26-Year-Old Raises Pet Groomer Pay to $660 a Month in India

When Garima Khanna started PetPipers in 2019, she had a radical idea: what if pet groomers were paid fairly, trained properly, and treated with respect?

Today, her groomers earn between Rs 22,000 to Rs 55,000 ($260 to $660) per month. That's triple what many made in their previous jobs, and it's transforming lives across Delhi-NCR and Mumbai.

Garima, now 26, grew up in Saharanpur grooming her own dog because trained professionals simply didn't exist. When she moved to Delhi, she saw an industry filled with expensive van services that stressed out pets and underpaid workers. Pet parents struggled to find affordable care, and groomers worked without training or career growth.

So she built something different. Instead of asking new hires to start working immediately, she offered 60 days of paid training. The response was immediate.

Ashish had been grooming pets for eight years when Garima reached out in 2018. He was unhappy and barely making ends meet. "I started at Rs 20,000, and today I draw Rs 55,000," he says. "I feel respected at work." Over four years, he's trained eight other groomers and become a senior team member.

Sujith left a call center job to join PetPipers. "I earn three times what I earned there, and I have great job satisfaction," he shares. Both men say they didn't find the job; the job found them.

The timing couldn't be better. India's pet care market hit $3.6 billion in 2024 and could reach $7 billion by 2028. But the industry remains largely unregulated, with groomers lacking proper training in breed-specific needs and safe handling practices.

Why This Inspires

Garima's model proves that caring for workers and caring for business aren't opposites. When groomers are trained properly and paid fairly, pets get better care, customers get better service, and everyone wins.

Her team members speak about dignity and respect with the same pride they show for their technical skills. That's rare in any industry, but especially in blue-collar work where growth often feels impossible.

"My first aim was to ensure my groomers were happy and satisfied at work," Garima says. Seven years later, her groomers are training others, building careers, and proving that respect isn't a luxury—it's the foundation of good business.