Petspace on TV!!

“Television:  chewing gum for the eyes."  ~ Frank Lloyd Wright
Over the last few months we had crew from two TV shows shoot Petspace and the dogs residing / playing here. It was also my first media experience. I had been interviewed by journalists from the print media earlier but this was a whole new experience. I am really grateful and could see the amount of hard work that goes into the creation of a video episode / TV show.

TV9 (Kannada): Ladies Club!

The first shoot was by TV9 in Kannada for their “Ladies Club” episode that showcases innovative business ideas. When I got the call from them about the coverage I was very excited and wondered how the day would go and how the dogs would behave with a bunch of camera crew focusing on them all day.

The day when the TV9 crew landed at Petspace was quite a hot summer day. In the sweltering heat while we managed to coax few of the doggies to come up and face the camera, I also found a few really ‘cool dudes’ who found the experience very engrossing and appealing! They put up quite a show strutting around the camera and exuding a sense of general merriment and fun.

I also gave my own ‘sound’ bytes on pet care (pun intended :) ) later following that up with an ‘interview; at the TV9 studio with Radhika, the anchor of the show. It was a FUN experience and I do hope that some of my comments and suggestions could be valuable to customers and dog lovers. You could catch the show @ Petspace Featured on TV9Part-I&Part-II

NDTV Good Times: Heavy Petting

I was introduced to this show by a customer. I watched the show and I loved the way it’s done. All credits to Seema Rahmani (the anchor) for hosting such a terrific show, among the first to showcase pets and pet related stories in India. I’d already pressed the ‘Like’ button in my mind for this show at first glance. So when I got the call from Arun of NDTV-GT for a shoot with Seema I was looking forward to this shoot.

With the experience of one shoot (TV9) behind I felt pretty confident that our koochies could only look good on cam! This experience was quite different in that the crew just waited patiently for capturing each dog in his elements. Patience (and perspiration) swelled from the crew as they just waited to ‘pick those moments’. Again I realized that somehow few dogs just LOVE the camera! Do they actually watch TV when they are home??!! I wonder! :) This is set to be aired sometime in August.

(I must add that those who know me would be surprised with my husky voice as I suffered with a sore throat on that day :( )

Close on the heels of these two shoots I was also glad to be chosen and interviewed for a book that will be published in association with IIMB. The book is on women entrepreneur’s journey starting up a business. In all, this summer has been quite an experience with new experiences from an altogether unexpected corner: the fourth estate!I came across this quote recently and it brought a smile to me face.

“Time has convinced me of one thing.  Television is for appearing on, not looking at.”  ~Noel Coward, attributed :)

‘Soulmates’ @ Petspace :)

“Our Soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we’re two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we’ve found the right person.”  Richard Bach

Of course you read it right! I am indeed talking about ‘Soulmates’ :)  It is no surprise that I write on this topic given that day in and day out I am at a place that abounds with one quality: LOVE!

On the 15th of April’2011, Don, a pug(!) came to stay at Petspace during the holiday season for a long vacation and there started a beautiful story of friendship that I now share with you. Don loves to play with other dogs and makes me wonder where in his cute little frame does he have the source of this much energy to play ALL THE TIME! I guess among God’s inimitable imagination and creation lies this little secret power house or store house of energy that He gifts children and dogs alike! But not all can keep going as much and as far as Don could! You must see him to believe him.

Nemo’s temperament is quite the opposite of Don’s, (at least initially it was!). He seemed a bit more sobre and ‘gentleman-like’. In his previous visits he seemed to be the ‘calm’, ‘quite’ types! And yet…yet, they proved a simple physics rule to be true, the law of magnetism: Opposites attract!

Nemo, the Cocker-Spaniel loves balls while Don plays with other dogs. And when these two cute brats get together, they seem to forget everyone else around them in the world. Like a true color Bollywood masala movie of the 80s and 90s, initially Don troubled Nemo and then Nemo returned the favor. But after that initial phase they struck such a close friendship that they were pretty much inseparable. In fact, Don gets so engrossed in playing with Nemo that he caused me worry about his forgetting to eat! Nemo boarded at Petspace thrice during the period when Don was here. Each time when Nemo would leave for home, Don would actually sit sadly at the gate watching him go. I felt his cheerful attitude was at its peak when he received Nemo the next time he came to Petspace.

