Shiv Khera

Dog lover…always!

Shiv Khera
A man of wisdom – Shiv Khera’s love for pooches is not just a few years old, it has been always there! On asking about his first pet dog, he smiled and replied, “For this I have to go back almost 50 years ago. When I was in my school, I was very fond of animals. I was good in sports and I used to play polo. That was the time when my love for animals started. And at one point of time I even had seven pet dogs.” Today, he’s a proud pet parent of six wonderful canine champs – four Rottweilers and two Pugs. He just loves to see them playing and wandering all around.
For my eternal buddy!
Out of so many pets are there some special ones and he added, “All my pets are like my kids…so I cannot pick any one as my favourite…they all were and are my sweethearts. But there are some incidents, which leave their mark and remain fresh in our minds. In 1967, I had an accident and I was bed-ridden for some days. During that time, my pet dog was always under my bed. He was always an alert guard, trying to protect me 24×7. Nobody dared to come near me. I still fondly remember him… he was a great companion.”
Basic instincts…
His understanding for human behaviour is known to everyone….but he’s equally concerned about doggy’s behavioural reactions as well and he shared one such story, “My female Rottweiler got paralysed and she didn’t like anybody come close to her. She lost appetite, which made me more concerned. One day, while I was trying to pull her out from her kennel, she snapped at my hand. And just after that I saw tears in her eyes. Now, what we need to understand is that it’s not her mistake; she was in deep pain, so it was a natural reflex action. Even a kid would have shown the same reaction. This is the reason doctors ask to hold kids’ hands, while giving them injection. I later realised that it was my mistake, I should have first put a net on her mouth and then pulled her out as she was in severe pain.”
Envy – by product of love
Since Shiv has multiple dogs at his house, jealousy or shall we say sibling rivalry is obvious. “Once I had two pet dogs, a Mastiff and a Bhutia… and I was petting them both. After some time, they both started showing little aggression as they needed undivided attention. I tried to separate them and my hand got hurt. Here lies the importance of training. It’s a moral responsibility of a pet parent to train dogs properly. Once trained, a dog will never be ill-tempered. A hungry untrained dog…especially big breed can cause huge damage,” he shared.
A word of wisdom
So, having numerous pets and all are well-behaved and disciplined, is there any secret and he replied it’s just training. Temperament needs to be conditioned and it has to be done while growing up – this is his mantra for dog training. He further added, “While my pets are growing up, I do all the feeding myself and that is very important because they need to know who the master is. Moreover, all sorts of training start before meals as it is the best time to train. I initially fed my dogs with hands because of the simple reason that I can put my hand inside their food otherwise they will never allow me to interfere while they are eating. I will ask them to stop, they will do that and once I will ask them to start, they will start. Dogs have to understand who the master is.”
Wonders of pooch world!
“I love my pooches and they love me unconditionally…they are emotional too. Every day, when I go home and my car enters…there’s a bedlam in my home. They will keep barking, shouting and hauling until they get desired petting. Once petted, they all are calm and cool…and they look so sweet being calm after a spell of a noisy session,” told Shiv.
Being human!
Like us, he also discards leash. All tails up for Mr Khera. He feels to tie a dog is bad, it can be emotionally disturbing for pets as well as the pet parent and added, “We have to be fair to the pet. It’s inhuman to just keep pets tied to a leash…it’s not good…it’s a cruelty to soul.”
Message to readers
Shiv really feels bad about dogs’ abandonment, especially when they grow old. “A dog is a friend for life; he has given all his love to us and he remains faithful throughout his life. So, it’s socially and emotionally disturbing to abandon old dogs. Never get a pet, if you cannot take care of him. To conclude, I just want to give a simple message
– BE FAIR WITH THE DOGS.”
Favourite activity: I always carry biscuits and chew sticks, while training and rewarding them is the best thing.
Annoying activity: When I go home, all my pets and grandchildren, jump on me altogether….it’s annoying at times.
Treasured moments: The time spent, with my pets, at my farm are the most precious moments for me.
Best quality: Doggies’ ability to understand and feel your pain and emotions is a wonderful quality.