Indeed it has been know for Indians to marry dogs themselves – take the case of P Selvakumar, 33, who married a stray dog in November 2007 at the local Ganesh temple to atone for his “sin” of killing two dogs 15 years earlier.

Usually, however, they only seek a spouse for their pet. “I have been searching for months, but no luck,” said Kunal Shingla, who is looking for a mate for Foster, his two-year-old basset hound.