Come December and everyone gears up for the winter festivities. However, the sole family member left behind is your pet. To change this, Akshay Gupta, founder of Pet Fed, a carnival for pets and pet lovers has come up with a New Year special edition where the pet parents can have a gala time with their adorable family members. “Every New Year, people are out celebrating with their friends and family, and leave behind their pets. So, with this edition, we are giving people a chance to celebrate the day with their pets,” says Gupta.
Unlike festivals for humans, where one can provide feedback to the organisers, Gupta has to take special care as it’s not the same case with the pets. “It’s very challenging to understand what a pet would like and how to make them feel more comfortable. So, a lot of research goes into it. Also, since we have multiple pets at the event, their requirements are different. Like dogs, for instance, need open spaces to run around, so we have dedicated spaces where they can be off their leashes.
Dogs also like beaches and digging up sand, so we have curated a 600 sqft beach zone, something we tried in Bengaluru. While on the other hand, cats prefer to have a comfortable and cosy space rather than being outside.”Gupta has a tagging system for every pet that enters the festival depending on their behaviour. Professionals tag them as red, yellow and green on the basis of their aggressiveness, making it a comfortable experience for pets and pet parents.
Along with dedicated play areas and cat shows, the second day of the edition will have the Delhi Police Crime Branch dog show. A total of 22 police officers will demonstrate using 12 police dogs in a 30-minute presentation on how dogs are trained and what they are trained to do. The festival will even have a pet therapy session to focus on distressing.
“We have tied up with different NGOs in the city who will get their puppies to the event. You can enter the area and play with them. It becomes a distressing activity for the pet parents and especially children who love to have a pet. It also encourages people to be passionate and learn to be around animals.”
If a whole day of pampering isn’t enough, you can also apply to adopt one at their adoption camps.
“At the event, you can apply to adopt,post which based on the responses a select number of applications are taken forward. NGOs will do home visits to make sure that the pets get a good home.This is done because people tend to adopt pets and once they realise the effort that goes into it, they abandon them at the shelters.” So, only if you pass all the requirements, you can adopt.
Gupta started the festival back in 2014 and over the years has witnessed the growing acceptability towards their pets. “Prior to the festival, there were no pet-friendly cafes and cabs. However, over time various industries are becoming pet-friendly. We tie-up with Ola and Uber who are encouraging their drivers to take pet calls. Also, such platforms are encouraging people to take out time and have a good time with their pet.”
On: December 28 and 29
At: NSIC Grounds, Okhla
Pet tags to indicate aggression meter
Akshay Gupta has a tagging system for every pet that enters the festival depending on their behaviour. Professionals tag them as red, yellow and green on the basis of their aggressiveness, making it a comfortable experience for both the pets and the parents.
Along with dedicated play areas and cat shows, the second day of the edition will have the Delhi Police Crime Branch dog show. A total of 22 police officers will demonstrate using 12 police dogs in a 30-minute presentation on how dogs are trained and what they are trained to do. The festival will even have a pet therapy session to focus on distressing.