Dog lovers in the city are in for a treat! Localites can’t wait to have a ‘paw’some time with their furry friends at Bengaluru’s first dog café – TherPUP. The café, which was started keeping in mind dog lovers who don’t have pets of their own, hopes to provide an avenue of relaxation while playing with the in-house fur balls and snacking at the same time!
A dog lover himself, Ankur Jain spills on how the idea of opening the café struck him. “While most kids grew up watching cartoons, I watched Natgeo and Discovery. I am a big time animal lover and have had dogs growing up. But the problem that I faced when I began living alone in the city was that of space and time constraint because of work and travel. A number of apartments and societies also don’t allow residents to keep pets. That’s when it hit me that other dog lovers must also be feeling the same way and missing the companionship of these animals. And then I began to wonder how I could solve this,” says the software engineer. “The name is short for Therapy Puppies. It has been scientifically proven that being around dogs have a positive effect on health, and hence the name,” spills the 25-year-old, about TherPUP, which is all set to open on August 1.
The café, which even has its own food menu for dogs, is also very high on maintenance. “The dogs aren’t allowed into the kitchen and other specific areas. There are also hand-sanitizers on each table and if the dogs do mess up, it is cleaned immediately. As we are set up in a huge outdoor space mishaps will happen, but they won’t make the place uncomfortable to be in,” clarifies the founder. And what if people want to bring along their own furry buddies while sipping on coffee? “People can bring their own dogs with them too! But before entering, we usually have a screening process to make sure the dogs don’t fight.
The one’s that aren’t used to being around other dogs need to be on a leash with their owners while the more sober ones can be set free and mingle with the puppies,” adds Ankur who also plans on eventually putting the pups up for adoption! “The three Golden Retrievers, a Labrador and an Indie will be up for adoption after a while. We are still figuring that out. There will be a number of background verifications too,” says a stoked Ankur in conclusion. So Bengaluru, get set to cuddle with these little fur balls that will rid you of all your stress and worries!
