The Pet Bet

Well-being of pets is serious business. And the action is just hotting up.

- K.T.P. Radhika

Delhi-based media professional Arushi Sharma is a proud parent of three-year-old black labrador Alex. Weekends mean trips to cafes, pool parties, parlours and parks where he plays with friends. Alex goes to spas and fun games every now and then. On weekdays, Alex stays with Sharma’s parents in Meerut. “He thoroughly enjoys all the pampering. Meerut is an emerging town and does not have good facilities for a dog like him. So I bring him to Delhi on weekends and we hang out at Puppychino or Heads Up For Tails (HUFT) outlets,” says 28-year-old Sharma. “Alex is my world and I want him to have the best of food, shelter, safety and entertainment – not to mention love.”

Sharma is among the many new generation of pet owners – or pet parents – who treat their pets as their children, and spare no expense in their care. “Pet care is an evolved category now, mirroring the baby care category,” says Mohit Arora, Director-Marketing, Mars Pet Nutrition India, which owns pet food brands like Pedigree and Royal Canin. “Pet parents are concerned about maintaining the hygiene and health of their pets. So, right from vaccinations to grooming and food and nutrition to entertainment, everything is very important for pet parents,” he says.