Watching these gestures of pure love among these friends makes me wonder how often we humans actually give of ourselves so completely and selflessly to just be in the moment and share the joy of a moment created with our love for one another.

And yeah, I used the word ‘Soulmates’ coz like all true love stories the friendship is forged between all sizes and shapes :)
Take a look at these friendly pairs for instance:
Chocolate (a big Golden Retriever) & Anya (a small pug)
Bela ( a mastiff) & Ach (a lab)
Spark (a lab) & Buddy (a Shih tzu)
They have nothing in common excepting pure love and a happy-go-lucky attitude :)

Well, as for me, I am really happy to see these blossoms of friendship that seem to create a welcoming and homely ambience for the next pooch walking in…!! :)

Bunny @ Petspace :)

"If carrots got you drunk,rabbits would be messed up!!"
~ Mitch Hedburg

When I first came across the above sentence it didn’t mean much to me. Now, it DOES!! :)

Imagine this! I get this call from a prospective customer, only, this time it aint a dog but a Rabbit called Bunny! Yeah! You heard me right! A RABBIT!! Although I was initially a bit apprehensive of how the dogs would react to a rabbit, we decided to bring him to Petspace and see for ourselves.

If Bunny was even moved in the least by the presence or excited barking of other dogs, he didn’t show it. In fact, every single dog that was and has been visiting Petspace since Bunny’s arrival seems fascinated. Almost mesmerized.

It’s a common sight to find dogs squatting right in front of Bunny’s kennel and just gazing at him. Some wag their tails and call out. Others try to smell him through the door. But in all, I have not seen any dog being hostile towards him. Nonetheless, I don’t take chances and have not allowed Bunny and any dog out together free. Just suffice to watch their unique expressions of love play out across the kennel’s secure door!!

Oh well! Now coming back to the line above by Mitch Hedburg.  Bunny is a 3 month old Rabbit. He LOVES carrots and leafy vegetables. We grow some vegetables in our garden area at Petspace and each day, Bunny just treats himself with the carrots and leafy greens. It’s easy to please a rabbit or so I have learnt: just give him a few carrots!

And no post on Bunny would be complete if I didn’t mention his eyes! Those big beautiful eyes, red/pink in color seem to completely fill your mind and thoughts once you’ve see them! Maybe that’s what holds and mesmerizes the dogs too! :)

If you can and wanna visit place in the near future, you would see for yourself what I am talking about. Although, I had not ever thought about a rabbit guest at Petspace, I’m really glad we took him in and Bunny adds yet another beautiful page in my memories to cherish!

Even as I wondered about Bunny and how every dog seems taken by him, I came across a quote by Stephen Wright that may be the answer to what keeps them interested in him:

“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.” :) :)

Cute li’l Brats @ Petspace!

Someone asked me  if all or ‘most’ dogs were well behaved. Whoa! Whoa! Nothing could be farther from the truth! For all ye unsuspecting potential pet owners out there, trust me when I say this: a mischief monger dog can have you pleading for mercy from God Almighty in no time!
Lemme give you some examples here. I had this cute black Labrador at Petspace who had a liking, nay, a fetish, for tearing up everything! Every night (during the cold winter days) we would spread a mattress to keep the stay warmer for these folks. The morning after this dude walked in, I was staring aghast at the mattress shredded to pieces and the look….the Look of accomplishment on his face just had me laughing my head off. Here was the guy standing at my feet looking for appreciation for a job well done! <huh!>

What can I say about the gang-of-three pugs who would chase and torment every other dog (especially the big ones) just for fun! They would sneak up and surprise them or simply bark into their face and run. I guess either the bigger dogs were truly startled or just chose to put up with the exuberant midgets. Nevertheless, I would have to keep an eye and ensure that all is fun and play.

And yeah, this post would be incomplete if I didn’t mention about the one with razors for teeth, who just chomped away at the fencing and even the kennel door!! His jaws were a veritable scissoring machine and like the genie had to be kept ‘busy‘ all day!!

That said, I must add in the same breath that what would life be but for those practical jokes and wisecracks in action! :)  Every time I see these folks think up a new way to have fun I also realize that they’ve helped me discover a new facet in myself. And yeah…it is these little rascals that add such a joy to an otherwise mundane existence (as most dog owners say), that makes every day in life something to look forward to! Coz you never know what the next brat has in mind for ya… Well lemme stop here and go find out :)