As we struggle to find our way to the Nandham Industrial Estate, located on the Marol-Maroshi Road, we weren’t sure what the new pet boarding facility called Pawfect would be like. The estate is comparatively quiet unlike the congested road outside. Towards the end of the large complex, a small door sprayed with graffiti grabs the eye. As we enter, it is love at first sight. The eye-to-eye contact between a large, furry, eight-year-old St Bernard and us lasts a few seconds before he decides to attempt the regal walk towards us. We resist a strong urge to give him a squishy hug. “That’s Rooney, he comes here for day care,” says a smiling Manoj Yadav, who is one of the four attendants who take care of the dogs. Managing to take our eyes off the calm and composed Rooney, we looked around. The bright walls of the 1,400 sq feet space are painted in yellow and pink with illustrations all over them. There are toys of all kinds for both cats and dogs and a small slide sat in the centre of the room.

Nikarika Sekhri with Rooney (right) and Zooey (left); the spacious play area at Pawfect. Pics/ Sayyed Sameer Abedi