and owners to get some more intense exercise and socialise with other dogs.

As she interacted with more families though, Ms. Parekh says she became more aware that people often committed to having a pet without realising the amount of commitment required. “For many clients I would explain that it’s natural for dogs to practise aggression when they are young and they need an outlet for their energy. So, I would explain the steps that needed to be taken: how many times a day the dog needed to be taken for a walk and so on.” In some cases, the families took the advice on board, and in others said they didn’t want the dog anymore. “I usually don’t take responsibility in this case, because it would be a cop-out on the family’s part. Instead I would advise them on where they could put up a post on Facebook or which organisation they could contact. I even tell them that I am happy to meet the dog’s new parents when they are found and help the dog get settled in.”

Such problems did encourage her, though, to start an informal consultancy of sorts. “If a family contacted me saying they wanted a dog and wanted, specifically, a German Shepherd, let’s say, then I would ask them questions to make sure they knew what taking care of a German Shepherd involved. And if I happened to be training a German Shepherd, I would take the dog over to their house so the family could spend some time with him.”

Ms Parekh started Good Dog Mumbai earlier this year essentially as a consolidation of this service, along with the dog training she continues to do. She hopes to expand Good Dog by simply bringing more dogs to homes that need some joy. “I am especially hoping to reach out to the old and invalid. Even a short visit from a dog at home will increase physical activity and optimism. Also I want to organise more events for dogs and non-dog owners because dogs need the natural activity, and non-pet-owners can see the amount of work a dog needs and set realistic expectations.”

Currently, Ms. Parekh’s ‘team’ has three members: her own dog, Eli, a golden retriever, Sydney, another golden retriever she has trained, who comes along for larger events, and Feroz, a cat who Ms. Parekh says “thinks he’s a dog.” Aside from home visits, for which typically only one dog goes, Good Dog also does corporate and school visits for which three dogs, and Feroze, also go along.

Home visits start at ₹1500 for one-and-a-half hours (costs vary according to location). Corporate and school visits start at ₹5000 for two hours and increase depending on number of dogs needed. School visits are at ₹5000 as well.

The central idea, she says, is to normalise dogs in public spaces and reduce human-canine conflict and fear. “I think offices, small ones in particular, would really benefit from having a dog,” Ms Parekh says. “I hope we can move to a culture where we can have a canine or feline officer in every office for stress relief. I could then help select and train the dog or cat who can work in an office.”

Good Dog

Founder :

Mitali Parekh

Founded:

2017

Funding:

Self funded

Website:

gooddogmumbai@gmail.com

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