By Arathi Menon
Apple lives the life of a socialite. Her closet is stocked with the latest of grooming devices, perfumes and shampoos. She visits a parlour every two weeks for some oil massage and grooming, meets her buddies at the monthly meet of her social club at a park not far from her home and if the mood strikes, goes for a swim at a swimming pool nearby. Like every socialite, Apple too has an enviable lifestyle. Only, Apple is a pet dog in Mysuru. If you parent a dog and are looking for a rented accommodation in Mysuru, there’s a good chance that you’re still looking for one. While most Mysureans are not open to the idea of keeping a dog inside the house, a growing number of animal-lovers in the city are trying hard to break stereotypes about pets and changing the game to the benefit of the animals. Result? Various parlours, recreational centres, social gatherings and top-notch boarding facilities are mushrooming in the city. Way back in 2011, when people were still considering dogs and cats as “just dogs and cats,” Chitkala Arun opened a grooming centre and fancy store for pets in Gokulam. Her husband, Dr. C.S. Arun, a veterinarian, started a pet clinic in 2003. A professional pet groomer herself, Chitkala’s grooming centre started functioning in a room attached to the clinic. Though it was a novel concept then, Chitkala says she saw a lot of requirement in starting a facility like this. “There were many elderly people in the city who were finding it difficult to give a bath or take care of their dogs,” she says. Between herself and two other staff, she grooms about five dogs on an average every day.
