Pradip Burman

Keeping pets is perhaps one of the favourite pastime for even the busiest people in this world. Meet Mr. Pradeep Burman, the Chairman of Ayurvet Limited, who has loved pets since childhood. His ancestral home in Kolkata was a home to a number of dogs and once they even kept a leopard.

Currently, Mr. Burman and his family share their moments with a trio (3 dogs). Their house at Shantiniketan in New Delhi is always buzzing with activity as they have two pups of 4 months and 3.5 months of age, and one dog of 6 years of age. Mr. Burman introduced his dogs seniority wise, bluestacks for pc”The first is Simba the lion, a dashound. The second is Simone, a miniature dashound and the third is Samsung, an Alsatian pup”. The drawing room was a scurry of activities as Simba was trying to prove who the boss is. Simone and Samsung were involved in a tussle. Simone, inspite of being really tiny, was giving a full battle to Samsung and was barking away to full glory.

Dogs & Pups editor had a tête-à-tête with Mr. Pradip Burman on his love for dogs. Walking down the memory lane, he remembers his pets with fondness. Thinking of them brought a smile across his face and he told that among all his pets, he particularly loved Lucy, an Alsatian.

D&P : When is the first time you remember having pets and over the years which all pets did you have?

PB : I remember having pets, ever since I was a little boy. In my home town Kolkata, we had a cocker spaniel, a pug, and an Alsatian. My uncle was very fond of pets, and he used to keep white pigeons. We even had a leopard as a pet once. Besides, we always had dogs around the house.

D&P : Which was your first dog?

PB : It was a Mongrel named Lassie. Though Lassie is a comic toon character, this one was hardly a comic.

D&P : You mentioned earlier about your favourite Lucy, could you describe more about her?

PB : Yes, my favourite pet was Lucy, an Alsatian, which was with us in Kolkata when I was barely 14! (A smile crosses his face as he remembers Lucy!) The thing which I remember and loved most about her was that she was very moviebox for windows loveable and intelligent. She followed all commands and had a very strong dog sense. She could easily recognise whether a person is friendly or not.

She would stand on her legs whenever she was fed. She loved to play fetch and also loved catching rats.

D&P : How do you manage to spend time with your pets?

PB : As soon as I get back from work, I love to spend time with my pets. They are very playful and fun to be with, especially when they are pups. Before I go out, I always play with them for some time.

D&P : What do you like most about dogs?

PB : The most striking feature that I find in dogs is that they seem to be able to speak, even though they can’t say. The way they look at you and say it all is a very lovable aspect (said Mr. Burman emotionally).

D&P : What do you think your dogs love about you?

PB : They love the treats I give them. They look forward to it.

D&P : How do you ensure that that your dogs stay healthy?

PB : I make sure that they are taken out for walks regularly all the three times. If I am home early, I take them out for a walk in the evening. My household helpers take them for morning and night walks.

D&P : Which are your pet’s favourite dishes?

PB : They love to have mutton. I also get chews for them and they really love it. As I travel so often, I always get those chews from supermarkets abroad.

D&P : Is there any annoying habits of your pets?

PB : As Simone and Samsung are pups, they love to bite which annoys me sometimes. Also, when they are given a treat they eat it on the carpet. Sometimes, their little jobs are also done on the carpets.

D&P : Tell us some antics of your current pets?

PB : Simba is very moody. If you call him and he does not want to come, he would not come. Also when you give treats to Simba, he quickly takes his treat, hides it and goes to the other dogs and takes their treats too!! Simba also barks at the person who he does not like. Dashounds are very jealous- You pay attention to something else and they would immediately jump.

D&P : Any specific tip you would like to share?

PB : Besides giving responsi-bilities to domestic help, the owner must see the dogs are properly fed, check on the actual meat and also ensure that they are vaccinated on time. Most importantly, owner should spend sufficient time with their pets (stresses Mr. Pradip Burman).

Our minutes with Mr. Burman, ended with a lot of doggy talks. His love for dogs has no comparison and he was very emotional about his dogs. The best thing that he likes about dogs is their ability to express themselves, without saying anything. One would remember the lyrics of a song “You say it best, when you say nothing at all”.