Just around the nook of his house, a few faithful dogs sniff Akshay Gupta’s presence from meters away, and come excitedly tail-wagging for little treats that he hands out to them. This is routine practise. The day Gupta is unpredictably late, his little furry canines sit motionless in a corner, sulking in annoyance. Time is all that they crave. Through Pet Fed, a pet festival, Gupta is emphasising pet owners to realise the importance of scheduling personal time with their animal companions everyday.
The success of this festival was put under question when it launched in 2014. Four years later, it has proved nay sayers terribly wrong. They anticipate more than 25,000 pet parents and 4,000 pets to partake in it. Lined up are fashion and talent shows, in addition to specialised workshops. “This year we’ve added more activities that includes the police dog show where protection dogs will showcase real life scenarios of robbery and theft. The Pet’s got Talent will have pets showcase cool tricks like playing dead. We’re also attempting a Limca Book of Records for the biggest dog gathering in India,” says Gupta.
The festival opens its doors to cats, rabbits, hamsters and guinea pig. For cats, a dedicated cat proof area with games, cat trees, beds and merchandise has been put together. They will participate in the fashion shows as well.
Gupta has been trying to make Pet Fed a favourable space for not juts dogs and cats but other animals as well. However, challenges persist. Climate and land being the two major ones. “Pigs and horses are farm animals and need a much bigger space to move around, hence in a city like Delhi, it becomes tricky. Fishes and birds are very sensitive to the climate and need a maintained temperature,” he says.
Pet Fed greets you with over a 100 stalls of food and drinks. “Do check out the Discover Dogs section with 11 dog breeds, mounted with uber cool facts,” says Gupta. Once more people are better informed about pet, we’ll hopefully see a variety in animals at this festival. What would be greater would be to see more such festivals offering pet pleasures.
Pet Fed Festival
It’s likely to get 25,000 pet parents and 4,000 pets to partake in fashion and talent shows, and workshops. Rabbits, hamsters and guinea pig are welcome too. For cats, a dedicated cat proof area with games, cat trees, beds and merchandise has been put together. They will participate in the fashion shows as well.
Pet Fed: December 2-3, from 11 am to 9 pm, NSIC Grounds, Okhla. Tickets on Insider.in, PayTM and
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