The doorbell rings, ushering in a gift box. Ayesha cannot contain her excitement as Anindita Ray Chaudhuri opens it hurriedly. "Wow! What a lovely designer dress for you," Ray Chaudhuri exclaims. "And here are your favourite orange cookies."

Ayesha wags her tail - and woofs her approval. "Every month I order a box for her online. If children can get activity boxes, why not our four-legged babies," Ray Chaudhuri, who works for a multinational bank, asks indulgently.

As the population of pet dogs soars in India, five-year-old Ayesha - a Labrador - is making the most of it. Singer Babul Supriyo's six dogs are happy, too. "Four of them - Golden Retriever Henry, American pug Eddie, Bullmastiff Jack and Alsatian Tyson - stay in Delhi with me," the minister of state for urban development says.

According to a recent survey by Euromonitor, a market intelligence group, the number of pet dogs in India grew by 58 per cent between 2007 and 2012, recording one of the highest rates in the world.

"Every year on an average the number of new pets increases by 15 per cent," says V.V. Subramanian, administrator of the Kennel Club of India, which registered some 50,000 pet dogs last year. Another 30-40 per cent of the canine population is not registered with kennels.

In Calcutta too, the pet dog population has been growing. Some 15,000 canines are registered with the Calcutta Kennel Club, the oldest club in Asia. "In the past two years the number of pet dogs in Calcutta has increased by 25 per cent," secretary S. Raman says.

The pet dog population is growing for a number of reasons. On top of the list is a love for dogs. But Subramanian believes that the upbeat economy has also led to this increase. Raman holds that security concern is another reason. "With a rise in prosperity, more and more people are keeping pets for safety."

With the growth in the number of pets, the pet servicing industry has expanded. Some years ago, special grooming centres were still novel - now these are mushrooming across the country.

The pet grooming industry has grown by almost by 250 per cent in the last 2-3 years, holds Preeti Kumar, owner of Scoopy Scrub, a dog salon. "We added 19 franchises in the last three years and groom about 120 pets a day," adds Kumar, who has been in the business since 2005.

The salon grooms and colours hair coats and offers a variety of spa and massage facilities - including aromatherapy, herbal care, tick-free and flea-free baths. The costs range from Rs 300 to Rs 2,500.

For the trendy dog, special shops offer designer clothes and accessories. Heads Up For Tails (Huft), in Select Citywalk Mall in Delhi, has over 500 products ranging from customised beds, chic collars and leashes, to coats and grooming products. Huft also delivers (across the country) a Wag Box - filled with the stuff that your dog loves, says Sakshi Bawa, marketing head of Huft.

Also in great demand are trainers. "Indians are still struggling to understand their dogs," says Delhi trainer Adnan Khan. His training school, K9, teaches dogs to obey rules and commands. "Advanced training, to start later this year, will include protection, assistance and scent training," says Khan, who trains about 15 dogs a week. He also plans to offer sports such as weight pulling, treadmill and hydrotherapy for dogs.

The pet food industry has gone beyond dog biscuits and now includes gourmet food. Doggie Dabbas in Gurgaon, which started four years ago, is one such service. "I have created a range of meals, including for dogs with health issues," says managing director and pet nutritionist Rashee Kuchroo.

Indigenous brands are all eyeing a slice of the huge dog food pie, since, according to one estimate, the dog food industry in India caters to only 26 per cent of the market. By July, Jaipur entrepreneur Nipun Biyani hopes to come up with fully dehydrated vegetarian dog food at less than Rs 400 a kilo.

Licious, a bakery for dogs in Delhi, sells 12 types of biscuits, muffins and cakes for dogs. "We and also take orders for customised birthday cakes," says its owner, Sanjeev Kumar.

As food for thought, there are books and magazines. Giving company to the monthly magazine Indian Kennel Gazette, brought out by the Kennel Club of India, are journals such as Creature Companion, Buddy Life and Dogs and Pups.

"In the past three years, several regional publications on pets have mushroomed and advertisers are spoilt for choice," says Priti Bajaj, editor of Buddy Life magazine.

Social sites are another effective platform. Among the popular dog blogs are dogwithblog.com, petwish.in and unclepooch.com. "We have over 1.39 lakh likes on Facebook," says Shweta Khurana, editor of Dogs and Pups.

Publishing houses are also on the scent of something meaty. "We have a bunch of dog-crazy editors here, so I guess you'll see dog books from our house," says Ajitha G.S., senior commissioning editor, HarperCollins. "We have poet Tanya Mendonsa's The Book of Joshua, about a life lived with and for dogs. There's Clever Dog, one of our import books, on dog behaviour. Early next year we will publish a book by Bangalore-based dog behaviourist Sindhoor Pangal," she says.

A few years ago, Penguin published economist (and dog lover) Bibek Debroy's Sarama and Her Children: The Dog in Indian Myth. Hachette and associates have some 20 dog-related titles including 21 Days To The Perfect Dog, Dog Tricks: Fun Tricks to Teach Your Dog, The Puppy Bible, Toby the Cross-Eyed Stray, Complete Puppy & Dog Care, My Dog's Journal, Dog Training in a Weekend.

Dog lovers, clearly, are not complaining. "No other pet can match a dog's loyalty. I might splurge a lot on my boyfriend, but that doesn't ensure me loyalty for keeps. So why not give my dog the best that I can," holds tennis player Treta Bhattacharya, who has a Labrador and an Apso.

Dogs, indeed, are known to give unconditional love. "With people getting busier, dogs have taken the place of our children," says Dr Ranjita Biswas, consultant psychiatrist at Jadavpur University. "Touching and cuddling them or even just looking at them can be therapeutic."

All those who agree raise a paw.