Summer escapes made stress-free for pets

Until five years ago, pet parents in the city would be stressed while planning vacations as boarding their pet would be a major challenge. With pet adoption growing after the Covid pandemic hit, associated infrastructure and services have blossomed as well. Come summer, pet boarding facilities run at full capacity as pet parents book stays for their furry friends while they venture out on summer escapades.

There has been a noticeable increase in such establishments after Covid, with some seven new dog hostels opening in the city to meet increased demand for pet accommodation.

Before the pandemic, Ahmedabad had only a handful of options, most of which were informal at-home setups managed by individuals.

Pet ownership has been growing and people are looking for places to keep their pets in safe hands. This has led to several facilities coming up in the city over the years,” said Jayanti Khemchandani, a pet care industry entrepreneur.

The improvement in quality and availability of dog boarding facilities in Ahmedabad has made it possible for pet owners to vacation without worrying. Facilities at suchpet boardings include dedi cated kennels, air conditioned spaces, proper diets and even medical assistance for senior dogs

Most are booked for extended periods in the summer, typically housing dogs for 10-15 days at a stretch.

We’re fully booked this summer. People made bookings a month or two in advance as when they were planning their vacation travel. Our kennels even have a small balcony for dogs to enjoy the outdoors and we keep small and big dog separately. Almost all weekends are fully booked,” said Vaidehi Bhatt, the founder of a boarding and recreational space for dogs in the city. This year, the summer season began in March. Most boarding places in the city are fully booked for the weekends, when people tend to travel more frequently. The popularity of these services has reached a point where centres have to turn away customers for lack of space.

Occupancy levels are 95% or higher for most of the season. We are even compelled to turn away clients, especially over weekends. As the exams wrapped up early this year, we saw a lot of dogs over the long weekends around Holi and Easter,” said Suhani Gehlot, who runs a facility on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. She said her facility is adding 15 rooms to meet the high demand.

The growth in the pet care industry is indicative of a broader shift to specialized and professional services for pets in urban areas.

Our space is booked for most of the summer. Demand is good and we’re looking to expand by adding 20 cabins. We also offer a one or two-day trial for dogs to get acclimated to the environment where they will spend a few days,” said Sarin Joel, co-founder of a pet boarding facility near Vaishnodevi Circle, which has a pool and recreational facilities for dogs.