Pet service companies see surge in demand for Diwali

Chennai: Diwali will be different for Bushra Ismail this year. With her pug, Tequila, being very sensitive to crackers, she is off on a road trip to Nahan in Himachal Pradesh, away from the noise.

Loaded with a Diwali Wagbox from startup Heads Up For Tails (HUFT) which has an assortment of goodies, Ismail is making sure Tequila is comfortable.

As pet parents go lengths to make their pets comfortable, pet and related service companies are in demand this festive season.

Delhi based HUFT has launched Diwali wagboxes which have sweets for dogs, coconut turmeric chips, lavender oil amongst other things and has sold 300 boxes since its launch in late September. “Diwali means a lot of snacks and sweets at home and inadvertently, we end up giving these to our pets too. We wanted to have something special for pet parents to give their pets too,” said Rashi Sanon Narang, founder, HUFT. Narang had her team working through the weekend to deliver boxes before Diwali.

Nestling Meadows, run by Manish Agarwal is a pet friendly getaway housed in the hills of HP. “On an average we have about 5 families. For Diwali, I have confirmations from over 12 families,” said Agarwal. With 9 staff members to run the place, Agarwal says he might add on 2 more to help. He is expecting revenues to be up by 50% this month thanks to Diwali. Down south, Arunodaya Reddy who runs Pets 101, a pet store and grooming studio and a boarding place, Harley & Me has his hands full. Closed for bookings now, Reddy has over 35 dogs as of now. “We are located close to the sea and away from the main road. No crackers or pollution coming our way,” he said.

He also has several customers walking in to Pets 101 to buy collars, T-shirts and beds besides other products. “We see at least a 10 times jump in sales of these items. Just like people buy new clothes for themselves during Diwali, they want to buy something new for their pet too. I am sure to be sold out by Diwali itself,” Reddy said.

With several stray dogs being cared for, concerned pet lovers have been calling in to homestays and boarders to keep them safe during the festive period. “Besides their own pets, people want me to take in dogs in their streets as well. I have 11 dogs at my place as of now,” said Sai Kiran VC who runs Happy Paws Pet Home Stay. While crackers are burst in streets near his house, Sai Kiran keeps the dogs in his room with the AC on so they are calm.


Ready to Master Stock Valuation? ET’s Workshop is just around the corner!