Leaving no one behind: Delhi couple travel 40,000 kms with their adopted dogs

Two couples from Delhi-NCR families have been raking up the miles along with their four-legged companions.
The family of four have travelled from Delhi to Kerala, among other such destinations.
The family of four have travelled from Delhi to Kerala, among other such destinations.

Dog parents might, more often than not, be familiar with this scenario—you are back home after a long day at work, and there you find your pet sitting at the door, whining—almost as if protesting against you leaving home without them. Especially after the pandemic-related lockdown, a number of pet owners (parents) have also found it extremely difficult to leave their pets behind and get back to the work-from-office model.

In fact, there were reports of a number of companies in the United States providing pet stipends to their employees as a perk, just to compel them to return to office. If given a chance, a score of pet owners would like their pets accompanying them to almost every travel destination. Unfortunately, many are forced to leave their furry friends behind, given the many complexities surrounding pet travel—regulations for air travel, finding pet-friendly accommodation, and more. We speak to two couples from Delhi-NCR who have cracked the code when it comes to travelling with their dogs—they ensure that their four-legged friends are never left behind, no matter what the destination.

Lakshmi and Gautham with their dogs
(L-R) Tintin and Bruce. Bruce with

Ready for pawsome rides
The 10-year-old blog The Knot Story (@ theknotstory on Instagram) started out as a passion project for Lakshmi (38), who was just documenting her life with her husband Gautham Govind (a 40-year-old IT professional). In 2019, their adopted dog—Bruce, a Beagle—organically became a major part of the blog. “Bruce joined us, and it was like he slowly took over. That is when I amended the blog,” shares Lakshmi. The next year, the couple adopted an Indie named Tintin, and the family only got bigger. “I always document my travels via my blog. Bruce happened to join us. He loves travelling; in fact, the window seat is his favourite,” says Lakshmi.

The duo have, to date, completed 40k km with the dogs. Lakshmi says, “We are possessive parents and we travel with them all the time unless there is an emergency.” The family of four have travelled from Delhi to Kerala, among other such destinations. Talking about the challenges, Lakhsmi mentions, “We have changed the way we travel a bit [for the dogs]. We drive (Gautham loves it) and avoid going to crowded places like Jaipur and Udaipur. Also, most monuments do not allow pets. We usually go to beaches, hills, and unexplored places.”

Making the best travel decisions
Chittaranjan Park-based Ranjit (38) and Simran (37)—the duo who spoke to us from Landour—have always been travelling across the country with their Beagle named Poppin. It was friends and family that coaxed them to join social media and chronicle their travels with their dog. “Friends mentioned, ‘You know so much about travelling with a pet so why don’t you start doing something online because people love to hear about it. That’s when we thought yes, it is a good idea,” shares Ranjit. They took to Instagram (@triplesundae) to document their next trip to Goa, with Poppin, for a month. Talking about the page, Ranjit mentions, “The primary objective is to motivate people to travel with their pets.”

Goa remains the couple’s favourite destination to travel with Poppin. “It was Poppin’s first trip to the beach and Goa, and he changed our perspective,” shares Simran. Are there any challenges when travelling with Poppin? Ranjit concludes, “Similar to problems a parent would face with their infant. You have to plan intervals and stop for them. They don’t demand anything extraordinary. They are easier in terms of many things actually.”

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com