Indore and Its Pets: How a City Learned to Love Differently
India now has 42 million pet animals. The fastest-growing segment of pet owners is urban millennials and Gen Z — 70% of whom are first-time pet parents. Indore is in the middle of this shift. What is changing here is not just the number of pets. It is the relationship.
A few years ago, a dog in an Indore home meant one of two things: a guard dog chained near the gate, or a Labrador in a joint family home that belonged mostly to the children. The idea of a pet as a primary relationship — someone you plan your day around, book a hostel for when you travel, and take to a specialist for cataract surgery — was rare enough to be remarkable.
It is no longer remarkable. It is the new normal for a significant and growing part of the city.
This is not a lifestyle trend. It is a generational shift in how Indore defines family, companionship, and care. And the city’s infrastructure — its clinics, boarding facilities, pet shops, communities, and specialists — is catching up faster than most people realise.
What Changed, and Why Now
Three things happened simultaneously, and together they transformed how Indore relates to pets.
The first was the nuclear family. As joint family structures gave way to smaller households — two working adults, sometimes no children — the emotional space that family used to fill became available for a different kind of relationship. Pets stepped into it. This is not a critique of either structure. It is simply an observation about where warmth goes when the household gets quieter.
The second was the pandemic. Between 2019 and 2021, India’s pet dog population rose from 26 million to nearly 28 million — an increase of roughly one-third in two years. People working from home, people living alone, people needing something to be responsible for: all of these drove pet adoption at a pace that pre-pandemic projections had not anticipated. Indore was not immune to this. Across Vijay Nagar, Scheme 54, Nipania, and New Palasia, the number of dogs on morning walks visibly increased. Veterinary clinics in these areas report sustained growth since 2020 that has not reversed.
The third was information. Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp groups gave first-time pet parents access to knowledge that previously required either expensive vets or the kind of generational pet ownership wisdom that comes from growing up around animals. People researched breeds before buying. They joined local communities before their puppy arrived. They knew about vaccination schedules, spaying benefits, and breed-specific health issues before they needed to. This produced a more demanding, more invested, and more emotionally connected generation of pet owners.
“When we got Bruno, I had already spent three months reading about Golden Retrievers. I knew his vaccination schedule before he came home. I had a vet picked out. My parents thought I was being ridiculous. Two years later, my father cries at the thought of anything happening to him.”
— Indore resident, Scheme 54
The Pets That Are Coming Home Now
Dogs still dominate — Labradors, Golden Retrievers, and Beagles remain the most common breeds in Indore’s urban areas. Indie dogs (Indian street dogs, also called INDogs) are seeing rising adoption, partly driven by animal welfare communities that have documented their lower health complications, heat tolerance, and temperament advantages in Indian climates. The husky phenomenon — beautiful dogs spectacularly ill-suited to Indore summers — appears to be stabilising as more people do breed research before buying.
But the more interesting story is what is growing beside dogs.
Cats. Cat adoption in Indore has grown steadily and is accelerating. Cats suit the apartment lifestyle that a growing number of young Indoris live — they require less space, they are independent enough for working households, and they are deeply affectionate in ways that consistently surprise first-time cat owners. The cat communities on Instagram and WhatsApp in Indore now run into hundreds of members. Veterinarians report a marked increase in cat patients over the past three years.
Birds. Budgerigars, cockatiels, lovebirds, and parrots have always had a presence in Indore homes — particularly in older residential areas and traditional families. What is changing is the depth of care: owners now research diet, mental stimulation, and environmental needs rather than simply providing a cage and seed. African Grey Parrots and Alexandrine Parakeets are appearing in households willing to invest in the training and time these intelligent birds require.
Rabbits and small animals. Increasingly popular among apartment dwellers and families with young children. Lower maintenance, genuinely affectionate when socialised properly, and increasingly available from breeders who prioritise health.
The Family Acceptance Question
This is the part that does not make it into market research but is real and important for anyone navigating it.
Bringing a pet into an Indore household — particularly one that includes older family members, a joint structure, or traditional values around animals — requires a conversation that no amount of enthusiasm fully prepares you for. The resistance is rarely about disliking animals. It is about unfamiliarity, about perceived hygiene concerns, about the assumption that “serious families” do not organise their lives around a dog.
What is changing this, consistently, is the animal itself. The grandmother who objected to the dog in 2022 is often the person who feeds it first in 2024. The father who said “absolutely not” is the one who took a half-day from work when the dog had surgery. The pattern is documented in households across Indore, and it is the most powerful driver of the cultural shift — not advertising, not social media, but the simple experience of living with an animal that responds to care with unconditional affection.
