Shaheen Bhatt: Pupper time

Will adopting a dog help your parents’ empty nest syndrome? What size or breed works best for those in their 60s?

Puppy parents?

Is it time for your parents to adopt a dog?

My parents are in their late sixties and suffer from empty nest syndrome. They like dogs, so I thought I’d get one for them. Can you suggest a particular breed that could be easy for them to manage?

—Siddharth, Via email

Before getting a dog, it would be best to talk to your parents. While dogs make excellent companions, choosing to care for one is not a decision to be made lightly. They require almost round the clock attention and it can be particularly challenging in the first year of their life. Make sure your parents have the time and energy to make a commitment like this. Provided everything has been thought through, a smaller dog would probably be the right fit for them.

Shaheen Bhatt’s public outing of her own challenges with mental health fuelled discourse about a relatively ignored topic, and made her a role model for young girls to look up to

From HT Brunch, May 9, 2021

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