The pandemic has raised a yearning for furry companions

For Goregaon's Supriya Baikerikar, a yoga teacher in the making, “downward dog” is an asana in which she is usually staring downward at her dog.

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Peanut, the hardy caramel-skinned teething Indie who loves chewing through the satin labels of her daughter Neeva's soft toys, is quick to colonize Baikerikar’s blue yoga mat as she goes about her contortions every evening.

It’s been a month since he first entered their home as an anxious orphan prone to excessive peeing, destruction of houseplants and throwing up. Today, under the tender tutelage of Neeva, this adopted from Khandala has blossomed into an unfussy, potty-trained urban pet whose last daily trip to the loo at precisely 10.40 pm has come to dictate the family's new bedtime.

Elsewhere in the city, Biscuit, Lily, Zoe and other such four-legged owners of untrained bladders and unbiased love are busy wetting new floors. The pandemic-induced work-from-home reality, has served up near-ideal conditions for adopting or fostering pets.