The festival of lights and sweets is for everyone, so why should your pets be left behind? Say hello to pet-friendly Diwali treats for your furry friends.
Diwali is a celebration time for one and all. Families bury misunderstandings and reconnect with each other, friends get together and make merry, children are seen busying themselves with activities for their Diwali holidays — the festival brings light and joy to each member in the family.
Undeniably, one of the most important aspects of Diwali is the special food. While humans indulge their cravings with the choicest of mithais and farsans available, pets are often left behind. Thankfully, some city eateries who understand that your furry friends aren’t allowed to eat human food, are introducing pet-friendly treats for the festive season.
Rashee Kuchroo with her pet
Pet eateries have planned special menu for dogs, including food options that are made from chicken liver for them. Nayani Desai, who runs a dog café Puppychino with her friend, makes special treats for festivals. Launched just last year in April, they thought of playing it safe last Diwali, but this year, they are going all out. “We are offering cupcakes that are made from carob and; chicken and treats that made from chicken and its liver only,” says the entrepreneur, who comes with the experience of raising two Labradors and two huskies. “Apart from cupcakes, we are also making some doggie bhujiyas (baked treats that are completely vegetarian and are made with coconut and khoya among other things, minus sugar), and some laddoos as well.”
Ishmeet Singh Chandiok’s Harley’s Corner is another place you can head to, in order to get special cakes, and treats for your dog this festive season. Ishmeet, who has a degree in animal nutrition, says that the idea was to make fresh, preservative-free food for pooches back in the day. Now, five years later, making sure they have a great time on special occasions, with fresh food, is priority too. “When I adopted Harley, I was feeding him the regular pet food that is available in the market,” he recalls. But it broke his heart every time Harley would just sulk around when they ate their food. “Whenever we had our meals, he used to just hang around looking at our plates, at our faces. So it was clear that he was more interested in our food than he was in his packaged stuff,” says Ishmeet, talking about how he got started with these treats.
Ishmeet Singh with his dog Harley
The need to give their pets something special seems to be a recurring theme with many entrepreneurs in the city. Rashee Kuchroo of Doggie Dabbas, another venture that makes pet-friendly treats, got to making her own treats because packaged food wasn’t satisfying for their pets. “I was studying abroad and when I left home, my Labrador was all white and fit,” she recalls. “But after a few years when I got back home, he had become super fat! And he wasn’t even white anymore — he had turned beige!” she says.
That was the final straw for her. Rashee decided to do a course on animal nutrition and provide her dog with homemade, healthier food options. “I make everything with chicken and chicken liver — all our food items are preservative-free and natural, especially for dogs,” she says, assuring a tasty treat for dogs this festive season.
So this Diwali, when you pack a hamper for the friend who has a pet at home, check out a pet-friendly treat to light up their festival too.
