Animals rule the internet. Pet dogs are Insta famous (we’re looking at you, @JiffPom with 9 million followers). Taylor Swift’s cats, Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button, probably get VIP seats on the Eras Tour. Pet parents go all out, handfeeding, stealing cuddles, treating the furbabies as actual babies. So how come so few businesses in the real world are pet friendly?

Most restaurants, malls and ride-sharing services have a no-pets policy, even if customers are happy to pay extra for the animal. Indian airlines still dump dogs and cats into the luggage hold. Being pet-friendly makes business sense, especially in a country that has, by one estimate, 38 million pets. Pet businesses (salons, food services, toy companies) are expected to be worth ₹20,000 crores by 2025, according to a 2023 report by the Indian Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (IPICA).

Businesses around the world know that it pays to keep pet-owners happy. At the Sephora flagship store on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, dogs peek out of tote bags as women swatch lipstick and spritz on perfume. Some businesses even shut down their stores so that reactive dogs can shop in peace with their humans.

In India, most pet animals are seen primarily as a nuisance. It’s largely because pet ownership is itself new. Most families are first-generation pet owners. Many see an animal as an accessory, rather than a being that is part of the family. It’s why few humans bother training their dog or cat to behave in public or deal with a fellow animal.

Rahul Bajaj, founder of Out of the Blue, an all-day restaurant in Mumbai which was established in 1999, has made the place pet friendly since 2012. A special 10-table enclosure is set up for pet parents to enjoy meals with their dogs, cats, and the occasional turtle, in peace. The space has extra fans, waterproof cushions, and pet menus. The staff had to be “pet-proofed” and taught to get used to the presence of dogs, Bajaj laughingly recalls. “Animals are a part of our world. When we talk about inclusion, it needs to be about animals too,” he says.

The real reason Indian businesses don’t extend their hospitality to animals, he says, is because there’s a mindset of fear and suspicion towards four-legged companions. “It’s because people aren’t used to being with animals. That needs to change.”

In Bengaluru, Manjunath SP and Kartik Namdev, co-founders of Kling Brewery, say that the lack of pet-friendly restaurants in the city made them open one in December last year. The restaurant has five zones, one of which is reserved for pets and their people. The pet-only zone is a thriving one; docs of all sizes peacefully enjoy a meal with their humans. Patrons with pets tend to linger longer. “They can have a good time without having to rush back home to see if the animals are all right,” says Manjunath.

We need to do more to accommodate furries (and their human families) in our lives. “But it might not be a good idea for a business to go pet-friendly, unless they understand what is involved,” says Ritika Jhunjunwala, co-founder of Mumbai-based Zane’s Pet Spa. “Shops and restaurants must have pet-proofed spaces, shock-proof switchboards and stairways. If a restaurant has loud music, or is stuffy and dark, it is not good for pets.” It needs baby steps. Sometimes, even a sectioned-off area can help tell pet owners that they and their animals are welcome.

More Indian stores and establishments are now tentatively calling themselves pet-friendly. The decision hangs on a tight leash. At Mumbai’s Jio World Drive mall and Pune’s Kopa Mall, pets are welcome in the common areas. But to enter a store, they have to be leashed and inside a stroller. Looks like we’re making progress, one paw at a time.

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