How does it feel to be a pet parent? Interesting, excited, confused, full of energy or mix of all such emotions… Let us know it from Gouri, an undergraduate student and her sister Shruthi as to how it feels to be a pet parent at such a young age. They share their journey of raising Parr, their beloved pet, with us…
How did you think of having a pet in your life? When did Parr come into your life?
Parr is our first pet. We have always been animal enthusiasts. Three years back, life had turned a li’l monotonous. Then came a moment when we got a new home; it was our new beginning, so we decided to have a pet. Parr came in our life on 21st October, 2018. We were elated to have her in our life.
Were you breed conscious while selecting your pet?
No, not at all! We were open to anything. We just wanted to have a pet in our life. Moreover, it was a wonderful surprise for both of us. Our dad asked us to dress up as we need to go somewhere. When we reached somebody’s home, he told us that we have come to take our pet home. We were really surprised. Our family is very fond of her. In fact, she sleeps with our parents.
What do you generally feed her?
Initially, it was Pedigree and Royal Canine gravy. But over the period, we noticed that she had started shedding more and had got some skin issues as well. So we shifted to home-cooked food for her. Cooked rice, boiled eggs, and chapatti is her favourite meal.
How do you treat her when she gets bored?
We give her treats after her training sessions and her walks. She likes yogurt a lot. So, we treat her with yogurt most of the times. Additionally, we do buy doggy treats from market as well.
Have you hired any trainer to train her?
No, we do it ourselves. We know a lot of pet parents; they share videos of training their dogs with us and sometimes, we do have conversations with them in this regard. This helps us in giving her a basic training. Youtube videos also are of great help. Actually, Parr is open to learning. So this makes it easier for us!
Do you take her along when you travel?
Definitely yes! She likes to travel. I (Gouri) live in a hostel. Whenever we go there, we take her along. Usually we travel by car as pets are not allowed in public transport here in Kerela.
Tell us more about the way you like to spend time with Parr.
We play with her all the time. She doesn’t like when we are busy using our phones; she just goes to a corner and lies there looking at us. That makes us feel guilty. So mostly we spend our free time while playing with her. She likes to play hide and seek with us and also we run around and she likes to catch us. Apart from that we like to make toys for her and also buy a few from the market.
How do you prefer to shop for her – online or offline? Do you have any particular e-commerce sites/pet shops or you do it randomly?
Pat 4 Pets is one stop destination for us to buy anything for her, medicines, toys etc.
Who is your vet for Parr?
We take her to District veterinary surgeon in case of any health issues. He is nice and we can connect with him over phone as well; he is available 24*7. We take her every 6 months for general checkup.
Do you feel there is a gap between what you get in the market and what you look for your pet?
Yes, sometimes! Accessories and clothes are not available for larger breeds. They are available in plenty for smaller ones. We have to compromise at times. Parr likes to wear dresses a lot. It’s kind of difficult to find dresses for her. She often picks up dresses from our cupboards and we let her wear them.
Summarize your bond with Parr.
She is like our little sister. We treat her the same way as we would treat our younger sister and she is definitely a daughter to our parents. They love her more than us. If she doesn’t eat, they don’t eat; if she doesn’t sleep, they don’t sleep. If she falls sick, everybody in the house becomes sad. She holds everything together, actually!
Any message you wish to convey to pet parents.
Yes, sure. We would like say that please keep good routine of the health of your pets. Regular checkup is very important. Take them for walks regularly. And please do not beat them.
Socializing pets is very important. Pet parents in our locality do not let them socialize. It is very disheartening! Pets do understand what we speak from our tone. They know how to communicate with us; we just need to understand their body language.
Do not compare them with children. Let them play the way they feel comfortable. Pets have their own personality and they need freedom. We must respect their individuality and should appreciate them when they do little things that they are fond of doing.
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