Let’s introduce you to our ‘Pet of the Month’, Gohaan – The Golden Boy, whose mum is a die-hard Dragon Ball Z fan and dad is a disciplined army personnel. Wondering how adventurous Gohaan would be? Here’s Vinitra, his mum, riding us through his spunky, peppy, and venturesome journey! Excerpts…
How did you think of having a pet in your life? Is Gohaan your first pet? When did he come into your life?
Yes, Gohaan is our very first pet. We are first-time Doggo owners, and it is quite an experience! First, I would like to say that awareness on pet parenting is very important and we learnt it as we raised Gohaan; it would have been so much easier if we had correct guidance on this matter. As first-time pet parents, we didn’t know that it’s just like raising a human baby and the only difference would be that human babies grow up.
My husband and I were always fond of dogs; as soon as we got married, first thing in our bucket list was to own a pet Doggo. My husband is in the Indian Armed Forces, so he was deployed to a certain place in just a month after our marriage – that’s when Gohaan came into our lives. It was the best phase of our lives as the puppy Gohaan would just eat, play, poop, and sleep.
‘Gohaan’ is an interesting name! How did you come up with this name?
Our family is a hardcore Dragon Ball Z fan (it’s a Japanese Anime) and the main protagonist’s son is named Gohaan. Also, Gohaan in Japanese means ‘food’, which pretty much defines his personality. He loves Food like a true golden retriever.
This year has been a tough experience for all of us, locked up in our homes. How has been your lockdown experience with Gohaan.
For us, lockdown isn’t quite different from ordinary times, since usually we get posted to rural parts of India where the nearest city is also 25–30kms away. So we are quite used to living in this way; like a true fauji, Gohaan is also accustomed to our lifestyle.
So Gohaan has pretty much enjoyed staying with us and going for his walks. Initially, we too had a lockdown, when we used to play with him to vent his excess energy since physical and mental exercise is very important for his well being. I must say, our Gohaan is a very patient kid; he has never thrown any tantrum even if due to lockdown his walk time was cut.
How do you prefer to shop for him – online or offline? Do you look for any particular e-commerce sites/pet shops?
As mentioned earlier, we stay in pretty rural parts of India. So only select sites deliver pet essentials in our area and we are highly grateful for that. We order his kibble food online and rest offline. Our go to Site is generally ‘Heads up for tails’, otherwise, there is a good retail shop nearby, which caters rest of the essentials.
What is Gohaan’s diet? How do you plan his diet and take care of his nutrition?
Gohaan’s diet consists of both Kibble food and Fresh food. Gohaan has been a sensitive kid, so we have planned his diet according to the veterinary recommendation.
How do you take care of Gohaan’s grooming?
Gohaan being a retriever, his grooming is very much important. Though we don’t have privilege of getting him to a grooming parlour, we try our best to do it at home only. We comb him twice a day, and regularly cut his nails.
How do you choose products for Gohaan’s grooming and hygiene needs? What products are you currently using?
Due to lack of good pet grooming products in the Indian market, we use the available ones. Luckily, there are a few like Captain Zack and some organic ones, which we use presently for Gohaan’s grooming. Gohaan’s fur is super soft and we have made it a routine to groom him nicely, at least, basic stuff like combing him twice daily. Also I feel, it depends on the diet of your fur kid, if that’s maintained then mostly skin issues won’t be a problem.
How do you think social media presence of pets is impacting the bond between pet owners and pets?
For us, it has impacted heavily in a positive way! Because it’s just not about posting his photos or videos, it’s also about learning so much about the well being of pets. Yes! But using your pets just for some likes and treating them in a bad manner later isn’t acceptable. A responsible pet parent will create a liking in the pet also for getting clicked and making them totally comfortable around camera. Social media is just a part of life not the other way around where you make up a fake life just for some likes.
Do you think brands are doing enough to promote responsible pet keeping along with their products?
Some brands – yes, they are doing a great job! But I still feel this industry needs a lot of improvement. It works both ways, if we are aware and well informed then pet industry also needs to work harder to meet our expectations. Also, I request the readers to totally support the small scale businesses as they are doing a great job bringing in super pet friendly products. And, I feel reviews should be taken seriously; that way we all can get more improved version of pet products.
Summarize your bond with Gohaan.
Aah! How to put this beautiful bond in words! Our entire lives revolve around him. I was and still am surprised on how much he understands us and our unsaid language. With Gohaan our life has improved in so many ways! So much to learn from him – he just lives in the present and is always happy! He is always there for us, no matter in what situation we are… I look at him and there is this big smile on my face! As a puppy also, he was such a well-behaved kid. He learnt his commands also really fast and just like a fauji, he was very disciplined. He has completely changed our perception of dogs; we understand him so much that he has magically somehow taught us his language without speaking a single word! It’s fascinating to see how much he adjusts with us in each and every posting; he just loves to travel and explore new places. He has travelled in car, airplane, and train with us, and is still very much happy and gets his favourite toys with him for his travels. He has so much of positivity to give – our entire family’s star is Gohaan! I just cannot imagine a life without him, so much that we plan all our leaves accordingly to the dog friendly hotels and how we can take him along with us. He completes us in all possible ways. Also, now we realize that every Doggo is different – so is our beautiful baby boy Gohaan!
