Your Pet will Fall in Love with this Zoic Pet Park Located in Mumbai’s Western Suburbs

Pet hangouts are few and far between in a metropolitan city like Mumbai, where open areas are limited and practically sacred. Even gardens and promenades that are open to the public most of the time do not welcome pets. As a pet parent, you’d know that walking them on the sidewalk or on the road is unsafe and necessitates keeping them on a leash at all times, even if parasites like ticks are a concern.

Zoic Pet Park, located in IC Colony , Borivali West, Mumbai’s western suburbs, invites our furry friends not just for walks but also for pet care, bonding, and therapy. It is the largest park out of the city’s three leash-free animal parks, with a total area of 27,000 square feet. The park was planned and is managed by the locals since 2013-2014.

The renovated park, which opened in December 2021, features mounds with cement tunnels as dog play areas, a pet wash-up and splash fountain, crabgrass areas, repurposed tyres as playing and agility equipment, therapy pond for dogs with weak hind legs and arthritis, training zone, and an exclusive fenced area for puppies. Crabgrass was chosen because it is pet-friendly. Crabgrass is a creeper, weed-like grass that gardeners generally pull out.

The park is filled with dogs when it opens at 7:30 a.m. However, because of the Covid-19 limitations, dog owners have begun walking their pets on the walkway outside the park. The park attracts dog parents from all around the city, because they have a variety of training equipment for canines.  Ajit Satyaprakash, a person who walks his dog daily in the morning said that he has seen a lot of pet parents shift to IC Colony just for the sake of their pet. He also said, “We do not have a proper open space to run around and it is dangerous to let them loose on the road. Inside this park, he can freely enjoy himself without being tied to a leash.”

Pet parents are reminded to clean up after their pets have defecated  by signs placed along the walk. The rules are also listed on a large board. The recently refurbished park features a paved walking track that is surrounded by palm trees  and benches at regular intervals, making it look like animal shelter pods. These natural stone pods consist of ventilation holes on the sides, making it a cooling shade spot for both the pets and their parents.

The shelters pods were created with the help of an architect Faizan Khatri. He did a detailed research on how animals traverse and utilise places. He says, “The aim of renovating the pet park was to re-imagine how the ground level is visualised by animals navigating through it.” A regular veterinarian is available for check-ups and vaccinations at the park’s pet care section. The garden also makes an attempt to make the new plants, shrubs, and grasses it introduces pet-friendly.