BANGALORE: On one end we have Paris Hilton’s luxurious Dog Mansion built exclusively for her pompous pets and on the other end, caged vans sweep the cities to hunt down these canines prowling the streets. While pampering your pet animal may seem like the most lovable act you could ever indulge in, does your pet really want this extravagance?
Two sisters - Rishya and Radhiya Hemchandra - who run a pet spa called Fuzzy Wuzzy believe in both pampering an animal but keeping in mind the true needs of the pet rather than the extravagant impulses of the owner.
“We never sedate the pet unlike other pet spas,” says Radhiya and adds cheerily, “We do suffer an occasional scratch or bite but that’s fine as long as the animal is happy.” Meeting not more than four appointments a day, the sisters don’t believe in stressing the animals or themselves. “We have to let the animal feel at home and that needs time and a lot of patience,” says Radhiya.
Sapna Vijay who ‘s been taking her pug Bozo to a pet spa for the past three years feels that her pet actually looks forward to these sessions. “I take him to the spa once a month and he absolutely loves it. As a matter of fact, it gets difficult to get him back home sometimes,” she laughs.
More ways to indulge pet animals are on the rise in the city, with a restaurant called Under the Mango Tree hosting a monthly breakfast with pets, where pet animals get to lavishly breakfast with a special menu alongside their owners. Nirmala Balakrishna who has run breakfast with pets for the last three years fondly recalls it being a success from day one. “We’ve had people across age groups bring in their pets and end up bonding with other pet owners over the variety of pets,” she says. Another breakfast with pets is scheduled to take place in the first of June.
Another outfit that meets doggy needs is Canine Cuisine which caters to more than 890 dogs in the city. Running for more than a year, Canine Cuisine also services dog shows. “We get at least one new order everyday apart from our continuous orders,” says Naveen Rolands, Managing Director at Canine Cuisine.
While there seems to be nothing wrong with fussing over your animal, some people seem to run out of enthusiasm just when the pet needs them the most.
Arundathi Somaiah who works with CUPA (Compassion Unlimited Plus Action) - a trust that works for the welfare of all animals - expresses the affliction caused to abandoned animals. “Initially, when people adopt puppies, they love pampering them because they’re cute and active. However, once the animal grows old, it needs more time and care just like a human being. The animal becomes a burden and is left on the streets to die, unable to fend for itself,” she says.
Chaithra Krishn who works at PAF (People For Animals) believes that some people keep pets and extravagantly indulge them as a status symbol.
“A pet animal is not an object. Sure you can flaunt a well groomed pet but at the end of the day, an animal only needs your genuine care,” she says.
Thus arises a need to draw a fine line between the extremes of extravagance and neglect - extremes that need not exist so long as we remember what our pets truly need of us.
“Pamper your pets - they love it. But keep them till their end - they’ll love you,” says Arundathi.