Heading to Bangkok for the Pujas and fretting about where to leave behind your pet? Several creches are coming up in our neighbourhood to cater to this growing demand. 

“Last year during the Pujas, we had seven dogs, three cats and seven rabbits staying with us,” says Pronoy Biswas of We Care Pet Creche in Sector V. “This year too bookings are filling fast. October to March is the peak season for holidays so we have already got bookings for the winter too.”

Aporajeeta Bhattacharjee of BJ Block’s pet shop Breed Matters says they are getting bookings not just for Puja holidays but also for Puja shopping. “Residents don’t want to leave their pets behind as they stay out the whole day shopping. So many are leaving their pets with us,” she says. 

Creches usually charge between Rs 250 and 500 for a dog’s overnight stay and the rates are cheaper for cats, birds, rabbits and fish. 

Pratip Chakraborty of Care N Cure in Baguiati says their rates will be higher during the Pujas. “Not only is the rush greater during the Pujas but we also ensure that the pet is never left alone. Since someone would have to sacrifice pandal-hopping to be with the pet we try to compensate him with higher pay,” he says.

Second home

Caring for the pets is no mean feat. Bhattacharjee says that despite the best food and environment, the pets will always miss their family. “Some simply refuse to eat. So as per our in-house vet’s instructions, we sometime give them rosogolla or ice cream so their calorie count is stable and their mood lifts,” she says. The males and females are kept separate as the males tend to dominate but they try not to keep them tied. “We also keep sending the pets’ pictures over WhatsApp to the owners.”

Even tougher to keep are cats. Due to their innate tendency of wandering away, most creches refuse to keep them and those that do keep them in cages.

Before taking in a pet, creches inquire about their health, food habits and ensure they are free from ticks and fleas lest they spread it to others. 

An upcoming trend in the creche industry is home-stay, where instead of keeping the pet in a shop, they are kept with a dog-loving family. “This is a win-win,” says Chakraborty, who puts up pets at his family and friends’ homes in New Town, Baguiati and Dum Dum. “In a bid to keep their house clean, the family ensures the dog is bathed and served hygienic food. As for the dog, he gets to stay in a family environment even in the absence of his real family.”

Another problem can be bypassed by this home-stay system: angry neighbours. “Initially we ran our creche in a Baguiati house with facilities to keep 15 dogs. But if one dog started barking, all others would follow suit. It was a nightmare for neighbours. We had to shut it down and go in for this home-stay system,” says Chakraborty. 

Biswas’s creche is his three-storey home. “I don’t hire professionals as I’ve seen them hitting and mistreating pets. I only trust my family members. My mother cajoles and hand-feeds a dog who is missing his family. My eight-year-old daughter plays ball with them to keep them entertained…,” he says. It’s only when there are dogs of different breeds that he has to tie them up to prevent fights. 

Diya Bhattacharya of AK Block says this family set-up was the clincher for her in choosing a creche. “We’re going to Leh-Ladakh this Puja and were worried about leaving behind our Labrador. But we liked the family set-up at the Sector V creche and kept him there last weekend to see if he was comfortable with it. It worked out fine and now we can go for our vacation relaxed,” she said. 

Once in a while it is the creches who have reason to worry. “Once two PG students had left their puppy with us and gone to their hometown for five days. They never returned. When we made repeated calls to them they came, took the pup, and dumped him back in our shop two hours later,” says Bhattacharjee. “They said he was hyperactive and they weren’t able to cope. They said we could keep him or throw him out. Luckily we found him a home after some days.”

Daycare demand

Pankaj Banerjee of Pets Planet in Falguni Market says he is inundated with requests for creches. “Our shop is the oldest of its kind in Salt Lake, on since 1998, and I know many pet owners who haven’t taken a vacation in 10 years in fear of leaving the pet in a creche where they will be chained and get ticks,” says Banerjee, who is planning to open a creche in the coming months. 

Not just during holidays, there is a growing demand for daycare centres too. “Previously I used to leave my Labrador Prince home alone and go to office but he would be lonely,” says Madhu Murthy, a resident of New Town’s Hiland Willows complex. 

Then he started dropping Prince off at the Sector V creche on his way to work and pick him up on his way back. “Sometimes if I get too late or go out of town, he stays at the creche and I pick him up on the weekends. Now he’s happy living in both homes.”