Puppy Love Goes Online
CHENNAI: Hi, I'm Saber, 1 & 1/2 years old, living in Delhi. I love running, jumping and eating, I can understand Hindi, English and even
Spanish. In summer, I enjoy playing in my swimming pool
. I'm a cute, good looking boy, healthy (have all my vaccination certificates) and I'm looking for a cute, lovely lady... interested??
So reads the ad posted online by Rakesh Kumar to find a mate for his beloved labrador Saber. Getting hitched is as tough in the pooch world as in the world of humans.
"It's very difficult to find a mate because everyone has male dogs," says Rakesh. "Saber is like my son and I to keep his pups in my family always."
Recognising the dilemma of pet owners like Rakesh, "matrimonial websites" that cater exclusively to pets have been launched. Like www.puppylove.in, which was launched in 2007 by Geetika Nigam. It's a dog meet dog world' proclaims the site's catchline.
"I am a dog lover. Between my mom and me we had nine dogs and it was hard to find crosses for them," says Geetika, who runs a home-based dog grooming business, Pawprints. "So a few friends and I got together and set up the website." The site, which is like a social networking site for pets where you can upload your pet's profile, has been a huge hit. "We've had a lot of traffic from the very first week. We now have more than 5,000 regular users."
There's a growing community of pet owners who find it hard to find a suitable match for their "boys and girls". "If your pet has a good pedigree, a breeder may help out but even people who don't have pedigreed pets want a mate," says Anupama Vinayak, international pet travel consultant, who launched www.petvacations.in last August. The website, which helps pet owners take their pets on holidays, also has a matrimonial section Find A Pet Mate.
"People put up photos of their pets, write a description with numbers so that other owners can contact them," says Anupama. The photos are clicked with care, showing well groomed animals posed by the sea, perched on sofas, flaunting caps and collars. The descriptions reflect the personality of the animals, with owners giving details about their accomplishments. "I can get the newspaper, slippers and shoes. I can even open my own cupboard and get my chain and biscuits," reads one.
Pet owners are as choosy as they are while match-making for their own children, says Anupama. "They go into great detail about what they want. One woman actually said her female dog is like Priyanka Chopra," she says, laughing. "Dogs are now treated like a family member."
Once a suitable mate is identified, there are many details to iron out whether the animals are healthy and their vaccinations up-to-date, checking pedigree papers, where the two can meet and who gets to keep the pups.
Owners are willing to go to any lengths even travel and book hotels for the right kind of ambience. "One woman wanted to book a bungalow in Lonavala for her pet and two or three matches so that they could be at ease in natural surroundings," says Anupama.
There is set certain protocol, though. Usually female dog comes to the male as males are used to their own territory. "Usually owners of the male dog get one pup of their choice, while others are kept by owner of female dog," says Yashashree Patankar, who lives in Mumbai, with her six-year-old golden retriever, Buzo.
Yashashree, who had to search for two years before she was able to find a mate for Buzo, is grateful for the online facilities. "The first time I had to travel to Pune for his mate," says Yashashree. "This time, I just posted an ad online and have already got two calls. Now Buzo is six and I want his pups so that, in a sense, I'll have him with me forever."