Rakshabandhan 2023: Pampered pooches of Delhi woof over rakhi!
Delhiites are going all out to make Rakshabandhan super-special for their furry siblings by ordering customised rakhis.
How are you showing your love to your pooch this Rakshabandhan? “My two-year-old Shih Tzu is the only sibling I have, and making him feel special is all that matters to me,” says Shakti Nagar-based fashion designer Shraddha Pawar, who is the parent of Ro. Like Pawar, many pet parents in NCR are going all out to shop for their doggos to celebrate Rakshabandhan in pawsome style!
“I used to make a big bow-like rakhi using shiny and synthetic cloths with gotta, for my three-year-old golden retriever Ally,” says Janakpuri-based software engineer Rakhi Kulkarni, adding, “I always want to make our doggo a part of all our festivalas. But then I realised that the rakhi I made used to agitate him a lot, so then I started searching for customised rakhis. I’m now happy to find a lot of options available on thrift stores that are crafted using dog-friendly materials like woollen knits and cloth bows that cannot harm him even when he is left unattended.”
While Kulkarni ordered a customised rakhi for Ally, two weeks prior to the festival, Pawar shares, “I always used to buy the usual rakhis for my pet, but this year the customised paw-shaped rakhi is surely going to make me and Ro feel happy during the ritual!”
“Earlier if there were 10 or 20 orders per week, this year I’ve received 100 orders every week for customised rakhis ahead of the festival,” informs Rashim Arora from Paws and Pups, adding, “I started my business inspired from my own practice of tying a rakhi on my dog’s hand, which made me think that probably there’d be many like me who’d want to do so. This is why I rolled out a small business in 2020, but this year I’ve noticed a considerable rise in demand.”
Almost 18 NCR-based thrift stores, which offer puppy essentials, confirmed that this trend is on the rise ahead of Rakshabandhan and hence more and more stores are offering rakhi designs to include the pawsome choices of the four-legged siblings! “Calling for dog cakes and special dog food for the day is old school. Currently we’ve restocked dog rakhis for the third time in the month. It’s like every week, around 100 pieces are flying off the shelves in a snap of fingers,” says Kanishk Batra from Heads Up for Tails in Chhatarpur, sharing, “We have especially made dog rakhis available at our stores this year and it’s a rather heart-warming to see pet parents buy special rakhis for their dogs.”
From stylish designs to comfort-focused creations there are a lot of options to celebrate the heartwarming trend that celebrates the bond between hoomans and their four-legged babies. Taking to this trend, Pins and Needles India, which is offering dog rakhis on their thrift store, for the first time starting this year, is thrilled to showcase its quirky designs created using threads weaved in bow-shape. Simran Preet Kaur, from the store, adds, “Be it the shape of paws, bows or the customised face of the dog in a miniature version, the crocheted and brocade fabric rakhi is more liked by the friends of hoomans as it keeps the fur baby comfortable. My personal favourite has been a magenta brocade rakhi with a knitted picture of the parent with their dog, which we recently made for someone. It’s really adorable to see such pawsome love!”
Author tweets @maishascribbles