Professionalizing India’s Petcare Sector: New Standards for Walkers and Sitters
India's sixth Pet Industry Dialogue (PID) 2026, held recently in New Delhi, placed regulatory frameworks and professional care standards on the agenda alongside market expansion, as reported by The Tribune.
The conference convened regulators, veterinarians, and corporate stakeholders — including Royal Canin leadership — to map the structure of the country's evolving petcare sector. For professional dog walkers and pet sitters, the session outcomes signal a shift toward codified, science-based operating standards rather than informal, market-driven norms.
Regulatory direction
A policy panel moderated by Royal Canin's Corporate Affairs Director, Govind Suryawanshi, included the Animal Husbandry Commissioner, Dr. Naveena B. Maheswarappa, and Bureau of Indian Standards representative Debasish Mahalik. The stated focus: science-based regulation supporting consumer trust and pet health and safety.
Service providers should expect future licensing, training documentation, and quality benchmarks to align with national frameworks. Walkers and sitters operating today can preempt compliance gaps by maintaining written care protocols, vaccination verification logs, and incident reporting templates that mirror veterinary record standards.
Tier 2 and Tier 3 expansion
Royal Canin's General Manager, Satinder Singh, framed smaller cities as the current growth engines of the petcare economy. The "Pet Care Landscape in India — Tier 2 and Tier 3" session tied rising pet ownership and per-pet spending directly to demand for accessible nutrition, veterinary care, and informed pet parenting beyond metros.
Operationally, networks expanding into secondary cities will operate with thinner veterinary backup, longer transit to emergency clinics, and fewer established grooming or rehab resources. Build route maps that factor emergency response time. Carry a documented chain-of-contact for the nearest 24-hour veterinary facility. Confirm client home environments for temperature stability, restraint points, and safe egress before each booking.
Shifting pet parent behavior
The "Cracking the Code of Growing Pet Parents in India" session, featuring Royal Canin's PSR Sales and Marketing Director Srikanth Ramaswamy, tracked how specialized services and digital platforms are reshaping owner decisions. Reported themes: specialized services, digital information sources, and evolving decision criteria.
Decision criteria are migrating away from price-only toward credentialing, transparency, and documented care. Update intake forms to capture veterinary contacts, behavioral triggers, leash and equipment preferences, and known gait or mobility issues. Photo logs and end-of-visit summaries are now baseline expectations, not premium features.
Safety parameters to track
- Regulatory publication dates from the Department of Animal Husbandry and Bureau of Indian Standards.
- Licensing or certification requirements emerging for pet care service providers.
- Veterinary infrastructure density in target service zones.
- Client expectations around documented care and digital reporting.