Love, Loyalty And Leashes: The Unspoken Bonds of Pet Motherhood

Last Updated:May 11, 2025, 08:08 IST

This Mother’s Day, let’s honour all forms of motherhood — including the kind that comes wrapped in fur, delivered with tail wags, and sealed with a lick.

Motherhood wears many faces. Some cradle babies, some chase toddlers, and others find themselves whispering to furry companions who cannot speak but somehow say everything. In an age where caregiving extends beyond traditional definitions, pet moms embody a unique, unsung form of maternal love — one that thrives on instinct, patience, and a deep emotional bond. These are women who juggle meetings and meal prep with vet visits and treat time, who rush home not for rest, but for the familiar pitter-patter of paws waiting at the door.

For Bhanwari Devi, a part-time co-director, Siyol Technologies, that journey began with resistance. “When my sons brought Joey home four years ago, I was the least thrilled,” she confesses with a laugh. “A Retriever? In my home? I believed they had gone crazy.” Having always maintained a spotless house, Bhanwari vowed never to allow a dog inside. But love, as it often does, found its way in through muddy paws and soulful eyes.

“I did not choose him. He chose me,” she reflects.

Today, Joey is her constant companion. “I can’t eat without him beside me. When he’s in the next room, I feel something is missing.” The thought of leashing him feels unnatural. “It’s like binding my own child,” she says. “So, I talk to him instead. He listens better than my sons!”

This emotional intimacy between pets and their human caregivers is rooted in real psychology. Nandita Sikka, Senior Psychologist, Heal Your Paws (HYP), explains that pet parenting activates the same parts of the brain responsible for maternal empathy and bonding.

“The emotional complexity and obligation of pet parenting are no different from traditional caregiver roles. In fact, for many women navigating demanding careers or personal challenges, pets provide a steady source of comfort, support, and unconditional affection.”

That comfort came like a quiet miracle for Ridhima Sinngh, Legal Director at Galaxy Impex, Hong Kong. She wasn’t looking to adopt a pet. And yet, one day, Chanelle — a tiny, gentle soul — arrived and transformed her life in a matter of days.

“The first time I held her, she didn’t want to let me go,” shares Ridhima.

She believes Chanelle chose her in the most cosmic way. “She’s my little angel — a guardian sent by God.” In her presence, Ridhima feels safer, more in tune with herself. “She’s showing me how to stop fearing who I want to become. Chanelle is the light of my life, the most unexpected and beautiful gift.”

For some, the journey into pet motherhood starts with uncertainty — and ends in complete surrender. Saloni Sood Mehra, founder, Brand Talkeez, never imagined herself as a pet parent. That changed the moment her eldest daughter brought Pluto home.

“I never thought I would fall so hard for a dog,” she says, smiling. “But when I looked into Pluto’s eyes, I was hooked. There was so much innocence and trust.”

Since then, Pluto has become a core part of the family. He joins them on vacations, sits in on work calls, and fills their home with boundless energy. “Pluto Mehra has brought a kind of joy and vitality into our lives that I didn’t know we were missing.”

These stories — of skepticism turned to surrender, of emotional healing, of soulful bonds — are testaments to the powerful, often overlooked role pet moms play. They may not change diapers or pack school lunches, but they wake up for early walks, soothe fears during thunderstorms, and build lives around beings who give only love in return.

In every paw print on freshly mopped floors, in every wet-nosed nudge at the end of a long day, lies the quiet assurance that love is present. These women, these pet moms, remind us that motherhood isn’t defined by biology — it’s defined by care, connection, and the courage to love wholeheartedly.

This Mother’s Day, let’s honour all forms of motherhood — including the kind that comes wrapped in fur, delivered with tail wags, and sealed with a lick.

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