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“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
― Anatole France
A consistent problem pet owners all over the world can relate to is, “How do I go vacation without emotionally scarring my furry friend forever?” Separation anxiety is especially strong with canines, but most pets manifest some degree of anxiety at the sudden disappearance of their owner one way or another.
Thus, pet owners, people kind enough to share their lives and love with animals, often experience the motherload of all guilt trips when they plan a trip. Deepti and Remya, two lovely ladies from Mumbai faced this issue time and time again themselves. Upon meeting each other they realised they had the same stress-induced ritual of pleading with Facebook friends to babysit their pets every time they had to work late or leave the city.
Aren’t there professional services you can leave your pets with, you might ask? Well, we’ll let Deepti answer that one.
“I have tried multiple solutions out there ranging from Kennels, to boarding houses, to leaving my dog with my help, but my dog would always be really angry with me when I came back. There were times where he came back with fleas or wounds or had lost a couple of kgs,” she says. “I used to feel super guilty when I had to travel. For me, the best stays were the ones where I left him with a friend or family member because they treated him exactly like we did at home.”
When Deepti’s dog passed away she was reluctant to give another puppy a home because she also loves to travel, and couldn’t bear disappointing a pup while pursuing her passion. The irony of the situation was that Deepti also missed the companionship of a dog, so she started asking friends if she could sit their dogs while they were away. And just like that, Deepti and Remya brought this idea to fruition as a brilliant platform for all sorts of pet people.
Animal lovers who cannot commit to a lifetime of care can now sign up as caretakers for a single day to several months, depending on their availability; and, pet owners who want to travel without perpetually worrying about the wellbeing of their pet finally get to take a guilt-free trip. It’s a quid pro quo, win-win scenario that has made a lot of two and four-legged folks happy.
HG fleshed out some of the details of the program in an interview, but you can check out all the information on their site as well as heartwarming photo testimonials on their facebook page. Even if you aren’t interested in the platform, their Instagram page is chock-a-block full of happy pets having little vacations of their own, which will cheer you up even on the worst of days.
HG: Where does The Pet Project operate?
Deepti: At the moment, we only operate in Mumbai. However, we have been beta testing Bangalore and Pune and will be available there in a few months.
HG: Is there a minimum or maximum stay period?
Deepti: Nope. We’ve done everything from daycare to 2 month stays. As long as we have a host that is available for your duration, anything works. But we’re careful about making sure that we only work with people who are sure to pick up their pets after their vacation and are not looking to abandon them.
HG: What sort of pets are covered under the program? For example, is it just cats and dogs, or are bunnies, turtles, lizards, fish and hamsters also applicable?
Deepti: All pets are welcome on The Pet Project! We’ve had hosts keeping Bunnies and turtles in the past. Haven’t come across Lizards and hamsters yet but we’ll keep our fingers crossed. :)
HG: What are some of the qualifications pet hosts need to have? For example, is there an age limit or do they have to have experience with pets to be applicable?
Deepti: Yes, all our hosts have a minimum of one year of experience with pet care. We do a detailed verification round to understand more about their experience and how involved they were. We also do home visits to ensure the space is safe and hygienic and in case of hosts living on rent, we also need them to get an ok from their landlord to avoid any last minute panic situations.
For hosts younger than 18, we require their parents to sign up and confirm that they are on board and will be involved the taking care of the guest pet.
HG: Approximately how much does it cost per day to have your pet hosted?
Deepti: All our hosts set their own rates but usually it ranges from INR 200 - 750 per night depending on the host. The Pet Project takes a 10% service fee on the booking amount.
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