Safegaurding Your Pets Against Air Pollution Vol XII , Issue No 12 , Dec 2019 | Page 32

Pawssion For Pets - Industry Careers
My dream for this lifetime is
to make a signifi cant diȁ erence in the
Pet Grooming Industry in India
THROUGH EDUCATION AND SUPPORT
By Andrea Cyrill Khurana*
RUNNING A BUSINESS IS LIKE
TAKING CARE OF A BABY; THERE
IS IMMENSE LOVE, HEARTACHE
AND LOTS OF LEARNING
THROUGHOUT YOUR JOURNEY!
A
s with most businesses related
to pets, my journey in the pet
industry started because of a
void that had to be fi lled with regards
to my own pet. During the monsoon
season in 2007 my slightly overweight
Golden Retriever, Blip required a
raincoat to make it through the Mumbai
rains. I searched in every shop around
my house but did not fi nd any that fi t
him right. I eventually decided to make
a custom raincoat that fi t him perfectly,
and that is how the idea of Petsburgh
was born! The name was inspired from
the word ‘Pets’ for all domesticated
animals and ‘burgh’ meaning town or
community. The idea was to have a
community for pet owners where all
their pet related needs would be fulfi lled.
Petsburgh was formally launched in
February 2008 amidst much fanfare at
the Extravaganza event at Grand Hyatt
hotel. I teamed up with a NIFT graduate
to organise a pet fashion show. The
show went off well and Petsburgh had
fi nally set foot in the Indian pet industry.
The company started off with a website
providing all kinds of products and
services for pets - from food, toys, treats
and clothing to fi nding puppies, mates,
boarding kennels and trainers among
32
many other services offered. The idea
was to be a one-stop-shop for everything
pet related. But along the line, we had to
shed some of our excess baggage and
concentrate on something that would
set us apart in the pet industry. That USP
would be professional pet grooming.
When Petsburgh pet grooming fi rst
started to make a mark, there were very
few pet grooming salons in our city. We
found a gap in the market that needed
to be fi lled and jumped right into it.
Today, Petsburgh is widely known
as one of the premier pet grooming
salons in the city. Our focus is not
just on beautiful looking pets but
humane handling techniques and a
deep understanding of the needs of
our clients and their pets. This was
our motivation behind starting the
internationally recognised, Petsburgh
Pet Grooming School as well. Petsburgh
has taken on the responsibility to train
Creature Companion | December 2019 • Vol. XII • Issue 12 • Noida
and encourage groomers to operate in
a professional and responsible manner
while creating beautiful grooms.
Our grooming course focuses on
theoretical and practical training
needed for prospective groomers
to successfully function in the pet
grooming community. We have trained
and guided a number of successful pet
grooming business owners over the
past few years and have seen a growth
in young and experienced candidates
who are interested in this career option.
The most heartening trend that we have
observed recently is pet lovers who
have successful careers in other fi elds,
taking that leap of faith and starting
a brand new career in pet grooming.
Some of these pet entrepreneurs come
from successful backgrounds in law,
architecture, marketing, advertising etc.
We are honoured that our students have