To protect their dogs from the trauma of firecrackers, pet parents in the city are making a beeline for the already packed dog-boarding shelters
Dr Ankita Pathak with one of her canine house guests at her boarding facility at Marwe Road, Malad. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
“As A pup, Salman was a fearless pariah who would accompany me every time I took my dog, Eva, for a walk. He would protect her like a bodyguard, which is why we named him Salman,” laughs Rahul Phadke, a businessman living in Andheri. Last year, during Diwali, Salman went missing — turns out he was horrified by the deafening noise of crackers. Fortunately, he was found after a frantic search. But, the intrepid, golden mongrel had become timid and nervous, a far cry from his former self. That’s why, this year, Phadke has decided to keep Salman at a boarding facility to ensure he remains safe during Diwali. “My building being adjacent to the main road, my worry was that he might run off in panic and get hit by a vehicle,” he says.
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Rahul Phadke with Salman
With Diwali just a week away, many pet parents like Phadke, have been knocking on the doors of pet boarding centres. “My boarding facility is already 90 per cent occupied. Currently, I have 13 dogs and a few more will arrive by the October 26th. Sadly, I’ve had to turn down many owners because I have capacity for only 17 pets,” says Dr Ankita Pathak, who runs a state-of-the art boarding facility for dogs and cats at Marwe Road, Malad. The 10,000 square-feet space is well insulated from the din, thanks to its soundproof walls. “I received a lot of calls during Ganesh Chaturthi as well, when many pets went missing. Diwali is a nightmare for dogs. There are people who tie a string of firecrackers around the dog’s neck and burst them,” says Pathak, who gets requests from around the country. Dogs’ acute hearing, she says, makes them more sensitive to firecrackers than humans. Each dog has its own room in her shelter — the smaller ones get a 35-square-feet space while the bigger dogs like Labradors and Boxers are put in a 55-square-feet room. A few 77-square-feet rooms are reserved for the German Shepherds and Rotweilers. The shelter also has a lush garden and a swimming pool, for the furry guests to unwind.
There are convertible condo kennels, too, where two kennels can be merged into one, for a family of dogs. “I have two brothers coming in next week — a German Shepherd and a Labrador. So I have to ensure they stay together,” says Pathak.
Powai resident Sushmita Sengupta, who has three dogs, dreads Diwali almost as much her pets. “They are calm, happy dogs that never bark unnecessarily. But, if there’s one thing they hate, it’s crackers. They get agitated, begin to throw up, cry, not eat, not want to go out for their walks. They hide under the bed and in the bathroom. In short, they become unmanageable,” she says. She tried requesting her neighbours to cut down on firecrackers but when that proved futile, she approached Dr Ankita’s kennel. “My dogs are always refreshed and happy when they go there. They are my family, my children. I cannot see them suffer.”
At another homestay for pets, Moe’s Bed and Biscuits, pet parents are required to fill up a detailed form about their pet’s temperament, routine and preferences. Moresha Benjamin, who runs the place, says, “I stick to their original schedule. The schedule is sacrosanct even in a new place. Also, if there’s noise, I let them find their cosy corners or distract them with playthings.” According to Shams Lakhani of Pet Pamperer, a pet grooming and boarding facility in Andheri (West), dogs that are brought in during Diwali tend to display less nervousness. “Seeing the other dogs in the centre, who are calm, these dogs tend to feel relaxed. Sometimes, I tie an ace bandage or a tight tee across a dog’s chest. The pressure feels like a nice hug,” he says.
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