Forget scraps of leftover or a quick walk around the block, pets these day are getting the royal treatment. And there isn’t much pet owners won’t do for their pets. Right from indulgent birthday parties to a day at the spa, no expense is spared in their effort to make their furry friend feel loved and a part of the family.
Birthday bash
More and more pet owners are marking the day they adopted their pet with a party. Take Ajish Babu and his wife, Sharon, for instance. The couple threw a party for their labrador Marley to mark his completion of a year with the family. While the duo ordered a cake from a local homebaker, Navin Srinivasan and Rohini Sen made their own cakes for their pets.
If Navin’s cake had apple, peanut butter, carrots and honey as its chief ingredients with dry kibble as topping for his pet dog and cat, Rohini made a red velvet gluten free cake with chicken mince, beetroot and ragi, topped with cream cheese icing for her dog Toto, and a pumpkin cake with chicken liver and deviled egg icing for Yoko. Swetha Rachel George plans to dress her cat Fluffy up and bake a special chocolate cake on her birthday next month.
The party isn’t always a family affair. Sangram Wadkar threw a bash for his labrador Troy, when he turned one. “I invited a couple of friends and their pets over. Troy had fun and received a lot of gifts,” he recalls.
A day at the spa
As most owners lack the time, and some, lack the know how, to groom their pets, stores like The Pet Zoo, for instance, has been offering weekly spa sessions on Sundays for pets. “We have been receiving a lot of requests for grooming sessions during the weekdays but unfortunately we do not have the man power or the time and space,” says Sujatha S., proprietor of Pet Zoo.
Hanuma S. grins when she says her clients are mostly shih tzus, terriers and Persian cats. A freelance pet groomer, Hanuma does house visits and does everything from trimming the pets nails to giving them their bath. Mithun Mohan, who helps out at Pet Zoo, also offers grooming sessions at the clients’ home too.
Dog school
Mithun, a dog trainer, says his job requires him to teach dogs basic obedience. He also trains dogs for pet shows. As dogs, like children, need to socialise with their own kind, canine behaviourist Karthikeyan G. encourages owners to bring their dogs to Shanghumugham beach on Sundays. “Most dogs do not get a chance to meet fellow playmates, hence this meet-up, which is a part of my behavioural training session for dogs. Apart from helping them learn how to interact with other dogs, it is also a great bonding time between owner and pet.” Navin, a canine behaviour consultant, says people who spoil their pets are no longer considered the crazy cat lady or the crazy dog person. “With pets providing unconditional love and companionship, it’s no wonder pet owners insist their pets lead the same lifestyles they do,” he says.
A close encounter with people and places in the city