Pampered By the Pets!!

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too. ~Samuel Butler, Notebooks, 1912
We all know how nice it is to be pampered. Which is why we shower so much attention and love on our little doggies. Now imagine how it would feel to be pampered by these cute ones themselves?!!

Well, that is practically my everyday experience, caring and tending to the dogs that are boarded at Petspace. Each morning as I walk into Petspace, it’s a moment of exhilaration to have so much love being showered on me by these kids as they vie with each other for my attention and time.

And if you think that over a period of time you could get used to it, well you should meet with Tashi!! The energy and enthusiasm with which she would greet me would on each day brighten my day and send my spirits soaring so high!!

She would jump, she would wriggle and wag her tail…she would verily use every gesture (thinkable and otherwise) to express her excitement and love for you. Well, just the thought of her gushing at me with joy makes me smile! :)

I’m sure every dog owner looks forward to returning home for this one reason. I remember when I would return home and Buster (my pug) would go so berserk with happiness that he would run around in circles not knowing what to do to express his joy. I guess the easiest way to become a celebrity is to get oneself a dog! The amount of attention received will surely lift your spirits on any day.

To quote from the famous movie, “Marley & Me”:

A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes… A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his.

Dancing in the Rain at Petspace!

As he walked in reluctantly through the door I could see that he was very attached to his family. He was a Golden Retriever about 5 years called Rusty. He didn’t seem to resonate with the secure feeling that his family felt about leaving him at Petspace while they went on a trip for a few days. Understandably so…… he hardly knew Petspace or me until that moment. They had to literally cajole Rusty to enter his kennel and the family left with the note to be called at any time if so required. I gave them my assurances knowing what it feels like, given I have two pets of my own.


Most dogs adjust to the new surroundings quite easily and once they are able to sense the love in the air they tend to be more comfortable and relaxed. Not so with Rusty. The next morning, he practically spent all time sitting near the exit  in eager anticipation of seeing the family drive in again to pick him up. No amount of cajoling and enticing could wean him away from his yearning for them.


As if in reciprocation the skies started showering a torrential downpour of rain. All other dogs quickly scampered to the warmth and dryness of their kennels except him. He would not budge an inch and if anything, the rain only seemed to dampen his spirits further.


I could sense the pangs of separation in his heart and I knew that if anything could bring him back to his cheerful self it would have to be love…oodles of it! I immediately brought an umbrella and sat next to him holding us both under its one shade. It seemed like we just sat there for eternity huddled together at the gate.  Feelings and emotions far greater than words were conveyed in those moments escaping not just the rain but the false world of ‘newness’ and not knowing each other.


I was brought out of my reverie with the warm lick on my face and the movement by my side. I realized that he had finally connected with me. While I could not replace his family he did acknowledge the love he would receive at this new place from this new lady. He was ready to go into his kennel and partake his meal :) .


That day taught me in quite a most dramatic fashion how no amount of intellectual studies can teach this one basic value in establishing one’s rapport with a dog: Love and trust. When one truly reaches out to them, being so good in sensing the environment as they are, it is but a question of time and patience before they open up to give and receive the goodness and joy that fills our hearts.

Petspace: The Beginning!

As I walked through the gate into ‘Petspace’ on the day of its opening, I could see in my mind’s eye the work, time & effort that had gone into making this day a reality. I wondered at this magical process where a single thought, when backed with action, gets transformed into a tangible reality!
It was during my course on ‘Women Entrepreneurship’  at IIM-B that I first started looking around me for a ‘cause’ that could also serve as a business opportunity for me. It is then that it occurred to me to take my ‘pet’ hobby to a professional level.


I have two pets: a cat(Misty) & a dog(Buster). As it happens with most of us pet owners, our pets hold the focus of our energies and conversation topics far more than we probably realize! :) I found a lot of people facing issues with understanding and / or getting through to their pets. Somehow I seemed to be able to connect with them with a natural ease. Another common problem seemed to stem from the fact that the pet owner’s life (especially travel) gets affected with constant worry about the pet’s safety and care. So I would volunteer to ‘take care’ or ‘sit’ these pets while they were away. Now I looked to further explore my natural ability to connect with these darlings.


It started as a simple thought ‘to be able to help understand the dog psychology and bridge that gap between what we think our pet is telling us versus what he / she really wants to convey’. I figured the best way to do it would also entail spending more time with many of them. Churning all these thoughts together resulted in bringing up a Dog Day Care and Boarding called PETSPACE, close to the WIPRO Corporate office on Sarjapur Road, Bangalore!


I did a course with the Pet Sitter’s International (USA) to further hone my natural ease and bring in a professional approach to handling dogs. Meanwhile, I worked with the actual bringing up of the place including locating the site, construction, hiring employees and everything that Petspace offers its customers. Today Petspace revels with over 9000 square feet of play area to go with immense love that I and the staff working here shower on the koochi koochi pooches! :)


More than 9 years of experience in the corporate world along with the exposure to a humane approach to animals I developed during my residence at US have helped me immensely in coming up with my own mix of ‘services’ offered by Petspace (including counseling and Pet Parties) with a professional and yet personal touch to it. Petspace is a standing testimony to the translation of good intent to action and I endeavor to help as many pet owners as possible to connect with their pet and find what all of mankind is always looking for – unconditional love :)


More details, pictures and videos on Petspace can be viewed online by visiting  www.petspace.in or by visiting the place for a tour of our facility. [For appointments call 9900020DOG]