It's a pet's life

Whoever came up with the idiom ‘it’s a dog’s life’ was obviously unable to predict how pampered most pets would get eventually. We kid you not! Learn this: analysts of a Dublin-based research store Research & Markets forecast that the Global Pet Care market will grow at a CAGR of 5.02 per cent over the period 2014-2019 (a key region used for analysis was Asia-Pacific). According to a report (2014) by London-based market intelligence firm Euromonitor International, the Indian pet care industry is growing at about 20 per cent a year, fuelled by a significant increase in spending by Indians on pets in the last three years from then. The report also stated that this year, the Indian pet care market is estimated to reach Rs. 800 crore.    
Certainly, pet grooming is a booming industry; and India has not bucked the trend. So next time you’re busy getting pampered at a salon, or indulging yourself with a massage at a spa just to drive away the blues, give this a thought…your pooch probably needs some cosseting too. We jot down for your benefit the best grooming salons in this part of the city. Here’s how you can treat your pet to yet another day of excess TLC, and become an ace pet parent. 

OH MY DOG! Pet Salon & Spa
Launched in 2011 by proprieter Nina Joshi, Oh My Dog! is a salon that caters to both cats and dogs. With an average of 30 dogs a week, Joshi, who takes up limited clients to ensure the best servicing, conducts every grooming activity personally. She opines, “I do think pet grooming is a luxury, not a necessity. Having said that, I also notice that the crowd that visit the salon is a good mix of people, as pet parents usually listen to the advice of their vets. If their vet recommends a haircut or a professional medicated wash, most pet parents will visit a salon regardless of whether they are elite or middle-class. I try to be as affordable as I can, offering discounted rates to owners who can't afford my services. I also offer huge discounts to people who bring in strays, abandoned and adopted dogs.”
Pet services: Services they provide are shampoo washes, medicated washes like tick and flea, anti-dandruff or anti-fungal washes. They also offer haircuts and styling for pets. Other services include nail clipping, ear cleaning, teeth brushing, light massages with or without oil.
Best treatment: 
The most popular treatments are the medicated washes during summer and monsoon and the haircuts/shaves and buzz cuts during summers.
Prices: 
Treatments range from Rs. 500 to Rs. 2,000 depending on the breed and size of the dog or cat.
Find them at: Ram Nivas, Plot No. 46/A, Shop No. 6, King's Circle.
Connect: https://www.facebook.com/ohmydog.in

Pawfect—The Pet Salon and Spa
When software engineer Lokashi Agarwal stumbled upon a pet grooming school in Bengaluru, little did she know that she’d be taking her love for animals this seriously. Born in 2010, Pawfect now is a team of three professional groomers who are well-equipped to handle all grooming activities. Catering to about 60 pets (cats and dogs) a week on an average, Lokashi’s clients include 80 per cent dogs. She says, “When I started off five years back, pet grooming was considered a niche service. Definitely the affluent visit more frequently as they have the means to afford the service, but whenever a lesser-affluent person sees that their pet needs professional grooming, they don’t hesitate in fixing up an appointment with me.”
Pet services: Pawfect provide full grooming packages, deep conditioning treatment, de-shedding treatment, a number of massages, and dry grooming for pets. A number of haircuts (both stylish and basic) can be availed as per requirements and needs of the pet. Breed-specific haircut is their specialty. Other services include an anti-tick and flea bath which leaves the pet pest-free, an anti-dandruff wash, an anti-fungal and bacterial wash that leaves the pet’s skin rash and infection-free.
Best treatment: They offer special grooming sessions for puppies and kittens, as they need extra care. On birthdays of pets, Pawfect offers a special birthday discount, and accessorise them a little more than the usual. They also have season special treatments; in summers they give pets a cooling menthol bath, an anti-fungal bath and haircut to prevent the muck from bothering the pets in the monsoons, and a moisturising rinse to prevent dry and flaky skin during winters.
Prices:  The rates depend upon breed, size and coat condition of the dog. For a toy dog, a full grooming would cost approximately Rs. 600, for a small breed Rs. 800-1000, around Rs. 900-1100 for a medium-sized dog, large dogs are charged Rs. 1200-1500, and an extra-large dog up to Rs. 2000. Haircuts range from Rs. 400-1400 depending on the size of the dog. Treatment baths start from Rs. 800 to Rs. 2200.
Find them at: 46, Hussain Manor, Bomanji Petit street, Near Parsi General Hospital, Kemps Corner.
Connect: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pawfect-The-Pet-Salon-and-Spa/204439246270774

