Only pets will do as kids: Young couples redefine parenting in Hyderabad

At a time when many childless couples are longing for a child, an increasing tribe of young couples in the city are choosing not to have kids and are instead lavishing their love and attention on parenting pets, writes Siddanth NairWhen Saurabh Verma (40) and his wife Swathi Hans (39) got an opportunity to move to Goa six months ago, they were excited at the prospect of building a new life with their ‘kids’ — Ishu and Mishu — in the languid beach paradise.But in just two months they decided to return to the dry and rocky terrain of Hyderabad. The reason? Their two kids couldn’t adapt to the humid climes of Goa. Today, their family is thriving in the city and has grown from just two to 45 ‘kids’ now.

But before you start worrying about India’s population bursting at the seams, hold your horses. The ‘kids’ for whom Swathi and Saurabh have gone to extreme lengths – from moving cities to sacrificing their jobs – may be of the two-legged variety but they all sport feathers.

They are all roosters that were rescued from streets and slaughterhouses.For some, pets are kids

At a time and age when debates are raging over what constitutes a marriage and whether having a child forms an integral part of it, some young married couples in Hyderabad are taking to a new version of parenthood – opting out of having biological children or even adopting children and going for parenting pets.They also refer to their pets as kids. “We don't see what we did for Ishu and Mishu as sacrifices but something we are doing out of our own willingness for our kids.

Our priority is to spend time with our kids. We are not interested in attending birthday parties and outings if we can’t take our kids with us,” explained Swathi.Choosing pets over adoption

The couple, who got married in 2014, said their initial plan was to adopt a child and secure high-paying jobs, but one incident changed everything. “I was out grocery shopping when I noticed two coloured chicks locked away in a small cage at a pet store. As someone who grew up playing with stray dogs, I knew I had to rescue them so I decided to buy them.

The feeling of warmth that I got while holding them is when I knew I want to dedicate my life to taking care of them,” recalled Saurabh.“With people it is always conditional. But with animals, it is selfless, pure and knows no bounds. The kind of love I have felt from my Ishu precedes any kind of love I have felt from my parents or anybody else,” added Swathi.Ajay Kumar, a veterinarian who runs a pet clinic in Madhapur, said his clinic is no longer just frequented by married couples with kids and pets, he’s seeing a rise in the number of married couples with only pets trooping in.Need to undo animal cruelty

For Shalini Chandrashekhar (29) and Prudhvi Panneeru (35), who are parents to an indie dog named Yoddha, pet parenting is all about undoing the wrongs of animal cruelty and neglect over the years.Which is how the couple, which got married in 2023 and runs an animal care shelter called Citizens for Animals, found Yoddha at Neredmet with a broken face in August 2024.“There are parents who will adopt children from orphanages but the same cannot be said for other animals, who are not only left to fend for themselves but also mistreated.

Just like kids, animals also long for love and we have taken it upon ourselves to do just that,” said Shalini.“I decided when I was in the fifth grade itself that if I was ever going to have a child, it was going to be an animal. We are such a happy couple and one of the biggest reasons for that is because we have Yoddha,” Prudhvi said with a big smile on his face.Along with having Yoddha, Prudhvi and Shalini also have two other kids — Oreo, an indie, and Lucky, a golden retriever.

The dogs are as pampered as any kid can be — their parents lavish them with clothes, their birthdays are celebrated, they are taken on vacations and have even learnt to communicate with parents.It’s about being eco-friendly

But for some pet parents, these decisions are driven by more than just love. Some like Sri Sai and Vikas Kotwal, both 26, feel having a pet is more financially viable, and environmentally friendly.“If we had a child, we would have had to spend a lot of money to take care of the kid.

But with a pet, we only need to spend on food,” said Kotwal, who refers to himself as a parent to a 14-year-old German Shepherd called Nani.The couple, which also run an animal care shelter called Breath Animal Rescue Home, feels that having a pet allows them to experience parenthood without adding to the carbon footprint.“Every child we bring to this world only adds more damage to the environment. Moreover, in the future, resources are going to diminish, and people are going to be fighting over something as basic as water. We don’t wish for our child to grow up in such an environment,” Sai added.But what about regrets about their decision that essentially puts an end to their bloodline?These pet parents said their focus is on living in the moment and cherishing their life with their loved furry kids