Five Women Entrepreneurs Helping Furry Friends In India

Pet entrepreneurs in India are growing, as is the pet industry. Investing parenthood and love in a four-legged friend is not an easy task, but, as pet parents would testify, is a wholly rewarding experience. More Indians are choosing to walk this road, statistics show.

As per PETEX, India's leading pet industry expo, the pet care market in the country is the fastest-growing in the world and is expected to be worth $490 million by 2022, rising at a rate of 14 percent annually. Food for pets is a dominant force in the industry, projected to account for $310 million by next year.

Women here are at the top of their game. With compassion, drive and power, their entrepreneurial skills are expanding into exciting pet businesses. Here are some pet entrepreneurs bringing change to the industry and pet love into homes:

Women Pet Entrepreneurs Dedicating Work To Furry Friends:

1. Anupama Vinayak 

The name behind novel setups Pet Vacations (2006) and Furry Flyers (2008), Anupama Vinayak is putting work into easing pet travel and relocation, a space that tends to go overlooked with human travel enjoying market precedence. Tie-ups with hundreds of hotels and vacation spots, pet flying and boarding, pick-up, drop and quarantine facilities have made it easy for pets to move about as their parents do.

"It is a business of love and trust since we are dealing with someone’s pet child and not a dog or a cat," Vinayak believes, as said in an interview.

2. Anjali Kalachand

Founder of Nutriwoof and co-founder of A Petter Life, Anjali Kalachand has studied pet nutrition thoroughly, handed with the knowledge and direction to make pet lives healthier with a range of organic foods and help people navigate pet parenting better.

"If one has not loved a dog, one has not lived at all," is Kalachand's mantra. "Your pet is a child forever and will depend on you for all aspects of their care," she says.

Image: Healthpost

Committed to improving pet lifestyles and life spans, Kalachand's brand is striving towards being the one-stop shop for nutritious meals and all-organic pet diets.

3. Rashi Narang 

Rashi Narang founded Heads Up For Tails in 2008 in New Delhi, a brand name that has gone on to become synonymous with all things pet in a decade. From daily accessories of use to premium pet grooming at spas, Narang has the whole range of pet care covered with attention to their most basic needs and their luxuries.

HUFT is a major name in the booming pet care industry in India, with an establishment even at the national capital's Khan Market, among the world's most expensive streets.

"When we started Heads Up For Tails in 2008, there were hardly any boutique, premium brands... Today, there is a vibrant market for such products," she told Quartz. 

4. Shirin Merchant 

Founder and Director at Canines Can Care which was set up in 1995, Shirin Merchant is among the country's earliest and leading professional canine behaviour counsellors. She is a true pioneer in the field of understanding and assisting dogs through training and interaction.

Merchant has been accredited by the Kennel Club of England Accreditation Scheme for Trainers (KCAI) and launched India's first pet magazine, Woof! The Mag with a Wag!

Image: Shirin Merchant

"The world said it couldn’t be done – Indian women can’t train dogs! Shirin Merchant said it could and then went on to show them how," her website reads.

5. Devanshi Shah

The founder of PetKonnect, Devanshi Shah began her entrepreneurial journey in the pet industry in 2019 after losing her dog Hazel to health issues. "For love beyond words," is the company's driving force as it seeks to cover shortcomings in pet health services through a community network that brings together caregivers, pet parents, and their furry friends.

Image: Economic Times

Shah is also trying to raise awareness about animal rights and laws through her brand. "These and several other factors at a macro level lead to this gap in awareness about pets," she says. "While the recent years have seen a considerable rise in awareness levels, there’s still a long way to go in this space."