Nothing breaks a pet parent’s heart more than going out to party leaving his pet home. Luckily, the twin townships are coming of age and introducing pet cafes as well as regular restaurants that are pet-friendly.
The Green House in BF Block welcomes guests with pets and also has eight resident dogs of its own for visitors to play with. “About half our guests are pet-owners and come looking for a place to chill with their pets,” says partner Anirban Deb Roy. “Besides dogs we have also hosted cats and rabbits but they stayed in cages as they were scared of the dogs around.”
Throttle Shrottle The Moto Cafe, near Eco Park, has air-conditioned as well as open space and as residents counts dogs, a Persian cat, a bunny, birds, fish, ducks, hens and even an iguana. Their guests are exotic too with someone even having come in with his pet monkey!
Pet-friendly by chance
While the above restaurants were designed to host pets, others have gone with the flow.
“In the early days of our dhaba, a family simply walked in with their Labrador,” says Zaki, manager of Firangi Dhaba near Shukhobrishti. “Initially we were taken aback but then we realised the pet was their family member. As more people started coming with pets we decided to allow them all.” Pets are now free to sit in the open air as well as closed spaces of the dhaba. “Only, we ensure they are socialised and toilet-trained before letting them in.”
Similar was the experience at The Melbourne Cafe near City Centre. “People started asking if they could sit with their dogs in our open-air space and we could see no harm in it,” says manager Laltu Shil. “Our staff loves dogs too and we look after some street dogs as well. They don’t mind cleaning up after the dog in case they poop and if any guests are scared of the dogs, we stand guard so the guests can walk in without a confrontation. We want everyone to have a good time.”
At The Green House: a dog and a girl wait for their meals. (Right) Two girls pet a Golden Retriever
Food for all
Some restaurants have menus for pets. The Green House has chicken meals, dog omelette (cooked with water instead of oil) and dog cakes.
Canister Resto, next to Shukhobrishti, offers chicken stew with rotis or rice. “We have some 20 to 22 regular guests who come with their dogs so even though we aren’t a full-fledged pet cafe, we keep food for them,” says owner Subhalakshmi Basu Mullick. “We get guests from as far off as Bhowanipore, which goes to show the dearth of pet-friendly restaurants in town.”
Besides the usual suspects, Throttle Shrottle has vegetarian delicacies for pets to choose from including fruits, vegetables, paneer, soya chunks etc.
A girl pets a resident Bulldog (Right) A guest pets an iguana at New Town’s Throttle Shrottle. Brinda Sarkar
Fun time
The Green House would initially restrict pets inside a glass room within the restaurant. “But due to public demand, we now allow the pets to sit with their families,” says Anirban. This serves another important purpose. “Left to themselves, a few dogs would start fighting inside the glass room. Even though we have handlers, it’s safest for the pets to be in the care of their own families.”
Guests have bonded famously with resident dogs. “Jacky, our Pug is in huge demand for selfies. Sometimes guests call up to ask which of our three branches he is in so they can go there and play with him,” Anirban smiles. They also have a Chow Chow, Doberman, Bull Dogs and more.
At Throttle Shrottle, trainer Souhik Dey says guests even bring gifts for the resident animals. “But our policy is animals first. We won’t disturb a sleeping bird or pull away a dining cat just so someone can click a picture with them. Similarly, guests who come cannot complain about the presence of animals. Whoever comes to us knows the animals live here and that they are the ones visiting the animals’ home.”
Neighbourhood watch
An entrepreneur who wanted to open a pet cafe in Salt Lake a few years ago had to give up when he couldn’t find suitable space. “Not all residents are open to the idea of animals on their premises,” he says.
Then again, Throttle Shrottle is so popular among its rural neighbours that many of them bring their cows and goats over for treatment, believing they will get help. “We have started maintaining a large stock of veterinary medicines and do what we can,” says Souhik. “Some people even come and leave puppies and kittens at our doorstep knowing we shall take care of them and sometimes our guests adopt these as pets.”
At Green House a guest once brought his Siberian Husky and never took her back. “We adopted Whisky and today she’s one of our most popular dogs,” says Anirban. “Scotch, a Bulldog, was given up to them by a guest too.”
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