{"id":179,"date":"2022-09-28T13:45:39","date_gmt":"2022-09-28T08:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wopp.in\/ns\/?p=179"},"modified":"2022-10-06T17:54:50","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T12:24:50","slug":"5-indian-pet-care-brands-that-are-redefining-how-you-pamper-your-pooch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wopp.in\/ns\/5-indian-pet-care-brands-that-are-redefining-how-you-pamper-your-pooch\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Indian pet care brands that are redefining how you pamper your pooch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mid-September, Judy set off on her longest road trip from Mumbai to Jaipur. For the journey, her parents equipped her with a sun hat, a raincoat, a car hammock, a collapsible water bowl, a nightshirt and a night light, as she gets anxious once darkness falls. \u201cShe helped diffuse plenty of tension on the personal and professional front during the lockdown<\/a>,\u201d says Adele Depenha, doting pet parent to the petite, doe-eyed indie rescue. \u201cShe\u2019s earned this break as much, if not more than us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Herm\u00e8s\u2019s oak \u2018Bucket\u2019 bowl is inspired by the brand\u2019s iconic chaine d\u2019ancre pattern<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The furry and the four-legged have always been steadfast companions to humans, but through the pandemic, they have also brought emotional stability to their anxious, crumbling masters, albeit inadvertently. Consequently, pet parents<\/a> new and old have taken to lavishing their pets with extreme creature comforts as a small way of repaying the great debt they owe them. In 2022, if pets could brag, they\u2019d be exchanging stories of downtime in Goan villas with pools, sojourns in adventure camps designated for pets and serious upgrades to their lifestyle. The proliferation in pet services and specialised pet product stores is proof that during the lockdown pets had it better than most, and justifiably so. In July 2021, Zara brought its pet collection to India, while French luxury brand Herm\u00e8s expanded its savoir-faire to include stylish accessories\u2014leashes, collars, bags and beds\u2014for pooches in August 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aki and Gremlin had an eventful 2021. The two indie rescues from Bengaluru\u2019s Second Chance Adoption Centre went on road trips to Goa, Wayanad and Coonoor. As the pandemic recedes, their local outings have grown more frequent\u2014their parents Sandhya Surendran, a media and entertainment<\/a> lawyer, and Sanjeev T, a music producer and guitarist, are inseparable from their pooches and take them everywhere. \u201cWe would have gone nuts if it wasn\u2019t for them. They kept us sane through the second lockdown,\u201d says Surendran, who adopted the dogs, one for herself and one for her husband, in August 2020. The lockdown has spurred a boom in pet adoption and acquisition the world over, with pets offering healing and hope to humans grappling with uncertainty, stress and grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For 10-year-old Dayani Bhattacharya, whose family relocated from Delhi to Goa in January 2021, the adoption of two slender indie siblings, Tokyo and Sak\u00e9, has been pivotal in helping her adjust to her new environment. \u201cFor us, the move to a quieter life in Goa seemed logical, but for Dayani it meant leaving all the familiar and the many friends she\u2019s made behind,\u201d says her mother, the PR professional Srimoyi Bhattacharya of Peepul Consulting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make the transition smoother, Dayani was promised another puppy\u2014the family is already in possession of a fiesty three-year-old poodle called Momo. \u201cWe really wanted her to associate 2021 with something happy\u2014not the lockdown, having COVID-19<\/a>, or the weight of adapting to a new life,\u201d says Bhattacharya. Dayani\u2019s wish was twice answered as her parents rescued not one but two indies. \u201cWe\u2019re now six to a bed, three humans and three dogs. We feel so complete,\u201d adds Bhattacharya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a pandemic rife with stories of loss and loneliness, pet owners provided some respite through cheerful social media narratives centred on the antics of their pooches and cats. The first thing TVC producer and new pet mum Divya Jagwani asks us to do is check out @Yoshi_thegoodestgirl on Instagram. A series of reels gives us a sense of the sprightly black Labrador. \u201cBetween my husband and me, I was the reluctant pet owner<\/a>, but Yoshi transformed the vibe of the house completely. She cuts the tension. We\u2019ve held on to happiness at a really weird time in everyone\u2019s lives,\u201d says Jagwani. In her brief time on the planet, Yoshi has been on two Goan holidays and has a pretty packed social calendar as her parents take her to coffee shops, bars and pet-friendly co-working spaces. Adds Surendran, mum to Aki and Gremlin, \u201cIt\u2019s like living with two other people. Sometimes I spend hours just watching them be comical, argue or sleep. Nothing can make you feel as good in a shitty situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pet Set<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Five Indian women-run businesses that are leading the luxury pet care industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For holistic treats<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Petter Life by Anjali Kalachand and Sachin Shett<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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If you haven\u2019t dabbled in or dived head first into holistic wellness, then you have probably been living under a rock. With A Petter Life, an online pet store for pooches, Anjali Kalachand made sure to also bring pets into the light. The e-store specialises in accessories, grooming products<\/a> and toys that simplify pet parenting in addition to retailing organic, preservative-free treats and edibles. Kalachand\u2019s enterprise, co-founded with family friend Sachin Shetty, resulted from a personal requirement: she was looking for holistic healing solutions for the indie she adopted five years ago, who eventually succumbed to health complications. \u201cThere was a dearth of holistic solutions for pets. Vets tend to prescribe food out of a packet and that didn\u2019t resonate with me,\u201d says Kalachand, a former banker who took up a course in pet nutrition and healed her indie\u2019s skin ailments with the right kind of food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Petter Life, which was set up in January 2021, aims to live up to the promise held in its name. It\u2019s more than a store\u2014through the platform you can book a basic or advanced nutrition<\/a> consultation for your pet with Kalachand, who calls her service Nutriwoof. The site also provides a directory of essential information on a comprehensive range of breeds, including personality traits and genetic predisposition. To round off its offerings, you can even get A Petter Life to calculate your dog\u2019s ideal calorie intake via the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For pet