How pets travel in city

Pet transportation services are mushrooming, but are people using them?

Being a pet parent, while being a wonderful experience, can also be a very stressful one. One of the experiences that contribute to this is transportation. Finding a mode of transport that is both comfortable and safe for your pet can be difficult.

According to Amrut Hiranya, a certified dog behaviourist and trainer, a dedicated service that caters to transporting pets is a need in the market.

“Many clients of my dog school have expressed interest in this, especially to take their pets to the hospital or the crematorium,” he says. Which is why he began Paw Cab under the banner of Amrit Dogguru Services. “We took on driver owned cars so you could say we’re an aggregator of sorts,” says Amrut. They have 10 cabs in their fleet.

Customers would have to book their cabs at least an hour in advance. He says that while they have had good demand, it has not been without hiccups.

They have had instances of aggressive dogs, or newly adopted dogs who have caused trouble. Which is why they insist that all pets be accompanied by their owner or a guardian. On the other hand, Abhishek Kumar of SwearOnDog says that the business is not profitable and too risky. They offered cab services for three months, but faced too many cancellations. “Now we only offer it to clients who have used our boarding services,” he says.

Both him and Amrut adds that another top pet transportation company had three dogs die in their care which gave the business a bad name.

Regardless, both of them agree that many pet parents use these services to drop off or pick up their animals to and from a boarding.

“The demand for cabs always goes up during the festive season and long weekends,” says Abhishek.

Pet parent Susan (name changed) says that she uses autos to transport her dog. “I’ve rarely gotten cabs, but app based autos generally are okay with me travelling with my dog,” she says. Abhishek too says that app based autos are the best way to go and that when his company’s cab is not available for use he too uses these methods.

Amrut although says that autos can be risky modes of transport especially if your dog gets anxious or easily distracted.

“There have been cases where accidents have been caused by dogs jumping out of autos because they spotted strays on the street,” he says.

Another issue with autos is that they are not always welcoming to larger dogs. Kavya (name changed), the owner of a German Shepherd says that they transport him in a relative’s car as auto drivers refuse the ride due to his size.

Veterinarians say that the choice of transport must be made in terms of the comfort of the pet.

They also advise that the pet parent be present for at least the first three times that their pet travels by any mode of transport so as to reduce their anxiety.