For families navigating this conversation: start with research, not persuasion. Show the practical plan — vet, food, boarding for travel, cost, time commitment. Emotional arguments rarely work with people who have not yet had the experience. Practical clarity usually does.
The Ecosystem That Has Built Around Them
India’s pet care market reached $3.6 billion in 2024 and is projected to exceed $7 billion by 2028. Indore’s share of this is reflected in the infrastructure that has appeared in the city over the past several years — from neighbourhood grooming services to Central India’s only full-service pet facility with 70 kennels and a swimming pool.
Here is what the city now offers.
Clinics and Veterinary Care
Myra Pet Clinic & Surgery Centre — Dr. Narendra Chouhan, a Mhow Veterinary College graduate, runs what is described as Central India’s only centre for pet eye surgeries, including cataract operations. Fully equipped with colour Doppler, echocardiography, digital X-ray, and a climate-controlled operation theatre. 392, Usha Nagar Extension, near Dussehra Maidan, Indore.
Care N Cure Dog Clinic & Dog Hostel — One of Vijay Nagar’s most established names. Clinic plus in-house boarding, making it a practical one-stop option. Open Sunday. 1AF Shivam Place, Scheme No. 54, Vijay Nagar, Indore — 452010.
Pet Matrix Pet Clinic & Pet Shop — Nipania-based clinic with a broad range of services including behavioural counselling, nutritional counselling, orthopaedic and dental surgeries. Shop No. 412, AA Main Road, near Saraswati Mandir, Tulsi Nagar, Nipania, Indore — 452010.
PetWell Pet Clinic and Surgery Center — Sudama Nagar. Contact: 091314 37599.
Pet’s Mate Veterinary Clinic — Manikbagh area, serving South Indore. Mid Town Plaza, Manik Bagh Road, opposite Gurunanak Niwas Building, Palsikar Colony, Indore — 452007.
Elixir Pet’s Clinic — Bhanwar Kua area. Sarwanand Nagar, Bholaram Ustad Marg, Bhanwar Kua, Indore — 452010.
Royal Vet Clinic & Surgery Center — City centre location. Bagichi, Indore — 452002.
Happy Paws Pet Clinic & Pet Shop — Vijay Nagar, Scheme 74. Near Perfect Bakery, CG 1, Scheme No. 74, Vijay Nagar, Indore — 452010.
Dr. Sandeep Nanavati Pet Clinic — Tilak Nagar. 304, Tilak Nagar, Indore — 452018, near Shwetambar Jain Mandir.
Interpet The Pet Clinic — New Palasia, serving central Indore.
Boarding, Daycare & Vacation Homes
This is the category most first-time pet parents discover they need only when they have already booked a holiday. The question — “who watches the dog when we travel?” — has driven the development of Indore’s boarding sector more than any other single factor.
Dogsvilla — The most comprehensive facility in Central India by a significant margin. 70 climate-controlled kennels, cat boarding, a 5,000 sq ft dog park, a swimming pool, professional training, grooming, fresh pet food, and 24/7 emergency support. Open 365 days. The fact that this exists in Indore is a marker of how far the city has come. RCM 1/3, Scheme 140, Pipliyahana Road, near Narayani Hospital, Indore. dogsvilla.com | +91 881 981 7773.
Care N Cure Dog Hostel — Attached to their veterinary clinic in Vijay Nagar. Practical for owners who want medical supervision nearby. Scheme No. 54, Vijay Nagar, Indore.
BB-Bagheera Dog Hostel & Breeder — Jawahar Nagar area. Manikchandra Vajpeyee Marg, Jawahar Nagar, Indore — 452012.
For pet-sitter matching (home-based care rather than kennels), PetBacker (petbacker.in) and Mr n Mrs Pet (mrnmrspet.com) both have Indore-based sitters listed — useful for owners who prefer their animal stay in a home environment rather than a facility.
Grooming
Scoopy Scrub — Bengali Square, established 2016. One of Indore’s earlier dedicated pet grooming services. G/2, 396, Rajni Villa, Ring Road, near Bengali Square, Goyal Nagar, Indore.
Bow Wow Pet Shop & Grooming — Annapurna Road. Established 2021.
My Pet Clinic & Grooming — Combines clinical and grooming under one roof. Services include medicated bath, oil massage, and physiotherapy.
Pet Shops & Supplies
Just Dogs Indore — Vijay Nagar, established 2017. Comprehensive pet supplies. Shop No. 7, GH 20, Gitanjali Complex, Vijay Nagar, Indore — 452010, near Perfect Bakery, Scheme 54.
