Pet creche, pet cafe, pet pool — a new destination in EE Block addresses three services the township lacked for furry folk. The newly-opened Pet Dreamland does neither sells pet accessories nor does it have a vet on call. But its almost-unique services have made it a dream destination for pet families.
Make a splash
The terrace of this three-storey building has been converted into a pool and cafe. Your dog can dive into the water in the 18ft long, 10ft wide, and 3ft feet deep pool. On the opening day, there were at least five dogs chilling in the pool at a time, along with their guardians, but on regular days the management would prefer for dogs to get me-time in the water.
“This is to prevent a confrontation between aggressive dogs. So it’s best if pet parents book a slot before coming,” said one of the directors Prince Jaiswal.
The edges of the pool have raised see-through walls to prevent the dogs from jumping out and the water itself is chemical-free. “We are using RO (reverse osmosis) water as we didn’t want the pets to come in contact with chlorine or other chemicals. Every alternate day fresh water is added and some old water removed,” added another partner Subhansh Shaw.
The pool is made of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP), that makes it way lighter than concrete and does not add much load to the building.
Another delight to watch is how the pets are dried after the swim using a blow dryer. The dogs at the opening were initially taken aback but then started enjoying the wind in their hair.
While this isn’t the first pet pool in Salt Lake (FD Block’s Nawab Dastan opened its pool in 2016), this one is way bigger. “Not only is swimming fun but it’s good exercise. It’s a win-win if the infrastructure is good,” said Prince.
The guests on Day One were overjoyed. “My Lhasa Apso Oscar likes the water but the last time he took a dip was four years ago. With a pool so close to home, we can bring him often,” said Piyush Soni of AE Block.
The rates for the pool are Rs 1,000 for the pool, play area, and blow drying. And an extra Rs 700 for every person who wishes to enter the join the dog in the water. The sessions would last about 20 minutes. The management may consider customizing the rates for frequent swimmers.
And if you’re worried about the winter, they have a geyser to set the water to a comfortable 30 degrees.
Bite time
Whether you have a dog or not you can visit the pet café and play with the other dogs who come visiting. The café, next to the pool, is open-air but quite pleasant in December. For the summer months, they have pedestal fans. The terrace overlooks the Metro viaduct and every now and then you get to see a train whiz by.
The café serves food for you and your dog. While you can take your pick from Indian, continental, and Chinese fare, there’s ample choice for your dog too. They can have boiled chicken and pumpkin puree, topped with coconut oil (Rs 184), or egg and diced chicken, beaten with butter (Rs 210). There are options available in fish too.
Vegetarian dishes include baked sweet potato topped with garlic and either salmon or coconut oil. Curd is available for fussy eaters.
Among beverages, your doggie can lick frozen yogurt popsicles or ice cream. He can sip on banana yogurt smoothie and snack on fruit oat pupcake, peanut butter and coconut cookies. Poochie Colada is a coconut water-based drink for them (Rs 158).
The 28-seater café can host parties of up to 60 people and has been doing so almost every weekend. And even if your dog isn’t swimming he’s free to play with the ropes and other toys in the play area.
As of now the only pets the café is catering to are dogs but may make provision for cats later on.
Creche calling
On the second floor of this building is a pet creche that can house as many as 25 dogs.
“I realised the dearth of good crèches in our city when I failed to find one for my own Begale Lucifer,” said Prince, who lives in Sector V.
And so they have laid out clean, well-lit, air-conditioned rooms and spacious cages. If friendly, the boarders will be allowed to play together, will be taken for walks twice a day, and swim if the parent wants. “The rooms are under CCTV surveillance that pet owners will be able to access round the clock,” said Subhansh.
Thus far, NKDA had a large crèche in New Town. It is also common for dog lovers to start crèches at home.
The daily rates for the crèche are Rs 600 small breeds like Chihuahua, Rs 800 for medium-sized dogs like Beagles, Rs 1,000 for large breeds like Labradors and Rs 1,200 for extra large ones like Great Danes. Rates may be customized for daycare.
Pet Dreamland has collaborated with Animel Planet, the pet store that started out from BD Block and now has 10 branches across Bengal. “The first question we face from potential pet owners is if he can be left at home while they go out,” said Tarun Gupta of Animel Planet. “It’s not right to leave them alone. They can get depression. A daycare is a much better option. People also ask about pools and we can now direct them to come here.”