IIPTF PET FESTIVAL PUNE Vol 12 Issue No 10 October 2019 | Page 30

Pawssion For Pets - Industry Careers
I STARTED
FUR BALL STORY
TO SPREAD PAW-SITIVITY AND UNCONDITIONAL
LOVE IN THE WORLD
By Animesh Katiyar*
I
t all started when a college decided to get puppies to the campus.
While the students were busy giving belly rubs and getting sloppy
kisses, one of them sat down to observe the drastic change in the
atmosphere and decided to spread this unconditional love in the
world. That student was me - I noticed that when I got to foster these
pups, I felt a lot calmer and my blood sugar levels also stabilised. This
experience was followed by extensive research in the fi eld via which I
came across articles and research studies of Harvard Medical College
and Virginia Commonwealth University, which had conclusive proof
of the stress reducing benefi ts of companion animals. That is how Fur
Ball Story was born. We started our operations at Pet Fed 2016 in New
Delhi and since then there has been no looking back.
Imagine this, you were at your offi ce and were yelled at by your boss
because you couldn’t adhere to the deadlines. You cannot share this
with your husband because he is already suffering from stress at work.
At this juncture, the HR of your company organises a session wherein
dogs are brought to your offi ce for the employees to spend some time
with. The moment you enter that room, 3 big balls of fur come running
to you with wagging tails. While you spend some time with them, you
are in awe of those adorable eyes that look at you in a non-judgmental
manner and those sloppy kisses that are wiping your blues away. That
pretty much sums up the experience of our clients.
It is true that this world is a diffi cult place to be in. But when we have
some adorable balls of fur willing to spread love around, the opportunity
must be grabbed with open arms. The concept of Pet Therapy is a
scientifi cally proven one. Harvard Medical School conducted a research
titled ‘Get Healthy, Get a Dog’ wherein they have held that by spending
time with a dog, there is a considerable decrease in the stress hormone
Cortisol and blood pressure, and an increase in neurotransmitters
Serotonin and Dopamine. This makes us feel lighter and happier and
increases our levels of productivity.
We currently have eight dogs in our Furry Army, out of which 4 are
adopted, - Angel (Golden Retriever), Muffi n (Labrador), Cocoa (Shih Tzu),
Alice (Shih Tzu), Coco (Shih Tzu), Bailey (Golden Retriever), and Luka
(German Shepherd). Three of our dogs are in Mumbai, posted at the
Mumbai International Airport, and rest of them stay in Gurgaon.
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Creature Companion | October 2019 • Vol. XII • Issue 10 • Noida