Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Paws for breath: India's pampered pooches get clean air as people choke on smog

While most residents of the Indian capital Delhi choked on toxic air this week, the dogs of the city's elite were enjoying ambient music and purified air at a luxury resort for pets.

Pollution in the capital rose to "severe" this week after revelers let off fireworks to mark the Hindu festival of Diwali, adding to the heavy smog caused by crop burning, vehicle fumes and industrial emissions.


Delhi's air is among the worst in the world, although many in the city of more than 20 million are unable, or unwilling, to protect themselves from the cocktail of gases and particles.

But at the TopDog Luxury Pet Resort, Gautam Kari, the chief operating officer who studied animal behaviourology in California, is offering relief for posh pooches.

Rooms at the site, next to an organic vegetable farm in Gurugram, one of Delhi's satellite cities and an IT hub, start at 2,000 rupees ($28) a night - more than five times the average daily wage.

The canine guests - many owned by politicians, diplomats and business figures, the resort says - have had their outdoor time reduced during the bad-air days of Diwali.

The air in their rooms is cleaned by purifying machines made by American manufacturer Honeywell.

"We don't want them out smelling the air for more than 45 minutes," Kari said.

Kari said clients brought their dogs for training and the resort's other luxuries, including food imported from Canada and music more commonly heard in high-end spas.

But air pollution is also a concern for owners.

"I think the air purifiers ... are as relevant to dogs as well as to human beings," said Vineet Durani, an executive at the US software giant Microsoft, who was collecting his Siberian husky Juno.

"It’s hard to breathe."

Other guests include a trio of dogs owned by Japanese diplomats, and two Portuguese water dogs, Peanut and Snicker, from the Dutch embassy.

The resort's presidential suite - named after the former US president Barack Obama's dog Bo - is occupied by a pair of street dogs adopted by an employee of the World Health Organisation, the agency that developed international standards for monitoring air quality.

For those unable get their pet into TopDog, a pollution mask for dogs, which its makers say is a world-first, will soon be coming to India.

The K9mask, that costs $39.99 and promises "easy air intake for resting or panting", is looking for an Indian distributor.

"India is definitely a place experiencing air quality problems that will benefit," said Kirby Holmes, managing partner of the Good Air Team, which manufactures the masks.

(Reuters)

More For You

UK Traveller Dies from Rabies After Dog Exposure in Morocco

Rabies causes a serious infection of the brain and nervous system in humans

iStock

UK woman dies from rabies after Morocco dog exposure

A woman from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, has died after contracting rabies following contact with a stray dog while on holiday in Morocco, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed.

The agency stated that the woman became infected during her trip to the North African country. There is no documented evidence of rabies spreading between humans, so the wider public is not considered at risk.

Keep ReadingShow less
Families seek answers as Air India crash probe begins

Mourners at the funeral of BJP leader Vijay Rupani, who was among the victims of the Air India crash, in Ahmedabad

Families seek answers as Air India crash probe begins

AROUND 200 passengers on the Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick have been identified, authorities in the Indian state of Gujarat said, as grieving families held the last rites of their loved ones following the crash last Thursday (12).

Hundreds of lives were changed in an instant when the London-bound plane slammed into a residential area of Ahmedabad, killing 241 people on board and at least 38 on the ground.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Asim Munir

Security personnel stand beside a poster of Pakistani Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, during a rally to express solidarity with Pakistan's armed forces, in Islamabad on May 14, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump to host Pakistan army chief Asim Munir for lunch at White House

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump will host Pakistan army chief Asim Munir for lunch at the White House on Wednesday.

“The president has lunch with the chief of army staff of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” an advisory issued by the White House said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Indian schools among finalists for world’s best school prizes

Photo for representation (iStock)

Indian schools among finalists for world’s best school prizes

FOUR Indian schools were on Wednesday (18) named among the top 10 finalists across different categories for the annual world's best school prizes, organised in the UK to celebrate schools' enormous contribution to society's progress.

Schools from Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh were unveiled as contenders for membership of the Best School to Work programme to help schools attract and retain the best teachers. The worldwide winners across categories will be announced in October.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi-Carney

Canadian prime minister Mark Carney greets Indian prime minister Narendra Modi before a group photo during the G7 Summit at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 17, 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Getty

India and Canada agree to return ambassadors amid effort to reset relations

INDIA and Canada have agreed to restore full diplomatic ties by returning ambassadors to each other’s capitals, aiming to move past a dispute triggered by the killing of a Sikh separatist in Canada last year.

The announcement came as Canadian prime minister Mark Carney welcomed Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to the Group of Seven (G7) summit held in the Canadian Rockies. Carney, who took office in March, invited Modi to the summit as a guest, continuing India's regular participation at G7 gatherings.

Keep ReadingShow less