A quick bath and a trim during routine visits — that is often what pet parents imagine when they hear the term ‘pet grooming’.

But grooming goes far beyond appearances. It demands skill, patience, and emotional labour — caring for an animal that cannot speak, explain discomfort, or express fear in words.

This understanding took root in 1999 in Saharanpur, a town a few kilometres from Delhi, where the concept of professional pet grooming was virtually unheard of.

A dog lover from a young age, Garima Khanna began reading extensively to understand what her pet needed. With no trained groomers available, she groomed her dog herself, learning through books and experience.

Years later, when Garima moved to Delhi-NCR, she noticed a familiar pattern. Despite being a large city, access to trained, affordable, and respectful grooming services remained limited. That was when she realised there was a significant gap in India’s pet grooming industry.

In 2017, while planning to start a marketing firm, Garima decided instead to address this unmet need.

“Pet parents were struggling to get a good groomer at affordable rates. That’s when I noticed major gaps in India’s pet grooming industry,” she recalls.

Through her observations, Garima identified three key challenges: A lack of quality grooming facilities in Delhi-NCR; Limited convenient options for elderly pet parents; Poor pay and little respect for service providers.

“What I noticed in Delhi was that many groomers worked out of vans. They would go to the pet’s home, pick up the animal, and carry out grooming inside the van; all at high costs,” says the 26-year-old entrepreneur. “The vans required heavy maintenance, and many pets were anxious because they were taken out of their familiar environment.”

With the aim of creating a model that benefited both pets and groomers, she decided to launch PetPipers.

India’s pet care market, which includes grooming services, is expanding rapidly as pet ownership rises across urban centres. In 2024, spending on pets in the country touched $3.6 billion, and industry estimates suggest this figure could grow to around $7 billion by 2028.

Pet services such as grooming form a significant part of this growth, reflecting how pets are increasingly viewed as family members rather than just animals.

However, this growth has also exposed a major concern. Much of India’s pet grooming sector remains unregulated, with little emphasis........

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