Abhishek’s Pet & Food Shop — Vijay Nagar, established 2017. Vijay Nagar, Indore.
Training
Pet Prefer — Ring Road, established 2013. Dog training centre with over a decade in the city. Shop No. 2, Niranjanpur, Khalsa Chowk, Dewas Naka, Indore — 452010.
Sarvamitra Nachan — New Palasia, established 2003. One of the older training operations in Indore. DJ 37, Scheme No. 140, Idea Colony, Pipliyahana, Indore — 452016, Opp. Ondoor Shopping Store.
Online Communities Worth Knowing
The community infrastructure around pet ownership in Indore lives largely on WhatsApp and Instagram. Some starting points:
- Petofy (petofy.com) — India-wide platform with Indore-specific vet, boarding, and grooming listings. Useful for finding services and reading reviews.
- MyFurries (myfurries.com) — Vet discovery and booking platform with Indore coverage. Also has an app.
- PetBacker (petbacker.in) — For finding insured, reviewed pet sitters and boarders. Indore has listings.
- Mr n Mrs Pet (mrnmrspet.com) — Dog hostel and sitting service with Indore presence.
- Instagram local search — Searching #IndorePets, #IndoreDogs, #IndoreCats surfaces a genuinely active local community. The accounts that maintain it are a useful way to find services, ask questions, and connect with other pet owners in the city.
If You Are Thinking About Becoming a Pet Parent
This section is for people who are in the considering phase — not yet committed, doing their research. These are the things that experienced Indore pet owners consistently wish they had known.
Research the breed before you fall in love with a photo. A Husky is beautiful. It is also a Siberian working dog whose coat and physiology were designed for temperatures that Indore does not see. That is not a dealbreaker — but it is a significant care commitment involving climate control and grooming that many first-time owners are not prepared for. Labradors, Beagles, and Indies are far better suited to Central India’s climate. Do the research first.
Find your vet before you bring the animal home. This is consistent advice from every experienced pet owner in Indore. Know where you are going, know the emergency number, know the operating hours. The first health event — and there will be one — should not be the moment you start searching.
Factor boarding into the decision. You will travel. When you do, what happens to the animal? Dogsvilla and the other boarding facilities in Indore solve this problem, but they have occupancy limits. During holidays and festival seasons, good boarding gets booked out. Build this into your planning before you need it urgently.
The first year is expensive. Vaccinations, spaying or neutering, basic training, good food, initial veterinary visits, accessories — the first year of responsible pet ownership costs significantly more than subsequent years. Budget honestly. A dog or cat that is loved but inadequately cared for because the finances were not planned suffers in ways that are entirely preventable.
The family conversation is not optional. If you live with others — parents, a partner, flatmates — their buy-in matters. An animal that is resented or ignored by half the household is not in a good environment. Have the honest conversation before, not after.
Adopt, seriously consider it. Indore has a significant stray and abandoned animal population. Several organisations in the city facilitate adoption of Indies and other animals who have been rehabilitated and temperament-assessed. An adopted animal typically costs a fraction of a purchased breed, comes vaccinated and neutered, and — if sourced from a responsible rescue — will have been evaluated for health and behaviour. The assumption that Indies are “lesser” pets is not supported by veterinary evidence or the experience of the very large number of Indore families who have adopted them.
The Direction of Travel
India’s pet care market is expected to reach ₹10,500 crore by 2028. The industry is growing at 12–20% annually, depending on the segment. Godrej Consumer Products announced a ₹500 crore investment in pet care in 2024. Drools, India’s homegrown pet food brand, reached unicorn valuation after Nestlé invested. These are not niche signals. They are indicators of mainstream commercial conviction that pet ownership in India is entering a new phase.
Indore sits in this moment at an interesting point. It is a city with the income levels, the educated young professional base, and the family structure shifts that drive pet adoption — but it is not yet a city where the infrastructure is saturated. The clinics that opened in the last five years are busy. The boarding facilities are full during holidays. The grooming services have waiting lists. There is more demand than supply, which means more investment will follow.
What that means practically, for anyone who owns a pet in Indore or is considering it, is that the city is becoming steadily better at taking care of its animals. The specialist who can do cataract surgery already exists here. The boarding facility with a swimming pool already exists here. The communities of knowledgeable, experienced pet parents who will answer your question at 11pm already exist here.
The city is learning. It is learning fast. And if the last five years are any indication, it is not stopping.
Clinic addresses and contact details are based on publicly available information as of early 2026. Verify current timings and availability before visiting. Market statistics sourced from GlobalPETS, Expert Market Research, and IBEF industry reports. Reader quote is a composite representation. — Editor, Indore.online
