It's a dog's life!

Of late, Bollywood has become extremely pet friendly. "They're far more reliable than human companions," jokes Sushmita Sen, who has half a dozen dogs of various breeds in her home, all looked after like royalty. Rani Mukerji and Urmila Matondkar too dote on their dogs like their own children.

Soulmates

Dogs are the No 1 soul-providers in Bollywood. As soon as Abhishek Bachchan was gifted an over-sized canine by a friend last year, he found his choc-a-bloc schedule being governed entirely by his pet's moods.

Even a sneeze makes Abhishek paranoid about his over-sized baby. While leaving for his honeymoon, Abhishek's main worry was his dog. Would it be looked after well in his absence?

Veteran actress Raakhee looks after her canine Pari as though she were her second daughter. Full-fledged domestic servants are employed for Pari to be walked, fed, bathed and put to bed. Raakhee's husband Gulzar's pet dog Pali has been his constant companion for years.

A sexy young actress who, after a messy break-up got herself a poodle, is over the moon. "Why do we insult dogs by calling men dogs? I've realised my new companion is far more reliable and giving than my boyfriend used to be," she says.

Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali admits his life changed ever since some friends gifted him a dog on his last birthday. Sanjay has named him Happiness, and admits that's the quality that the canine has brought to his life.

Randeep Hooda, who had a pet cat Leo who died recently, has decided to be different in his choice of pets. He's acquiring a companion from the animal kingdom that no one else in the industry can claim to have one.

Laughs Randeep, "I don't know about that, but yes, I'm heavily into outdoor sports. And I'm buying an animal that pertains to the outdoors soon. In fact, I've already zeroed in on the animal I want."