Photo provided by Niti Bavishi
he nation of India and its place in the world is changing dramatically. Less than three years ago in 2023, India surpassed China as the largest nation in the world by population. And while it has historically had high rates of poverty, it is booming today as the world’s fifth largest economy.
Geographically, India is referred as a “subcontinent” because its slow northward movements into the Eurasian plate over the millennia are growing the Himalayan mountain range that separates India from the rest of Asia. Southern India is not far from Earth’s equator, keeping it warm or hot much of the year. Its location also means a heavy monsoon season every year. This affects the kinds of grooming issues they face.
One wonderful groomer from India, Niti Bavishi, came to the U.S. with family members who were working and studying in the Chicago area, where I had newly opened my salon and was also running a small grooming school. Niti was one of my first trainees, but she quickly grew to be a friend for life. She was also one of the best groomers I have ever trained, as she was a natural artist and fabulous with the dogs.
Another challenge India faces is the stray dog population. With estimates as high as 70 million free-ranging dogs, India has the largest population on earth.
Upon her return to India, Niti opened her own grooming salon, The Woof Bond, in Ghatkopur East, Mumbai, which she has successfully run for many years now. She also works to grow the grooming profession in India by helping to train young people to become groomers and has started getting involved in competitive grooming. India has its own grooming associations, such as the Professional Pet Grooming Association of India (PPGAI),1 and even some trade shows with competitions, including the India International Pet Trade Fair (IIPTF).2
Niti reports that her greatest grooming challenges are dealing with a common “skin and coat funk” that she sees in many of her client dogs. These skin conditions are a result of the challenges of a very populous, polluted and crowded city, as well as the climate effects of the monsoons. Damp conditions encourage fungal infections, bacterial growth, matting and unpleasant odors, while also triggering allergies.3
Niti has worked to develop the treatments needed to address these skin issues and is having some success with her therapies, including acquiring a Japanese-made microbubble machine for deep-cleaning her client dogs.
Another challenge India faces is the stray dog population. With estimates as high as 70 million free-ranging dogs, India has the largest population on Earth. These medium-sized dogs often have sturdy builds and short coats in various colors, helping them adapt to the Indian climate. Many street dogs trace their lineage to the ancient Indian Pariah Dog and exhibit adaptive behaviors for survival.4
While these free-ranging street dogs are not typically Niti’s grooming clients, similar to in the U.S., she sees mostly purebred or mixed breed dogs like doodles. She reports that drop coats are her most common clients, but other breeds are also popular, including Siberian Huskies, who have seemingly evolved away from their thicker arctic triple coats and feature a standard double coat such as that found on a shepherd to better tolerate the hot climate.
Niti spoke with concern about what she fears are cruel government plans to deal with the staggeringly large street dog population. For example, the news in India reported: “On August 11, 2025, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India . . . passed an order requiring municipal authorities in and around the region of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to pick up and relocate all stray dogs in the area (estimated to be around one million) to shelters and pounds that were to be ‘immediately’ and ‘simultaneously’ created.”5
The Supreme Court further emphasized that, “In no circumstances, should these stray dogs after their relocation be once again released back onto the streets.” And that, “If any individual or organization comes in the way of forceful picking up of the stray dogs and rounding them up . . . we shall proceed to take the strictest of actions against any such resistance which may be offered.”6 This order had followed the death of a six-year old girl from rabies.
The more traditional approach that uses a trap-neuter-release method has only been done sporadically and would have to be done more consistently to be effective. Both WOAH (World Organization for Animal Health) and the WHO (World Health Organization) prefer CSVR instead—“catch, sterilize, vaccinate, return.”7 These programs help introduce herd immunity, especially against Rabies. This would be a massive and expensive effort but the best for the dogs as well as the people of India.
With the tireless efforts of dog advocates, organizations and groomers like Niti, the future is looking bright for the dogs of India.
- Professional Pet Grooming Association of India. https://www.ppgai.com/
- India International Pet Trade Fair. https://iiptf.in/
- The Effects of Seasonal Monsoon Humidity on Pet Skin and Fur Care. https://www.rpets.in/articles/2899/the-effects-of-seasonal-monsoon-humidity-on-pet-skin-and-fur-care
- India’s Street Dogs: Population, Public Health, and Policy. https://biologyinsights.com/indias-street-dogs-population-public-health-and-policy/
- In The Supreme Court Of India Extraordinary Original Jurisdiction Suo Moto Writ Petition (C) No. 5 Of 2025. https://api.sci.gov.in/supremecourt/2025/41706/41706_2025_8_31_63158_Judgement_11-Aug-2025.pdf?
- India’s Supreme Court Tackles Issue of Stray Dogs. https://animal.law.harvard.edu/news-article/indias-supreme-court-tackles-issue-of-stray-dogs/
- Dog Population Management. https://www.woah.org/fileadmin/Home/eng/Health_standards/tahc/current/chapitre_aw_stray_dog.pdf