On the evening of August 27, t2 walked into a pamper den plus clinic for pooches at Picnic Garden in south Calcutta. With an aim to raise funds for strays, the founder of the venture, Ekta Gupta, started off with her project post-pandemic. This time she took it a notch higher with a new state-of-the-art clinic, a grooming centre and a dog boarding under one roof at their new Picnic Garden outlet. It was like walking into heaven when we entered The Paw Story sprawling across three buildings, with a pool, play area, hospital and a vast array of services like physiotherapy, ultrasound, X-ray, a surgical suite and more, plus a lot of furbabies to welcome you with wags and sloppy licks on your nose.
Fashion designer Abhishek Dutta struck a pose for the t2 camera with his son and dogs Alexa and Bella in the play area. “Alexa was photographed by t2 when she was just one-and-a-half months old. I am an animal lover. Calcutta needs a lot of dog centres and clinics that are missing from the city. It is a good initiative and it’s very close to my home. Every pet clinic or pet lover should do something for the strays. During the pandemic, I stepped out every day to feed the strays of my neighbourhood and it’s an essential step towards the society. I have adopted both my pets and not bought and ‘adopt don’t shop’ is something that people should follow,” he said.
From medicines to a variety of pet merchandise, the store is stacked with everything that caters to the needs of your furry buddies. High-quality pet treats, a unique collection of dog bowls, shoes for their little paws, paw cleaner, pooper scoopers for the pet mama (cause you have to keep your neighbourhood/lawns/terrace tidy), clothes designed by Ekta herself, tiny backpacks so that they can independently carry their treats, bowl and water on their dog’s day out! A dog mom to two indies and a German shepherd — Cherry, Simba and Momo, who stole the show at the inauguration of the space — Ekta told us about the importance of making clothes that are trendy plus comfy for your pooches. Made with comfy fabrics like cotton the collection of clothes for your pooches at The Paw Story was simply mesmerising.
The idea of opening a pet boarding along with a clinic with all the services that your furry babies need, plus medicines, merchandise and grooming services, germinated when Ekta fed street dogs who were suffering due to their usual sources of food being cut down and they started gathering on the same spot every day, waiting for her. It did melt her heart and make her realise how important it is to have subsidised treatments for strays on the streets. There are lots of cases of them suffering quite badly with not too many medical options available. The Paw Story is a luxurious space with an altruistic thought of helping the strays while being a pamper den for pets. Ekta hopes to provide pet ambulances soon.
"I loved the place and all the pet supplies. Fendi was also extremely excited when she entered," said pet mom Aashna Sharma, posing with her Shih Tzu.
The Paw Story was inaugurated in style. The space beautifully decorated with pink balloons welcomed guests and their four-legged friends with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by actors Neel Bhattacharya and Trina Saha.
“I was born with big big dogs around me so I’ve been pretty much in love with them since forever. I feel pet hospitals and clinics are as important as hospitals for human beings. We have two dogs and I think they give unconditional love to us. Whether it is 1am or we haven’t given them time or attention, they’ll be up for us and come running to us and sleep by our side. Kudos to Ekta! I think we all should support her, be with her and make sure there are at least more than four Paw Story in Calcutta,” said Trina. “My mother is an ardent pet lover and I got a lot of cats when I was in school. The thing about pets is they really cannot speak or express if they’re undergoing some internal issue. So, getting them the correct treatment at the right time from the right place is extremely essential. I think Ekta has done a fabulous job. I think the space is fab and many pet parents can come here,” said Neel. The couple are pet parents to two dogs, Roxy and Cheeni, who, according to Neel, love Trina more.