Chilling? Take your pet along with you

Does it upset you to think of leaving behind your four-legged best friend at home when you go out for an adda session with your human friends? Do you want to feel the furry warmth of your pet’s unconditional love while hanging out with friends at a cafe? Well then, you’re in luck. The city now has opened its doors to the first pet-friendly café, aptly named The Love Room.It’s an initiative by two young and ardent pet-lovers — Shruti Singh and Ankush Battoo. Together, they are parents to nine adorable dogs, who are regulars at the cafe. Then again, even if you don’t have a pet, but go weak-kneed at the sight of pups, you’re welcome at this joint to spend a playful time with Shruti and Ankush’s nine pooches.
CT visited this one week-old cafe on Sunday and caught up with the owners, while soaking in some healthy pet therapy.
Chill pill with your furry friend
As soon as we entered the café, the sight of the resident dogs roaming around freely along with customers’ pets in a separate fenced area made us fall in love with the place instantly. The cacophony of barking dogs and the camaraderie between the owners only spelled ‘paw’sitivity and love for animals.
Shruti, the co-founder, said, “Kolkata is a very animal-loving city, and Ankush and I are equally passionate about pets. The fact that till now, our city did not have any pet-friendly cafes as compared to other metros, bothered me. I never had the scope to take my dog along to a restaurant or hangout. I knew the terrible feeling of missing your pet while you’re having fun with friends. I’m sure it’s the same for all pet-owners. So, I wanted to come up with a pet-friendly café. We started planning a year ago and we are delighted to have finally accomplished the dream.” There are also plans to adopt street dogs and taking care of them at the café, Shruti told us.
TLC in the right proportion
It would not be too pet-friendly if you gorge on yummy snacks and mocktails and your furry friend just stares at you with puppy eyes, right? Come on, you’re on a date with your pet and the experience should be equally enjoyable for both. And that’s exactly the principle that this cafe follows. It offers a special menu just for the pets, besides a menu for the customers. They have a variety of dog food for both adults and puppies. On the other hand, they also ensure proper safety for the pets. If one wishes to even cuddle the dogs or click pictures with them, there are strict rules before entering the play area. “To protect the dogs from any infection, one has to wash his/her hands with a sanitizer and remove their shoes before entering the fenced area. The customers’ dogs can freely roam around if they have the leash on. We request our customers to turn off their camera flashes while clicking pictures with the pets, since its harmful for their eyes,” said Ankush, the co-founder. He added that the dogs do not like it if anyone picks them up, so it’s advisable to cuddle or scratch them, or hip-grab them at the most.
An overwhelming response
Evenings are surely getting better for the pet owners and pet lovers as they are turning up in hordes at the café. Srishti, a youngster who was at the café with her pet on Sunday, said, “I was waiting for such a pet-friendly café since long, as there’s hardly any public place, apart from parks, where we can take them. Moreover, the place also has a special menu for dogs, which is really great. I think, I will be a regular at this place.”
And then there are those who do not have a pet at home, but are visiting the place so that they get to be around the pets, cuddle them
and also dig into the delectable spread on offer.