Getting a dog in India: a guide for first-time owners

Start with time alone. PDSA advises that no adult dog should be left alone for more than about four hours at a time, and most dogs need at least one to two walks a day, with some breeds needing one to two hours of exercise a day and working breeds much more. If both adults in the home work long office hours with a commute, plan who covers the middle of the day before you bring a dog home, not after.

Then think about years. A large UK study of dogs under veterinary care found a life expectancy at birth of about 11 years, with wide differences between breeds, and the INDog Project describes India's native dog as living over 15 years on average with good care. Ask whether a dog fits that whole stretch of life, including transfers, a baby, or ageing parents moving in.

Allergies matter more than people expect. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America explains that people react to proteins in a pet's dander, saliva and urine, not to the hair itself, that all dogs can cause symptoms, and that a truly non-allergic dog does not exist. It suggests fostering first to see whether anyone reacts. If someone at home has asthma, speak to their doctor before you commit.

A flat is not a reason to say no. An adult dog's size, energy and noise level are already known, which helps in a flat, and RSPCA Australia notes that adult dogs tend to be calmer and more predictable than puppies. What a flat dog needs is enough walks, a cool place to rest in summer and neighbours who are not kept awake. If your days are long, an adult or senior dog that already copes with some time alone is usually a better match than a puppy.

The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 call dogs owned and kept by individuals pet animals, and rule 8(1) makes the owner responsible for the pet's deworming, vaccination and sterilisation. Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 makes it cruelty to abandon an animal in circumstances likely to cause it suffering, and AWBI has said that keeping a dog confined without exercise can be cruelty too. Getting a dog is a commitment the law expects you to keep.

Many city corporations require a pet dog licence or registration, and almost all of them ask for a current anti-rabies vaccination certificate from a registered vet. Delhi's registration, for example, ends when the rabies vaccination expires, and Mumbai's BMC takes applications online only. The rules and fees differ by city, so read Petym's pet registration page and your corporation's portal in the first weeks.

Housing societies often have their own pet rules, but AWBI's guidelines of 26 February 2015 for residents' welfare and apartment owners' associations say they cannot ban pets through bylaws, cannot fix a size or breed limit, and that owners must keep pets leashed in common areas and clean up after them. In February 2025 Maharashtra's cooperatives department was reported to have told housing societies to frame a pet policy at their annual meeting in line with those guidelines. Read your society's rules before the dog arrives, and keep your side of them.

WSAVA's Global Nutrition Committee advises choosing a food labelled complete and balanced for your dog's life stage, from a maker that can give a typical nutrient analysis, and asking your vet to help you choose. Treats and anything outside the main food should stay under about 10% of the day's calories. When you change food, mix the new food in over at least three to four days to avoid vomiting and diarrhoea. How much to feed is a decision for your vet, who will watch your dog's weight and body condition: on WSAVA's chart an ideal dog has ribs you can feel without pressing and a visible waist.

Home food is where Indian dogs get into trouble. Onion and garlic in any form, raw, fried or powdered in a gravy, can damage a dog's red blood cells, and Merck lists garlic as more toxic than onion. Grapes, raisins and tamarind can cause kidney failure in dogs. Chocolate is dangerous, mithai brings sugar, ghee and sometimes raisins, and sugar-free sweets, gum and some peanut butters may contain xylitol, which can drop a dog's blood sugar within an hour. ASPCA notes that dogs lack enough lactase, so milk can cause diarrhoea, and that salty snacks can cause vomiting and worse. Hard bones can fracture teeth and block the gut.

If your dog eats something it should not, call your vet or the nearest 24-hour vet straight away with what and how much, before signs appear. Do not make the dog sick at home unless a vet tells you to. Petym's guides to toxic foods and Indian foods dogs can eat go through the list in detail.

WSAVA's 2024 guidelines name the core vaccines every dog should have as those against distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus, usually written DHPPi on Indian cards. Rabies is core wherever it is endemic, as it is across India, and leptospirosis vaccine is considered core where the disease is common and a suitable vaccine exists. An adult dog with no record usually starts again; a dog with a card continues from the dates on it. The vet sets the schedule, and Petym's dog vaccination guide explains where Indian and global advice differ.

Deworming is the second line on the card. ESCCAP's 2025 guidelines say that where a dog's risk cannot be judged, it should be dewormed or have its faeces tested at least four times a year; your vet will set the plan for your dog and your area. Ask about ticks at the same visit. Merck advises removing ticks with tweezers close to the skin, never bare fingers, and having a dog checked for tick-borne disease even if it carried only a few. Tick fever is common in Indian dogs and the right prevention is the vet's choice.

Ask about sterilisation, which the ABC Rules make the owner's responsibility for a pet dog. The timing is your vet's decision and can depend on the dog's size and sex. Ask for the dog to be weighed and its body condition scored, as a starting point.

Plan this before the dog arrives. A dog that cannot be left beyond about four hours needs a walker, a drop-in visit or a neighbour on long days, and a sitter or a boarding home when you travel. For a new or anxious dog, care at home with someone staying overnight is usually the gentlest choice, because the dog keeps its own floors, smells and routine.

Petym is a pet sitting marketplace opening city by city in India; it is not taking bookings yet. When it opens, every booking starts with a free meet and greet, the sitter follows the plan you write for feeding, walks and medicines, logs it as it happens and sends a daily photo update. If something goes wrong, the sitter calls you and takes the dog to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list.