India’s pet parents are going premium — and ‘dog kindergarten’ may not be far behind

Earlier this week, a viral story from China’s Shanghai, where a woman allegedly spends more than INR 1.6 lakh a month on her pet dog’s ‘kindergarten,’ has garnered much amusement but also some thought-provoking reactions. However, as far-fetched as it may sound, Indian city dwellers have already started adopting this trend, and it is not as strange as it sounds because there surely comes a point when pets begin to be treated like children.

Rise of pet care in urban India

From Bengaluru and Delhi to Kolkata and Mumbai, a new culture of pet services is emerging in the country. While the term ‘dog kindergarten’ may not be popular among Indians, its equivalent can already be seen through pet daycares, creches and training institutes that offer their services as daycare and training centres.

A response to busy lifestyles?

The demand for premium pet boarding facilities in Bengaluru is a clear indication of the changing nature of the urban professional’s life. A LinkedIn post by Gagan Arora mentions an Indiranagar techie couple, who said, “He’s not just a pet, he’s family, so we don’t think twice about spending on his comfort.”

Convenience driving the market

Mumbai has also witnessed a boom in luxurious pet-related services such as personalised home pampering and grooming. It is said that convenience is the factor behind this trend, and a representative of start-up BhaoBhao explained that urban consumers now expect, “the same level of personalised care for their pets as they do for themselves.”. In Delhi, it became evident that pet-care start-ups were becoming commonplace, and now dog-walkers, professional trainers and dog day-care are part of the regular urban experience.

The growth in Kolkata was quite alike with a caveat. With hundreds of pet creche centers popping up all over the city, the lack of standardisation has been highlighted by many pet-care professionals. “Pet parents need to be very careful since there is no regulatory body overseeing this industry,” one expert pointed out in a media report.

From ownership to ‘pawrenting’

The reasons behind all these developments can be associated with the cultural changes. The emergence of the DINKWAD population, which stands for Double Income No Kids With A Dog, indicates that pet-owners today are more like parents who pay a lot for their pet’s comfort and health.

The rise of social media has also contributed significantly to this shift. The emergence of pet influencers and separate Instagram accounts, as well as big events like Pet Fed, have facilitated the concept of ‘pet parenting,’ encouraging people to spend more money and time on their pets.

Although there may still be no organised dog kindergartens in India as there are in China, it seems clear that the framework is already established. Just like the Shanghai ‘pawrent’ who captured global attention, the pet parents of India are reinventing the art of pet keeping, one step at a time.

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