The Pet Economy

A pet's life is not what it used to be. Today, there's a venture to indulge every one of their whims

- Sonali Acharjee

Ram and Shyam begin their day with a lap in their own private pool. Once they emerge from its heated waters, a helper stands by to dry them with Egyptian cotton towels. Their nails are rubbed with a special Ayurvedic herbal blend to prevent germs and infections, after which they go for a leisurely stroll around Delhi’s Sainik Farms. Breakfast is either boiled salmon with jasmine rice or a hearty lamb shank stew, followed by a long snooze on their own balcony. Of course when the Delhi winter gets too cold for comfort, they sleep indoors curled up at the feet of Mommy under a goose-down duvet. Nap over, they have an hour-long play session with the babysitter. The day ends with a dinner of blueberry oatmeal, asparagus soup or nani’s special homemade khichdi. Pampered brats? Not really. Ram and Shyam are two Indian dogs that Dhruv Bhasin, 33, rescued from the streets of Delhi in 2020.

Clearly, a dog’s life is not what it used to be— guard the house, shower love on your human or strut your stuff at a dog show or two. In return, you could probably get a place of your own called a kennel, perhaps a collar with your own name tag, a hand-knit sweater, and a chewy bone for treat if not the family’s worn-out slippers. Outings would be a walk in the park, or a trip to the vet.

That’s how Shallu K., a 66-year-old Bangalorean who has owned close to 20 dogs so far, remembers it. “Baths would mean a simple bar of Dettol soap and the hosepipe in the lawn. We never put coats and t-shirts on our dogs even when we took them to the hills in the winter. They ate bread and milk, not the blueberries and the gluten-free specialty dog foods you see today.”