Dawgz Grooming & More
Owner of Dawgz Grooming & More, Aneesha Rai’s story is that of an entrepreneur who turned her passion into a career. Kick-starting in 2009, the store now has a team of ten, most of whom are professional pet groomers. A week at Dawgz is about grooming 60-70 cats and dogs on an average. We ask her the common problems she has noticed in pets around the city; Rai states, “Pollution, dirt, grime and also relentless breeding by unscrupulous breeders leads to poor immune systems in pets…skin issues are the most common problems along with hip problems in bigger breeds.” 
Contradicting common belief that pet grooming is a ritual of the elite, Rai informs, “The mindset around pet grooming has changed manyfold from the time I actually began. I think people are slowly realising the necessity of it; it is no more a luxury. Pet parents don’t bring their cats and pooches for just a bath. It is more of a mini health check-up. A number of our customers are from middle-class families. I would say, almost all our customers are people who consider their pets as their family members and want the best for them.”  
Pet services: The grooming session has a range of services right from the regular baths, ear cleaning, nail-cutting, haircuts and breed-specific cuts. They also offer aroma massages, apart from others, to help curb hair loss, itchy skin and more. Dawgz also has an exclusively-stocked store where you can find a variety of pet products.
Best treatment: The itchy skin massage at Dawgz is extremely popular. Prepared by Rai using a secret concoction of natural ingredients, the treatment has shown remarkable results on a number of dogs. Rai says, “Some of our clients’ vets call, asking us to disclose the secret.”
Prices:  Grooming packages are from Rs. 700 to Rs. 1600. Add-on services start from Rs. 250.
Find them at: B3, Snow White C.H.S.,18th Road, Khar (W)
Connect: http://www.dawgzstore.com/

Beauty With Paws—Pet Grooming, Spa and Boutique
Canine trainer Rashna Sidhwa launched Beauty With Paws in April this year. A service for pets ranging from dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs as well as rabbits, Sidhwa’s philosophy is “quality over quantity” and she personally grooms each pet. She says, “Pets are increasingly being considered as part of the family. All strata of society are looking to their pets being groomed professionally because of the high quality of service provided nowadays.” Is there a fad in the market she is yet to follow? Sidhwa tells us, “We have not offered hair colouring for pets; we’ve to source high-quality, safe products to ensure the standards are met. We keep the pets' safety and health our topmost priority.”
Pet services: Beauty With Paws offers a full range of grooming services, including bathing, cleaning the ears, tear-stains removal, teeth cleaning, nail clipping and grinding, sanitary clipping. De-shedding or de-tangling treatment, coat and skin conditioning, tick and flea control treatment, skin and hair care, hair trimming/cutting are also done here. A number of spa services such as oil massage, aroma therapy, special massages to soothe joint pains in older dogs, and pawdicure is a specialty at this salon.
Beauty With Paws also offer day care services for dogs; a highly-personalised service. Apart from this, they stock a wide range of boutique items, all of which are imported, as well as several well-known brands of pet food products.
Best treatment: A complete grooming package is the most sought-after service here, followed by pawdicures and massage for older dogs.
Prices: The rates vary as per the treatment as well as the amount of work required on the pet. The services are tailored-made for various pets, and meet the customers' requirements and the pet's condition.
Find them at: 105, Baitul     Sharaf, Hill Road Next to Mehboob Studio Bandra (W).
Connect: https://www.facebook.com/RashnaSidhwaCanineTrainer?fref=ts