holidays<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wag-A-Bond by Kannagi Shanbag<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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At the foot of the wild expanse of Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary<\/a> in Karjat is a three-acre haven designated as a resort for our domesticated friends. Mumbai-based Kannagi Shanbag runs Wag-a-Bond, a \u2018carefree getaway for you and your dog\u2019. Once Shanbag moved back to Mumbai from New Zealand, where she was training to be a veterinary anesthesiologist, she wanted to address a gap in the market. \u201cA pet inclusive, pet-first destination where the four-legged could explore their natural instincts without being on a leash,\u201d as she describes it. Wag-a-Bond has been around for five years but has during the pandemic become a popular work-from-home destination for pet owners who have had long spells of isolation with their pets at home. The cottages are kitted out with special beds for dogs, the three acres are fenced to ensure safety and pets are treated to special gourmet meals catered by Lizzie\u2019s Delicious, a pet food service operating out of Mumbai. For their humans, Kannagi serves equally indulgent fare that\u2019s largely farm-to-table, using produce from the farm housed within Wag-a-Bond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For pet photography<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pawparazzi by Prathima Pingale<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Prathima Pingale\u2019s regular day can strike envy in the heart of any animal lover. As a pet photographer, she gets to spend her days studying other people\u2019s pets and what makes them tick. This constitutes as pre-shoot \u2018work\u2019 because a pet will only reveal its true nature to those its comfortable around. With Pawparazzi, which she set up in 2019, her intention was to capture a pet\u2019s true personality as opposed to coaxing them into poses. Pingale\u2019s love for dogs, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a former dream to be a vet, propelled her to pursue pet photography<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to specialising in birthday shoots, Pingale also offers maternity shoots that involve documenting a pet\u2019s relationship<\/a> with its pregnant pet parent, with a follow-up shoot once the baby is born and starts interacting with the pet. \u201cIn the lockdown, I\u2019ve seen a huge demand for adventure shoots,\u201d says Pingale. \u201cPet parents are bringing their pets along for kayaking, trekking, road trips…and I get to capture those unique, thrilling moments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For pet grooming<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoivane by Nishma Singhal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Pets are darlings, but let\u2019s face it, there are instances when they don\u2019t smell their best. That\u2019s where Zoivane steps in. Launched in September 2020, the online retailer is the equivalent of Bath & Body Works for furry ones. The site lists grooming products, bath essentials and fine fragrances all developed by Nishma Singhal, who put her master\u2019s degree in cosmetics<\/a> and perfumery (from the University of Versailles in Paris) to uncommon use. Derived from the Italian giovane (meaning \u2018youth\u2019), Zoivane products are meant to leave your pets feeling youthful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Singhal works with a trusted group of groomers, trainers and pet parents for the R&D of her pampering products that are \u201cresult-oriented and fragrance-forward,\u201d she says, speaking of the gap she identified in the pet grooming market. Her bestsellers are dog shampoos, pet fragrances, anti-odour sprays<\/a> and lately, a host of toilet training products that have really moved during the pandemic. Lavender, aloe and citronella are some of the thoughtful ingredients employed by Zoivane that leave your pooch or cat smelling like a fragrant fruity or floral bouquet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For retail therapy<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heads up for tails by Rashi Sanon Narang<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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For Rashi Sanon Narang, who runs what is perhaps India\u2019s largest chain of premium pet care stores, Heads Up For Tails (HUFT), the pandemic has been a period of no rest and acute learnings. Even though her 40 stores spread countrywide have had to remain shuttered through the lockdown<\/a>, buying online hasn\u2019t slowed down. \u201cWe see a tonne of adoption messages on our internal work groups and even in my circle of friends. I love that this is the conversation now. It\u2019s a welcome change from buying,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HUFT has been around since 2008, a time when choice wasn\u2019t a luxury for pet owners looking for products and food. Sanon Narang set up her retail outfit and populated it with products manufactured in-house, such as chemical- and preservative-free bedding, one-of-a-kind pet apparel, toys and treats. Her catalogue includes products which \u201cIndia at the time didn\u2019t have the capabilities of producing.\u201d HUFT has also championed sustainability<\/a> by introducing a range of upcycled and recycled toys and bedding. While the lockdown has been a damper for most businesses, Sanon Narang, who has raised over US$37 million in funding, is brimming with positive insight. \u201cBeing at home with their pets, I\u2019ve noticed that a lot of pet owners transitioned into pet parents, and that change has been spectacular.\u201d Through the pandemic, HUFT has been busy with initiatives such as feeding and vaccination drives as well as programmes like The Water Bowl Project (to provide water for strays), the Monsoon Campaign (to shelter strays), and the Warmth In Winter campaign, among others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mid-September, Judy set off on her longest road trip from Mumbai to Jaipur. For the journey, her parents equipped her with a sun hat, a raincoat, a car hammock, a collapsible water bowl, a nightshirt and a night light, as she gets anxious once darkness falls. \u201cShe helped diffuse plenty of tension on the personal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[18,50,39,48,51,49,53,52],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wopp.in\/ns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wopp.in\/ns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wopp.in\/ns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wopp.in\/ns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wopp.in\/ns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/wopp.in\/ns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":615,"href":"https:\/\/wopp.in\/ns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179\/revisions\/615"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wopp.in\/ns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wopp.in\/ns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wopp.in\/ns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wopp.in\/ns\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}