If anyone believes that a dog’s diet begins and ends with dog food for lunch and dinner, or a mix of dog and human food for both, then that person hasn’t wound his or her wristwatch in a while. Today, many pet parents who are reasonably well-off are going way beyond spending limited amounts of money on their dogs’ diet. An expenditure of around Rs 5,000 a month on treats for small- and medium-sized dogs is fairly common. Shelling out Rs 10,000 and more to keep the big dogs contented isn’t unheard of.
Meet Anand Kumar, who admits that a great part of his life revolves around Simba, his pug. “He is way too finicky about food,” says the ad filmmaker, who shuttles between New Delhi and Mumbai. Simba throws major tantrums while eating, a characteristic shared by many dogs who have been pampered to the hilt. So, what does Kumar do? He buys all kinds of treats to keep his pet happy. As Simba likes dog pizzas, he buys them on his way back from work and stocks them in his kitchen. He also buys a range of dental-related treats that have flooded the market. So what if Simba is getting increasingly spoilt? Kumar, an affectionate pet parent who spends around Rs 7,000 a month on treats, is only too pleased to do what he does.
Kavita Kane has a bigger dog: a Rottweiler named Dude. The Pune-based media professional spends more than Rs 8,000 on Dude’s treats every month. However, she points out, “Since Dude is a big boy, he polishes off a pack of chicken sausages at one go. Considering his size, that sort of quantity isn’t much anyway. And, dog treats are pretty expensive. So I really don’t spend a lot.”
Kavitha isn’t wrong, as dog treats can cost anything between Rs 70 for a tiny pack of Twistix, a dental-related treat, and Rs 750, which is what a big bag of Gnawlers’ calcium bones comes for. Says Victor De Lima, the owner of Shopawholic, a Mumbai store for pets, “Since the demand is rising by the day, all kinds of treats are entering the market. There are dental-related treats, raw hide treats and many others that are preferred by our customers for their loved ones.”
For instance, Jerhigh, imported from Thailand, offers options such as the regular treat, hot dogs and food sachets. “All of them are hugely sought after,” he says.
Mostly imported from the US, China and Thailand, the popular brands include Rena dog pizzas and cookies, Nylabone dental-related treats and Chomps’ bones and chicken sausages. The pet food market has a range of biscuits with flavours such as chicken and cheese. There are brands such as Petbig that offer multi-grain biscuits for pet parents who want their loved ones to eat the right kind of food. “The market has a lot of variety, and buyers check out different options for their pets. Besides, when the pet likes something in particular, they end up buying more of it,” says De Lima.
The well-to-do buyer’s average monthly expenditure on dog treats, according to him, can be anything between Rs 5,000 and Rs 7,000.
Some will surely insist that the expenditure is way too much. But, the dog lover’s biggest dilemma is the quantity of treat in a pack. A packet of Jerhigh that costs Rs 175 contains 70 grams of a particular snack. Rena’s pizza costing Rs 300 claims to have ‘six large slices.’ But each slice is so small that a young cocker spaniel can easily finish off an entire pizza after a full-fledged meal.
Pet parties are another big indulgence for besotted pet parents. Pooja Sathe-Gawande, who runs Crazy K9 Campers, a Mumbai-based group that organises weekend camps for pets and pet parties as well, says, “These parties can cost anything between Rs 5,000 and Rs 25,000, depending on where it is held, how many dogs and their owners’ families are invited and so on.” There is no fancy food as such, she points out, but there are special treats like paw-shaped and bone-shaped snacks, cheesecakes specially made for dogs and carrot products that look like chocolates. Cakes are an obvious must in such parties. “The most popular cakes are chicken- and cheese cakes. Of course, vegetarian families ask for vegetarian cakes. But that is relatively rare,” says De Lima. “Depending on the size, these can cost anything between Rs 700 and Rs 3,000.”
Dogs are as much a part of the family as any human member of the house they live in. They light up the house with their sheer presence, unconditional love, playful conduct and tantrums. When human beings seek variety in their meals, it is easy to understand why these treats give the pets respite from the monotony of their everyday meals. Those who can afford it spend freely on treats because they wish to give their pets as good a life as they possibly can. Needless to say, the dog isn’t complaining.