This Gurugram pet startup provides hassle-free relocation of your pets

In 2021, Dobby, a wheelchair-bound/dependent pet, was abandoned on a street near Farzana's house after she had met with a fatal accident and lost her legs. 

Farzana not only adopted Dobby but with the help of a pet transportation startup — Carry My Pet — she relocated her to Poland from Nagpur. 

In Poland now, Farzana is taking care of Dobby’s medication, physiotherapy, wheelchair expenses, and everything required to take her along to a new country. 

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Today, most well off travellers or those taking up work assignments abroad, like Farzana, don’t want to leave their pets behind while relocating — this is where Carry My Pet comes to their rescue. 

With a team of 50 passionate pet lovers, the pet relocation startup aims to simplify the complex process of pet transportation, and helps transfer pets internationally (export and import) and domestically. 

Founded in 2019 by two brothers and pet lovers — Faisal Islam and Aamir Islam, the Gurugram-based startup provides safe pet travel, including international pet relocation export and import, domestic pet relocation India, rabies titre test, pet quarantine, and pet microchip.

Besides, Carry My Pet also sells products for dogs and cats like pet crates, harnesses, beds, toys, accessories, and travel essentials.

“We have completed over 6,000 pet relocation locally and globally to more than 30 countries. We have partner agents in nearly 15 countries for a smooth transportation process,” says co-founder Faisal. 

With offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kochi, Carry My Pet sees the highest traction from Bengaluru, and countries like the US, the UK, and Canada. 

How it works?

The entire process of pet relocation is complex and expensive, which requires government regulations fulfilled at multiple stages (for international relocation) and close coordination between the pet travel expert and pet parent. 

This has made pet owners sceptical about taking the service over the years.

Despite the competition, co-founder Aamir says none of them fully address the real issues professionally and structurally. He adds, “We wanted to start with something easy and transparent, with step by step tracking and guidance from experts and handlers.” 

At present, the startup is using its website and customised in-house CRM to cater to its customers, with plans to launch an app for pet parents to book and track their pet status in real-time. 

Transportation time and charges

During international transport, the startup helps customers in meeting all the export and import requirements of the origin and destination countries, respectively — including satisfying all documentation work and updating pet vaccination and microchipping statuses. 

Moreover, it also provides a Rabies Titre Test for pets to travel to rabies-free countries that have it as an additional requirement. And, the average export time for most countries is four to six months. 

On the other hand, importing a pet takes an average of seven days, with fewer requirements to fulfil. To date, Carry My Pet claims to have exported 1,200 pets and imported 800 pets.

“Pet transportation is expensive as compared to human travel, and no two pet transportations can always cost the same. It is because a living pet is a liability and needs extra and special care, space, and handling,” Faisal explains.

Aamir says, “There is no clear SOP and regulation from the airlines and the government authorities. Air India is the only flight that allows domestic pet transportation. Moreover, not all breeds are allowed on all flights. And, for international transportation, you have to follow complex processes, resulting in an expensive service.” 

For domestic transportation, the startup charges between Rs 20,000 and Rs 60,000, which includes a crate, documents, and mode of transportation (air, road, and railway).

In the case of international transportation, it charges between Rs 2-5 lakh. 

The way ahead

As per Faisal, the Indian pet market is huge and challenging, and the country has about 30 million pets. 

Starting with an initial investment between Rs 30 and 50 lakh, the startup has generated a revenue of Rs 11 crore so far. 

Aiming to become a one-stop shop for pet transportation, Carry My Pet expects to touch Rs 24 crore in revenue this fiscal. 

Moving forward, it also plans to expand its operation to three more cities — one each from the west, northeast, and southern states.

Talking about the challenges, Aamir says that not many pet owners are aware of such services and the related safety and security concerns.

The startup’s target customers are Indian pet owners, NRIs, and expats between 30 and 60 years. 

“We are into the relocation of pets, including dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, and guinea pigs, and are also working on birds. We also want to expand this horizon by being an expert in all kinds of pet transportation,” Faisal says. 

He adds, “Five years down the line, we look at expanding globally by providing a complete door-to-door facility in all parts of the world.”