It’s a birthday party. The house is decorated and a yummy cake is placed on the centre table. The family gathers around and sings ‘Happy birthday…’ The birthday boy though, isn’t the kid in the family, but a well-groomed Golden Retriever. In another video on social media, a Poodle is enjoying the car ride as the family heads off on a holiday to a pet-friendly home-stay in the hills. In yet another, a Beagle and a Lab are seen at a wedding party, mingling freely with the guests. They seem like seasoned ‘party animals’. There are any number of such videos/posts on the internet where the owners — nay, they prefer to call themselves ‘pet parents’ — go to great lengths to keep their pets in good cheer.

Pampered

The changing, more indulgent approach to pet care is a recent phenomenon in India. Rapid urbanisation, nuclear families, dual income households, loneliness, and the need to love and feel loved are some of driving forces for pets getting kindlier or even pampered treatment. Market research firms claim that the pet care market in India — which encompasses grooming, boarding, training, pet food/products, breeding, transport and veterinary services — is on a roll. The market, they say, is growing at a CAGR of close to 20 per cent and is expected to touch ₹22,000 crore by 2032 from ₹8,000 crore or so currently.

But this is the sunny side of the story, where canines of certain pedigree are favoured and enjoy all the privileges. At the other end of the spectrum are the large number of strays that roam the streets, uncared for and who wait at roadside eateries to grab morsels of food thrown at them. Often perceived as a nuisance or even dangerous by the public, they are on guard all the time, quick to disappear into abandoned building or under parked cars at the hint of danger.

Such glaring inequality is commonplace in the world of humans, where the rich have it all and the poor virtually lead a dog’s life.