FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Travel

This Woman Gets Paid to Travel Abroad With Pets

Getting embroiled in a dognapping is just one professional hazard.
"Pawrent" Devyani Jadhav is living her best life. Image: Devyani Jadhav

When Devyani Jadhav, 34, thought of starting something of her own in 2010, she knew it had to be related to pets. “You train animals for a few months, and you have companions for lifetime,” the IIMC Delhi alum told me recently. “They don’t change like humans.”

After mulling over plans to start a pet-friendly hotel, Jadhav established Pawsome, a pet relocation firm based in Hyderabad, which “strives to service pets and make their ‘PAWrents’ life easier”, according to its website. Jadhav’s company has relocated pets to 35 countries, often travelling with them and treating them like kings. “We often joke among ourselves that we are living a dog’s life and these dogs are, in fact, living the life that we aspire for.”

Advertisement

For Jadhav, it was the chance to pursue her passions— travelling and taking care of pets—and get paid. “I have travelled with the pets to Amsterdam, United States, Paris, Brussels and to Canada. I won’t give up this job for anything in the world,” she said.

Jadhav says the CEO of Pawsome is Rex, a dog she has lived and travelled with for 11 years. She and her husband Neeraj Baghel believe Rex is a mind-reader. “Another superstition is, we massage Rex when we want a wish fulfilled. If something is not working, we sleep with him [in our bed] and it sorts itself out.” She told us more in an interview:

VICE: Where did this idea to start a pet travelling firm come from?
Devyani Jadhav: Ever since I have had him, I have taken Rex everywhere, making jugaads with hotels and airlines, promising them payments for any potential damages. I often posted these photographs on Facebook. Someone requested me to help him relocate his dog “Gutthi” from Delhi to Hyderabad for around Rs. 3,000. I took the offer. He wrote a beautiful testimonial for us, and more requests began.

For Jadhav, Pawsome was the chance to travel and take care of pet. Images: Devyani Jadhav

I am now the “Chief Pawrent” at Pawsome. We have people working for us in Bombay, Chennai, Delhi and Bangalore, who we call “Territory Managers” or “Canine Officers”.

What’s the strangest relocation request that you have received?
Though we only deal with dogs, cats and horses, at times people have requested us to transport crabs, rabbits and turtles. We will be transporting zebras for a private zoo later this year.

Advertisement

For a pet relocation request from Chennai to Chandigarh, a client kept insisting on a trained handler. Thinking that request was for a dog, I told him our entire staff is educated in pet behaviour and adept at handling them. He replied that the animal might bite fingers or even attack eyes—“It’s a fighting cock, not a dog.” We refused, as we don’t have a permit to transfer cocks.

What are some of weapons in the arsenal of a Territory Manager or a Canine Officer?
We carry things like wiper sheets, diapers, gloves, old clothes, blankets, chewable toys, and air fresheners. We ask the owners to give familiar objects like food bowls. We confirm from a vet whether or not the pet is fit to travel, and if it is friendly or unfriendly. If it is ferocious, we make arrangements accordingly.

Dogs don’t have trust issues with me, as they already know I have been near a dog because of their strong sense of smell. They like travelling, as it’s a chance for them to explore and mark their territory. Cats are the more reluctant travellers and prefer not being cuddled. They don’t like to go out of their area, and would often throw tantrums.

Jadhav carry things like wiper sheets, diapers, gloves, blankets, chewable toys. Image: Facebook

Have you been in the middle of a dispute over the custody of a pet?
We once had to transport a dog from Hyderabad to a client in Australia. When I reached the home, the driver pointed to the wife of the client and told me, “I’ll distract the madam. You just have to whisk the dog away into the car.” That was when I realized I was in the middle of a dognapping. I refused, obviously. The wife (later separated) told the husband she would give him the dog if he let her have their apartment and car, which he agreed to. The dispute is still not settled. A girl once asked us to help take her dog on a vacation. The next day, I received a furious call from a boy threatening to sue us. The couple had recently broken up, and the the girl took the dog away without his consent. He accused us of helping her “escape with the dog”. We now ask people to give some proof that the pet is theirs. It’s not enough that a dog loves you.

Advertisement

What kind of people have the money to spend lakhs to relocate a pet to a foreign country?
It’s mostly people who are going abroad for jobs. Some countries have regulations to get pets tested from their approved labs, which can take upto 180 days. People obviously can’t tell their future employers: “I can’t join because I am waiting for my dog.” We often end up becoming friends with our clients and even living at their homes abroad.

We work closely with airlines and keep track of the changing rules. In total, we have transported more than 200 pets abroad. We have 91 reviews on Facebook, all of them five stars.

Jadhav says CEO of Pawsome is Rex, a dog she has lived with for 11 years. Image: Facebook

What are the worst clients that you have had?
Somebody from the office of the Indian ambassador to Bogota sought our service to relocate three dogs belonging to the ambassador himself. We relocated the dogs, but still haven’t received the payment. There have been other clients too who have not paid us.

You practically own the dog for days. Do you get attached to the pets?
Well I once took a three-day train journey with an 17-year-old dog from Pune to Shillong. It was blind and deaf, and it was too risky to send it by air. The dog wanted to move around and in the process bumped its head at the cabin walls. I was worried that it would get concussion. So, I made a helmet out of diapers. After a three day journey, we took a beautiful drive to Shillong. I recently got a call from its mother that it had died. She was grateful that it died at the place where it was born. Do dogs get jet lag?
Yes, they do. They sleep for days after their flights.

Advertisement

Image: Devyani Jadhav

Have any pets died during relocation?
In one sad incident, we were relocating a dog from From Hyderabad to Chandigarh via Mumbai. The pet was super anxious and did fine till Bombay. Once our staff hands it over to the airline staff, they can’t interfere. When the pet reached Chandigarh, it was unfortunately not alive. It became such a big thing that Jet Airways did an internal enquiry and stopped transporting pets after that. We have also stopped flying pets domestically during hot temperatures. I now let my clients sign an indemnity bond.

Which city has the most pet-lovers, in your experience?
Most of our transfer requests come from Bangalore. Recently, we got a lot of request relocation requests to Canada. Earlier it was Amsterdam, and before that Germany.

I think everyone loves their dogs. We have had clients transporting disabled dogs, picked up from the street, paying Rs. 7 lakhs to transfer them to Canada. I think once you have had a pet, you can’t ever live without a pet.

Follow Zeyad Masroor Khan on Twitter.