Most people opted to groom their pets in spas rather than at home.
The pandemic and the lockdown life have been very beneficial for pet grooming services. Groomers said their business has gone up by more than 40 percent.
Rohit Shetty, the owner of Tails City, Bangalore, said the demand for pet grooming services were pretty high during pandemic. “People can never compromise with their pet’s lifestyle, though it was tough times of Covid-19. Our sales increased by around 70 percent during lockdown. We will be hiring more workers due to demand of new grooming services,” he said. He added that they will be soon constructing a library and games room for the pet owner so that they can relax and spend time while their pet gets groomed.
Nikita Goswami, owner of WhiskusPet Salon said that she got permission from the government to open her salon for a few hours during the pandemic. They were maintaining the business with proper protocols and that’s why people use to bring their pets for grooming. Their sales grew by 40 percent in the pandemic, as people were more concerned about their pets’ hygiene. ”Some of the accessories we need were not available in India—we had to import them. We have increased our rates by 10 percent due to the growing demand,” she added.
Mobile grooming van owners fared even better. Vyankatesh, owner of The Groomers, provides door-to-door services for their clients. “People got new pets in the lockdown. Suddenly, there was a surge in demand for our service,” he said.
Aastha Gorle, a customer, said, “It becomes quite difficult to give pets a bath at home while working. Most dogs don’t enjoy taking bath at all and proper grooming is very important. So I prefer sending my dogs to the spa, it’s convenient.”
Pet grooming helps in maintaining the health of pets, say veterinarians. Dr. Sachin Ghatwe, a veterinarian, said “Treatments like spa and haircut keep diseases away from pets and make them feel better. This helps in hair fall control, sleeker fur and maintains proper blood circulation.”
