Relocation services are availed for domestic pets by new genre pet parents who are resolutely reluctant to abandon their pets when they relocate to other cities or countries – Sruthy Susan Ullas
The rising purchasing power and sensitivity to nature and animals of the growing number of pet parents who pamper their four-legged companions with the very best products and services, has opened up business opportunities for pet relocation specialists, a uniquely 21st century career option for animal lovers and aficionados.
Relocation services are availed for dogs, cats, fish and birds by new genre pet parents who are resolutely reluctant to abandon their pets when they relocate to other cities or countries. These animal management specialists make the arrangements — kennelling requirements, pet import/export paperwork, flight bookings, veterinary documentation, quarantine regulations, airline/shipping and doorstep delivery — for pets to travel with pet parents or get transported as cargo. In premium cases, pet relocation professionals travel with pets to provide doorstep delivery.
Inevitably, pet relocation professionals prosper in developed OECD countries. According to the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA), a global network of relocation specialists, over 2 million pet animals are airlifted annually in the US, and 4 million worldwide. In 2017, the US-based United Airlines transported 138,000 pets within the US and abroad.
Somewhat belatedly, this career path is opening up for Indian youth with the country’s domesticated pets population having risen from 7 million in 2007 to 10 million in 2011, with an estimated average of 600,000 pets being domesticated annually, according to India International Pet Trade Fair data.
Study programmes/skills
A high emotional intelligence quotient and love of animals, attention to detail, good communication/networking and customer management skills are vital attributes for a successful career in the pet relocation business. While formal degrees aren’t necessary, certification in animal/canine behaviour and management from a reputed institute is certain to prove useful for aspiring relocationists. IPATA conducts pet shipping workshops for members on request and also provides training material online.
Among the reputed institutes offering study programmes in animal behaviour and management are: Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, the National Institute of Advanced Studies and National Centre for Biological Sciences — both in Bangalore — as also Alagappa and Chhattisgarh universities.
Pay and progression
For the small minority of pet whisperers/relocation experts, career prospects in India and abroad are excellent. In India, relocation professionals charge Rs.10,000-35,000 plus expenses per delivery of animals to domestic and foreign destinations, with no shortage of assignments for experienced professionals.
Professional profile
“Unlike professional courier service providers for whom pets are just another box for delivery, we are genuine, compassionate lovers who understand the stress and anxiety of different types of lovable pets when they are uprooted from familiar environments,” says Anand Vishwanath, founder-director of Anvis Inc. (estb.2010) and Anvis Pet Relocation Services, companies which have transferred over 1,200 domesticated pets to 108 countries.
A telecom engineering graduate of Bangalore University with a diploma in canine behaviour and management from the Northern Centre of Canine Behaviour, UK, Vishwanath served as an IT professional in several multinationals including Dell, Convergence and ConnectM for 12 years, before deciding to make a career out of his love for animals by providing kennel boarding services for pet owners going on vacation. Subsequently, as he became aware of the cumbersome and complex procedures and processes for relocating household pets, he realised its business potential.
“A long, lonely journey by air in a confined crate with deafening surround noise, followed by a quarantine period is very stressful for domesticated pets,” says Vishwanath, who developed love and empathy for animals on his grandfather’s farm near Trichy where he routinely spent his school and college holidays. This highly experienced pet whisperer’s most challenging assignment was transportation and delivery of a 45-kg German shepherd pet dog of a Shell Inc executive from Goa to interior Gabon (central Africa).
Looking back on his decision to quit a promising career in the IT industry nine years ago, Vishwanath has no regrets. “This line of business has enabled me to combine my passion with my interest in travelling in India and abroad. Moreover, witnessing reunions between owners and their beloved pets provides huge emotional satisfaction,” he says.
