Nestled in a valley outside Chandigarh, a pamper zone for your furry friends

A right turn from the Panchkula-Pinjore toll takes you up the winding roads of the sleepy hamlets of Burj Kotian, Ambvala, Jallah and Thapli. Barely 45 minutes from Chandigarh, at the last stop in Haryana before Himachal Pradesh, is a peaceful, lush green valley, gurgling with streams.

“Took me two years to find this place,” says Sandhu, who kickstarted the resort in 2019, and was instrumental in putting it on the map as ‘Pawsum country’ and ‘Barun River Valley’. It is here that the former president of sales and marketing at Trident Textiles brought to life an aesthetically designed eco-friendly pet resort, planted 350 medicinal plants and trees, created a meditation hut and trained and hired the village locals to be part of it.

“Ninety-nine per cent of the time, pets in India translate to dogs, and historically, these are domesticated wild animals. They crave for their natural habitat, to run, chase, hunt, dig, use their senses and feel free,” says Sandhu. (Express Photo)

“Pet resorts are a popular concept in the USA, and I wanted to create a similar facility here. For that, I also studied at the American Canine College, and did courses in anatomy, genetics and behaviour,” adds the ‘dog whisperer’.

Simba, the mad little beagle, follows us around before taking a cool dip in the stream nearby. A Pakistani bull, aptly named Tsunami, and Italian mastiff Gabbar stand majestically outside their ‘hobbit’ rooms. Col Pradeep Kumar’s Indie dog Khush is a happy guest here, so are other Indie pets, including Rehmy and Dua, and Labrador Leo. Shaurya Deep Bajwa just had a fun birthday bash for his golden retriever Nora and her friends.

Pawsum is as close as it gets to a dream vacation or staycation for your pet. (Express Photo)

“Ninety-nine per cent of the time, pets in India translate to dogs, and historically, these are domesticated wild animals. They crave for their natural habitat, to run, chase, hunt, dig, use their senses and feel free,” says Sandhu.

Wild jungle trails replete with mongoose, hens, rabbit, barking deer, mountain sheep, a large splash pool, hydrotherapy pool, individual rooms for pets, exercise centre and nature trails – including the ‘Awesome Pawsum’ river trail, hill trail and rabbit trail – 24-hour camera surveillance, dog helpers round the clock, customised exercise and farm-fresh diet plans for dogs in therapy, disabled or accident cases, dogs prepping for shows, para vets on call – Pawsum is as close as it gets to a dream vacation or staycation for your pet.

Run by Sandhu and his children Yashvir and Anahat Preet, this is the only ‘off leash’ facility in the country. (Express Photo)

Run by Sandhu and his children Yashvir and Anahat Preet, this is the only ‘off leash’ facility in the country. The need for a dedicated space also arose from the fact that spaces are shrinking at an alarming rate. “We inhabit smaller homes, live in nuclear families, and are often surrounded by neighbours who are not that pet-friendly. The poor pet confined to four walls feels suffocated,” he says.

By restricting the number of pets to 10 at a time, Sandhu guards the resort from getting overcrowded or too commercialised. “I’ve consciously kept human folk out of it. We neither train nor breed dogs here.” Before taking on a pet, he observes the owner-pet equation and checks the animal’s health records. “We have to treat them like our own in order to make them feel welcome,” he shares.