Bhubaneswar, April 4: Like Kevin of Home Alone, three-year-old Mowgli is overjoyed at his newfound freedom. Mommy is out on a vacation with friends and he has been let off the leash to enjoy himself at a new home with new buddies.

Mommy won’t mind if Mowgli doesn’t miss her; she’s saved from the anxiety of having her lanky Alsatian cooped up at home, lonely and depressed, when she is away.

Wiping off the worries of many dog owners is Big Dog Kennels, an exclusive crèche for pooches.

Located in the green environs of Balakati on the outskirts of the city, the facility — introduced nearly six months ago — is the brainchild of college student Shakti Sankar Jena, 20, and boasts of at least a dozen “regular clients”. It costs around Rs 300 a day to have your pooch pampered at this home away from home.

Shakti said his own experience had led him to come up with the idea of a dog-boarding centre. Ever since he got June, a black Labrador, two years ago, he found himself confined to the house even as his friends visited different parts of the country.

“My outings were reduced to nil. My parents have eight-hour jobs and don’t like dogs much. I struggled to find a sitter but ended up getting two more pups, a Rottweiler and another Lab, a year ago. I realised there must be many people like me who could not leave their pets alone at home,” said Shakti.

He read online that dog crèches were common in Europe and were also gaining popularity in India. In November last year, he converted his family’s farmhouse at Balakati — spread over 16,000 square feet — into a doggy house and posted an advertisement online.

“Initially, the response was poor but now I have 10 to 12 clients, who leave their pets in my care every now and then. We mostly get exotic breeds such as Saint Bernard, Great Dane and French Mastiff,” he said. The 20-year-old has engaged a caretaker, who looks after the dogs when Shakti has to shop for doggy food and toys. “They are fed twice a day. Besides packet food and milk, their diet consists of khichdi or chapattis, vegetables, paneer, chicken and curd. Sometimes, we bathe them besides ensuring that they get some exercise,” he said.

Dog lovers in the city have lauded the novel initiative. “I left my German Spitz at the crèche for three days when I had to go out of town for an important meeting. When I went to get him back, he was ecstatic to see me but I had to coax him a lot to come home with me,” said banker Mita Maitreyee, 29.

However, at the moment, Shakti has been forced to cancel a lot of bookings as the place is being renovated. “Summer is already here and I am doing away with the asbestos ceilings and building proper rooms. So, I am keeping mostly smaller dogs at my brother’s house in Samantarapur for the time being,” he said.

Post-renovation, the crèche would have five air-conditioned rooms, a large dining hall and a few cages to accommodate 35 dogs at a time. The daily fee will be increased by Rs 50 or Rs 100. Shakti loves his job and hopes to turn it into a full-time profession.

But he won’t stop at that. He has another plan — to set aside a portion of the farmhouse to be converted into a cemetery for dogs. “Dogs are so lovely that they become a part of you. So when they leave us, it becomes unbearable. I want dog lovers to have the opportunity of giving their pets a decent burial and install a plaque. Whenever they miss them, they can always drop by and remember their times together.”