keeping a pet is no easy business. Especially keeping one (or more) in an apartment. Add to that the gruelling schedules of modern life mean that the job of looking after one which is home is often outsourced. Whether to a house help, or, in this modern urbane set up, to dogwalkers.
The first time I heard of this profession was when we moved here (aeons ago), and marvelled that something like this even exists as a viable profession. Then I realized how crucially need-based it was. The walkers sometimes become as important as (or even more than) the house helps, as they take care of that one member of the family who completely depends on us for everything!
And so, this love for pets spawned a flourishing and viable (and lucrative) market for those who could help them ‘walk’. Many walkers came, and many went; some forgotten without a trace, while some others who have persisted.
And much like every pooch they walk; they each have a personality of their own. Take, for example, Raju, the fellow who we have seen walking dogs with as much determination as he watches movies on his mobile. The best part (or worst): he combines both things together. Hurts my neck already!
Another unforgettable character, Rinku, the guy who does everything from walking dogs to delivering food, to cleaning bathrooms, to you-name-it! A short, scrawny fella with a smile that till at least last month reeked of a myriad of gutkhas and zarda, apparently on a mission to paint AOH to look like Kanpur. Bonus: He has a penchant for playing Houdini every now and then too!
A third, Jasvinder, whom you should not take a chance of getting into a conversation with (about anything), for it would be very difficult to get out of 😀 Others like Sanjay and Gopal are the veteran, serious business walkers, with no such identifiable USPs…
For what it is worth though, all of them share a love for our wonderful pet companions which is perhaps second to none and is something we are truly grateful for!
by Sunaina Chaturvedi (11121, 9811926287)
