1.  I decided to groom pets as a profession when I realized that what I did as a routine with my dogs and cats everyday could become a viable profession too, considering the fact that many pet owners are either too busy to groom their pets or they simply did not know how to do it the right way.  It was also a very fulfilling idea as, besides giving me an income, it was also a service I was rendering to the animals.    It was also an extension or expansion of my already existing career of breeding pedigreed dogs, under the kennel name YASHBANS, which has been in existence for over 28 years now.  Grooming and styling dogs was also a great way to put my talent as an artist to good use and in a innovative way..

2.     I started my grooming business in a small way by first grooming the pets that were coming for boarding to my Boarding Kennels. My clients were very happy to take  back home a clean, good smelling pet, many a time cured of its minor or major skin problems.  People started boarding pets with me more often, basically because they were dually benefitted.  Word of mouth appreciation by these satisfied customers soon got me clients who now came exclusively to have their pets groomed.  There were no hancy hairstyling at this stage.  It was just basic grooming.  The increasing demand for my grooming services made me go and learn professional pet grooming overseas, and then I was even able to offer added services like skin treatments, specific breed haircuts and hair styling, aroma therapy massages,etc.  Then I realized that it was not wise to get dogs with skin ailments to my farm where I personally housed over 90 dogs, I decided to start a professional grooming parlour for pets in the heart of the city.

3.     My two daughters, Rishya the older girl and Radhiya the younger girl, support me and help me run this  Pet Grooming Parlour. Rishya is a trained professional pet groomer from theUnited States, whereas Radhiya, is totally trained by me. 

4.     My investments were negligible when I started grooming pets.  Just some good shampoos and conditioners, a grooming table, some scissors and a hair dryer.  Now ofcourse, I have gone hitech with professional bath tubs, spa tubs, blasters or blowers, silent dryers, hudraulic tables, rotating tables, sheers and scissors, professional range of shampoos and conditioners, detanglers, deodorants and perfumes, massge oils, nail cutters and grinders, etc, finishing touches of ribbons and  jewellery etc.  You name it and your pet can have it.

5.     My clientele ranges from the very poorest of the poor, who owns a pet and cannot afford to treat it or groom it, and for whom our services of free, to middleclass people, housewives, businessmen, industrialists, entrepreneurs, actors, models etc.

6.     Today, with the number of expatriates coming into Bangalore with rare breeds of dogs like the Poodles, the Schnauzers, Bichon Frises, Yorkshire terriers, etc, they are happy that they can find someone who can groom their pets as per the breed standards and most of them tell us our work is far superior than what they used to get in the U.S. Parlours.  Kids, ofcourse, come with funny demands like wanting their dogs to look like a lion with a lion cut or a punk hairstyle or sometimes even want them to look like alien dogs.  They act as our designers and we  do  whatever they want.  During the Dog Show season ofcourse, we get many, many dogs, which just look average and people wanting us to make them look like top show dogs.

7.The first and foremost challenge was to get the Clients who were willing to spend money on grooming their pets, which they found exhorbitant, till we finished our job.  Then was the Pet itself.  Cats and dogs, which were never groomed in their entire lifetime, with completely matted coats and stinking, were not going to allow us to handle them easily.  They were aggressive as they had never been handled with love and care, and they feared the Grooming Parlour as much as they would fear a Veterinary Clinic.  We had to spend a lot of time with these pets, comforting them and assuring them that they were going to have an enjoyable experience.  Then competing with the clinics that were called Grooming Parlours but where people were just bathing dogs at perhaps one fifth of our cost.  We had to educate the client about the differences between a Bather and a Professional Pet grooming parlour and the advantages of going to someone completely trained in this field with a natural love for all pets.

7.     I open Fuzzy Wuzzy Pet Styling Studio and Spa only between 3 p,m, to 7 p.m. and groom about 3 - 4 dogs  daily and if it is a complicated show grooming, then only one or two dogs per day.  Since we do this only on a parttime basis, 5 days a week, our annual turnover is about 5 lakhs at the moment.

8.     I was born in Chennai.  I was the least talented among the three sisters.  My elder sister Sukanya, a carnatic vocalist and a  barathanatyam dancer is married to Sitar Maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. My younger sister Anusuya, a painter and a writer has just published her first novel The Finger Puppet.  I being the least talented had no qualities to boast of, other than the immense love I had towards animals and always dreamed of doing something about it  I was called Vasuki,(a name given by my mother) during mySchool days, and later as Yashodhara ( a name given by my father, who was into Buddhism during that time) in my College days.

9.     I have had dreams and aspirations of always doing things for pets.  Since Pet hotels and Pet Restaurants are a fast growing business in the west, as people have realized the value of pets in Man”s everyday life and want to give them everything they would give their own children.  I too, someday, soon hbope to build small cottages where people could come for holidays and stay with their pets.  Have parties and get togethers for families with pets etc.

10.                        Pet products is one of the fastest growing industry in India today.  From imported pet foods to accessories, crates and cages, beds, sofas ,etc, they are so many things available for pets and I find people are simply willing to pamper their pets.  We are soon hoping to launch our very own range of FUZZY WUZZY professional pet grooming products.  We are still researching on the products.

11.                        This demand for pet products has also  prompted my daughters to expand  further  in the doggie business.

12.  My older daughter Rishya, a budding entrepreuner, came up with this unique idea of Pet Transporation services, whereby she ensures that pets travel from one end of the globe to another end, keeping safety in mind, and with a network of people all over the world, including Pet Valet services. We are officially registered with the IPATA, U.S.A.  She is now  planning to make homecooked, wholesome food available for pets for people who have no time to cook for their pets and  are not happy with the commercial dry food available.  My younger Daughter Radhiya, a designer, has come up with a whole range of pet clothing and pet accessories under the brand name “Rad Petz” 

12.                        We own one of India”s most reputed Kennels called Yashbans “Yash” from my name “Yashodhara” and “Bans” from Bangalore, where my kennels are situated in, for almost 3 decades now.  We breed highly pedigreed dogs like Siberian Huskies, St. Bernards, Golden Retrievers, Rottweilers, Miniature Pinschers and Shih Tzus.  W have won Prestigious awards like the Dog of the Year, Breeder of the Year, Reserve Dog of the Year, Reserve Puppy of the Year.  We have also bred two Dog of the Years.

We have excellent boarding kennels, which are a home away from home for people whose main concern is the well being of their pets while they go away on holiday or business. 

We are also a Shelter for abandoned and homeless animals.  We have about 22 stray dogs and 45 stray cats and occasionally an injured bird or a squirrel.

13.  I am not too sure about the size of the Pet industry but it is definitely as big as baby care products industry  as almost one in every four  family has a pet.