“Excuse me?”

The vet and I looked at each other in momentary silence. The Girls aka pups, have made more visits to this room in the last 13 weeks than in 13 years of life. As we turn into the road, Bowtie shakes and pants. Blaze shows the whites of her eyes.

I can’t tell if is the memories of vaccinations, operations or being called “cute, old ladies” so many times.

Now, Blaze is passively aggressively slumped on the ground, being thwarted in attempts to avoid neck shaving and blood taking. Bow cowers under the chair, paws crossed she is invisible. The vet whispers again but this time enunciating “she is overweight”…

“Why are we whispering”? I wonder if I should block Blaze’s ears. “Because people get offended.” “What about the dogs”? The vet and I looked at each other in momentary silence.

Ahimsa (non violence) and Satya (truth) .. the tangle of what to say when, to whom and how honest to be. Is it kind to be cruel or cruel to be kind? The conundrum within the yoga community or perhaps just for me. How about a bypass? Perhaps the easiest course of action when speaking with some one holding their dog like a baby.

For non violent communication, Sanskrit scholar and yogi, Hareesh Wallis suggests before speaking, establishing what it is the truth and then choosing to speak only objectively “Your dog is overweight by 6 kilos and statistically has 10% greater chance of diabetes”. This being inarguable (unless you are a stat expert) and less offensive than whispering your dog is fat. (https://hareesh.org/blog/2018/2/28/near-enemy-8-speaking-your-truth ). Alternatively speak truth subjectively. No way here.

Kudos for the Vet doing his best under trying circumstance with a first world problem, melodramatic person and 2 oversensitised dogs.

The dogs scurry out the door. In their wake, a waiting room of dogs.

The nurse shouts out, “such a cute pair of old ladies”.

Okay, a whisper can less offensive in certain circumstances.

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