India witnessed its first Pet Convention on 1st of November 2014, at Delhi Haat, INA Market. Being a huge pet lover myself, I found myself enjoying one of the best days of my life. After entering the main market, I could only see dogs of varying breeds everywhere.
Here is what was in store for pet lovers at Pet Fed:
- Pet Walk – This event started around 5 o clock, and was analogous to what humans would call a Mr. /Mrs. India event. The event was judged by Mrs Ambika Shukla, Founder of People for Animals and a former Miss India winner. The majority of contestants were Labradors, Pugs and Bull dogs. There was a Labrador who wore a pink fairy outfit, a pug who wore a lungi and another pug who wore a bee outfit!
- Pupcakes – This event demanded cooks to make homemade cupcakes which were edible by both humans and dogs. Although they were not for free, they were tasty and delicious. The sheer artistry on the cupcakes had the capability to make you and your dog salivate.
- Puppy Therapy – Analogous to a petting zoo concept, Puppy Therapy invited dog lovers into a big room, full of desi breed puppies. Here you could caress these gentle puppies and even adopt them. All the puppies were provided by Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Noida.
- Puppy Adoption – Many stalls in the event location were putting up puppies for adoption. People for Animals and few other stalls put up both breed and street dogs for adoption. Some of the puppies outside in the stalls were from Indian Canine Upliftment Centre.
- Free Grooming services – Free grooming services were being provided on pre – registration. The dogs were being groomed by expert groomers.
- Engaging activities – There were other engaging activities organised by graffiti artists and painters who drew dog related paintings and illustrations. Enactus Motilal Nehru College enacted their street play – “Kutta desi ya videsi” with the message of adopting Indian (desi breeds) rather than buying expensive foreign breeds. They also organised sponge games to engage the crowd.
Union Minister Shrimati Maneka Gandhi also visited the event and gave suggestions to each and every stall about how they could improve their functioning. Overall the event was paradise for pet lovers.
Ishaan Sengupta
With inputs from Ishani Rajkhowa
Image courtesy: Pet Fed
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