We Speak Dog!
THE TEAM
Shalaka Mundada
Shalaka Mundada, the founder of PetSitters is a Dog Trainer and Canine Behaviourist. She has been in the industry for over 13 years and is certified as a Dog Trainer, Behaviourist & Dog Aggression specialist from John Rogerson's Northern Centre for Canine Behaviour, UK. She has completed her Kennel Management Course from Canine Can Care, Mumbai under the mentorship of Shirin Merchant, one of the pioneer dog trainers in India. In 2021, she has also attended the Dog Behavior Conference held by the Victoria Stilwell Academy.
Before stepping into the Pet Care industry, she completed her MBA in Marketing, worked with a leading bank and an IT company. As a child, she was certain that she would work with dogs one day. So taking a year-long sabbatical from her IT job, she volunteered at a vet’s clinic and learnt more about dogs and that is where the idea of PetSitters was born.
Visiting several kennels across the city, she gained a better sense of what she wanted PetSitters to be - a combination of open spaces and natural environments with sheltered, hygienic spaces that made the pet feel happy and safe. PetSitters had to be a place where every need of the dog was taken care of - be it food, medications, exercise or even emotional needs - PetSitters was to be a second home for the dog.
From time to time, she does various courses, attends seminars and conferences to learn from stalwarts in the field like Patricia McConnell, Ian Dunbar, Marc Bekoff, Claudia Fugazza, Victoria Stilwell and Brenda Aloff. Sarah Fischer, Alexandra Horowitz.
Satish Hulyalkar
An avid dog lover like most of us, Satish is a trainer and consultant by profession (not in the canine world). He firmly believes in combining passion and profession so, in 2008, when the idea of PetSitters was born, he jumped right on board. When we started, he was active in all its operations - checking dogs in and out, walking and feeding them to even cleaning the kennels, when need be. It was his insistence that we included a Rottie in our pack. He still joins us every now and then to play with the dogs and spend time with them every once in a while.
Sanika Divekar
Sanika joined us as a volunteer in 2018 and today, she’s a part of our permanent team. She joins in as an assistant to Shalaka and fills up any role that may be assigned to her - be it training, swimming or even kennel management. If you’re at the facility for a consult or a professional program, you’ll find her there regaling dogs and humans alike.
Munna
Having been with us since 2014, he’s responsible for the dogs’ fun quotient. Be it walking the dogs, conducting play sessions or getting them to swim, dogs have a ball when they’re with him.