International Women's Day 2021: Six Women Entrepreneurs Working With Pets

Indian pet sector is evolving in India with several startups coming up rapidly. From kennels to pet spas, we now have a wide range of services catering to the needs of our four legged friends. In 2017, the Indian pet care market was valued at $265 Million.

Women entrepreneurs in India are raising the bar in the startup sector by turning their love for pets into their business and excelling at it. Here is a list of 5 such female entrepreneurs for whom working with pets is both a passion and profession.

1. Rashi Narang

Rashi Narang founded Heads Up For Tails in 2008. It is one of India's earliest pet startups. When she couldn't find suitable gifts for her dogs, Narang thought of starting her own business of products useful for pets. Her company deals in products such as collars, apparels, dog beds, toys etc. It also provides spa and grooming services to pets. With stores in more than 28 Indian cities, HUFT has created a niche for itself. In Sep 2019, the company raised $10 million in Pre-Series A funding round that was led by a team of family officers, HNIs and existing promoters.

2. Rashee Kuchroo

Working with pets started for Rashee Kuchroo as she set up Doggie Dabbas in Oct 2011. She studied dog nutrition after realising that her dog is getting obese. Kuchroo customises dog meals according to their needs. In case your dog is suffering from any health problem, be it Renal issues, Gastro issues, heart problems or obesity, Kuchroo will do her analysis and give you the type of food fit for your pet.

3. Anupama Vinayak

Anupama Vinayak is the founder of Furry Flyers, a division of pet vacations based in Mumbai. It offers pet relocation service worldwide and in India via the entry ports in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai. Vinayak's company provides professional as well as personalised door-to-door service to help your pet travel safely and comfortably. It has tie ups with about 250 pet friendly hotels all over the world.

4. Devanshi Shah

Devanshi Shah is the founder of PetKonnect, an online community for animal caregivers. It gives authentic information on veterinary doctors, groomers and trainers. The company also provides emergency services as and when required. After Shah lost her pet dog Hazel due to a critical health condition, she realised that animal care-sectors have several loopholes. Thus, she began her journey of working with pets with PetKonnect.

5. Shirin Merchant

Shirin Merchant is a canine behaviourist from Mumbai. In 1998, she founded Canine Can Care to provide dogs with the best training in a compassionate way. Merchant's Canine Can Care also deals in dog products and trains dog trainers as well. She has trained dogs for the purpose of rescue, corporate training programmes and relief work.

6. Neha Panchamiya

Neha Panchamiya is the founder and President of RESQ. She, along with Tanya Kane started the organisation in 2007 after realising that in Pune, there is a lack of trauma emergency service for animals. It began as a small onsite rescue operation but now it has grown into a RESQ Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre that not only provides medical aid to animals but also gives them the hope to live.

We should not only support people taking such initiatives to create a safe space for our pets but also try to bring an end to the increasing rate of animal abuse happening around us. With more pet-friendly startups, we can hope for a better tomorrow for our pets.