Safegaurding Your Pets Against Air Pollution Vol XII , Issue No 12 , Dec 2019 | Page 33

faith in our methods and are able to fi nd
success in their new journey.
While being an animal-lover was always
part of my DNA, I did dabble in other
career options before fi nally fi nding my
true calling with Petsburgh. I graduated
in Arts and did a course in Fashion
Designing alongside my graduation.
I then got myself a job as a fashion
designer with an export house in Delhi.
After working for almost 2 years, I still
felt like I needed to be somewhere else.
My next stop was travelling to London to
study Advertising and Typography. On
my return I worked with an advertising
agency in Delhi, as a copywriter. I then
moved to Mumbai and worked with
MTV as a copywriter for a few months
before trying my hand at modelling and
acting. While I enjoyed all of my career
jumps, there was always something
missing, something that would hold my
attention long enough for me to call it
my career. Even being in the glamour
fi eld did not give me the job satisfaction
I was looking for, though it did pave the
way and my bank account for my true
calling in the Pet Industry.
In 2008 I decided to go for yet another
training course to Australia, but this
time it was something that truly made
me happy. I trained in the art of Pet
Grooming and came back to Mumbai to
start the very fi rst Mobile Pet Grooming
van in the city. Our competitors could
not match the quality of service and
convenience that we offered at the time.
We had a few unfortunate attempts
from unknown miscreants at shutting
down our service via malicious means
and bad mouthing, but we came out
triumphant albeit a little disturbed. We
did not let negativity bring us down and
kept doing what we had set out to do.
We are truly thankful to our supporters
who helped us through our turbulent
times. Looking back at my career graph,
I do not have any regrets, because
everything that I ever studied or trained
for and every experience that I have
been through has helped me shape my
business in the way it is today. Each
experience has helped me at different
junctions of my brand development.
Today, Petsburgh is a brand that pet
lovers can trust. We now provide
world-class Pet Grooming, Daycare and
Boarding services together with our
pet shop in Andheri West, Mumbai. We
also run an Internationally Certifi ed
Grooming School to teach prospective
pet groomers the correct way to handle
and groom pets.
I have visited many other educational
institutions around the world to
upgrade my skills as an International
Certifi ed Grooming Instructor and Show
Groomer. I truly believe in education
and learning. There is always room for
improvement regardless of the years
of experience or the number of degrees
one may collect in their lifetime.
While my journey has been beautiful,
there have been a fair amount of ups and
downs. Finding and training staff that
believes in the same ideology, retaining
the right staff, dealing with government
offi cials for permissions in a fi eld that is
completely alien to them, and retaining
the quality of service that has been
promised while handling other day to
day issues; are some of the more obvious
problems faced while trying to establish
a name in the pet industry.
The other side of the battle faced by
many people in our industry is dealing
with family and friends that do not
accept pet grooming or any other pet
related service as a viable career option.
Crude comments and lack of support
can be detrimental in surviving this
career choice. Hence, proving yourself to
the world around you seems to be even
more important. But all of this is set to
change, as people are more aware of the
importance of pets and their care. The
world today is full of stress and drama,
and your best friend, more often than
not, is your pet! That is one of the top
reasons to take care of these selfl ess
companions, and what better way to do
that than take them to a trained, qualifi ed
professional for their day to day needs.
I have been blessed to be able to
withstand all the hurdles that were
thrown in my path. It has made me
stronger and more resilient to new
challenges, and motivated me to keep
moving forward. My latest endeavour
is the formation of the Professional Pet
Groomer’s Association, India (PPGAI)
to help groomers around the country.
I have teamed up with experienced
groomers around the nation to form
an association that offers support,
education and certifi cation for groomers
who are interested in making a career
in the fi eld, and for seasoned groomers
who are interested in taking their skills
to the next level. The association has
been set up to encourage accountability
amongst professionals who have been
given the task of caring for pets in a
diligent, profi cient and humane manner.
My dream for this lifetime is to make
a signifi cant difference in the Pet
grooming industry in India through
education and support. I believe that
compassion for the animals in our care
needs to take Centre Stage and that is
only possible when there are informed
professionals working towards a single
goal. I feel like our industry is on the
brink of bigger things. India needs to
be among other countries on the world
pet care and grooming stage. We have
the potential; all we need is the right
channels to express our talent.
* Andrea Cyrill Khurana is the Proprietor of Petsburgh.
She is a Professional, Certifi ed Pet Stylist & Grooming
Instructor; and a Certifi ed Show Groomer.
December 2019 • Vol. XII • Issue 12 • Noida
33
| Creature Companion