Pets and pet peeves

Author and thought leader Tahira Kashyap Khurrana on how to inspire empathy and deal with jealousy

Say ‘Please’

Tahira suggests giving someone with a rude behaviour a dose of their own medicine if talking to them doesn’t help

I love my girlfriend, but she speaks rudely (dismissively) to waiters and domestic help. Is there a nice way for me to stop this?

-Vishesh D, Via email

I would love to suggest that you give her a dose of her own medicine. If you tried talking to her and it hasn’t helped, perhaps this might.

And, if you aren’t the mean kind, you might want to talk it out with her and evoke empathy in her somehow. If she doesn’t understand and if I were you, I would think twice about being with someone who is not only a grief-giver but takes advantage of power. Life is too short, my friend. We need to give love to receive love.

Sibling Rivalry

I have a three-month-old baby and our four-year-old beagle is insanely jealous. What can I do?

-Divyanka Joshi, Pune

As much as I love dogs, I can’t pull my standard ‘have a dialogue’ line here. It’s best to involve a dog trainer. I would love for you to help the baby and the dog bond and so might recommend that they spend time together, but since both the species are unpredictable (I speak from experience), it’s best to have someone who can talk the dog out.

From HT Brunch, September 21, 2020

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