Paws at airport departure gates

Airports come with a lot of baggage stress included. And clearly, not everyone is on a vacation. Which is why comfort canines are becoming a reality in airports across the world, all in an effort to make the wait there a 'pawsome' affair. Will this concept bear fruit in Bengaluru airport, a city with a strong canine loving community? Some pet lovers are all for it.

"I hope it happens here too," says Damodar Rama Varma, a financial analyst and an ardent dog lover.

"Airports are places where people do get stranded sometimes. That could be a tough time for them and could create stress. So having dogs there would be a great relief because canines are so unconditional."

"Whenever you are having a tough time, spending time with your dog can bring in a lot of relief. There is nobody who can listen to you better than a dog although it may not understand what you are saying or be able to talk to you," he adds.

Mumbai's Terminal 2 already has a canine therapeutic service for travellers. Called 'Comforting Angels', these comfort dogs provided by Animal Angels Foundation, de-stress passengers inside the departure terminal.

Shedding light on the 'Comforting Angels' provided by Animal Angels Foundation in Mumbai airport, Minal Kavishwar, founder and president of the organisation, is all for this service in Bengaluru as well. "It should be in Bengaluru as well,'' she affirms.

"This is also a very busy airport. If the airport authorities approach us, we can do it. But in Bengaluru, the only hitch is that the airport is very far from the city. And these dogs do not stay in the airport. However,
that can also be worked out," she says.

"We just need comfort dogs in airports. We created the programme in Mumbai keeping in mind the hectic schedules, long hours caused by delayed flights, loneliness --- all regular life stress. And at airports, you see most passengers on gadgets most of the time. When they see these dogs, they look up and smile. There is a connect and stress release happening," she adds.

Activities and therapies with dogs are increasingly being accepted here in the city as elsewhere in the world. "The application of animals in therapy is very wide. Depression, post- psychotic rehabilitation, autism - whatever it is - the reason is because of the animal's unconditional acceptance of the person," informs Minal. "The person is willing to engage with the animal. That makes it easier for the therapist," she adds.

A cold wet nose makes just about everyone smile and dog cafes in the city will vouch that.

"We have seven dogs in the café. People who come to the cafe are always smiling, petting and cuddling the dogs. If they are feeling low, interacting with canines helps in making them happy,'' informs Ankit Jain of 'Therpup', a doge café in Whitefield. He has seven dogs there.

"People walk into our café perhaps feeling a little low and they go back feeling happy once they mingle with the dogs," he adds. But there are also those who are not in favour of canines at the airport. Sanjana Madappa of CUPA says, "It's kind of a double-edged sword. For the dogs, which are not acclamistised to such conditions, it could be quite stressful with too many people coming and petting them and other things. So I am not too much in favour of this," she says.

Minal points out there are misconceptions too surrounding animal -assisted therapies. "The important thing to remember is that the canines used for such activities should be based on the temperment and personality of the dogs. They should be evaluated and registered. In India, we are the only organisation providing evaluation and registration," she informs.

Box:  

'We are open'
"At the point we don't have this  canine programme in the airport.  But we are always looking  for avenues to make the  passage a good experience for  those who go through our airport.  As a pioneer in many spheres,  we are always open to initiatives  that are fun and interesting while  ensuring the safety and security of the passengers."
BIAL spokesperson