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Tuesday 17 February 2015

Friends in high places ...

 Nick Clegg was in for a wonderful treat when he met My Dog, my Friend contributor Marion Janner and her support dog, Buddy, at a recent event for mental health. The Lib Dem leader was giving a speech about potential improvements to mental health services, and asked for a private meeting with Marion and Buddy afterwards! He picked the right pair to chat to – Marion runs Star Wards, which helps mental health wards provide actively therapeutic care for in-patients, and Buddy is her wonderful Tibetan Terrier who brings comfort and support to Marion on a daily basis.
You can read more about Marion and Buddy's important work in My Dog, my Friend, and over at the Star Wards website.


Friday 13 February 2015

Are you ready for Ruffs?

Is your dog the happiest hound around? Have you transformed the life of a rescue dog? Then enter your dog in Ruffs, the RSPCA's alternative dog show!

Born out of frustration with beauty pageant-style dog shows such as Crufts, which judge dogs on the basis of their looks, even when it’s those very looks that can cause them to suffer unnecessarily, Ruffs welcomes all canines – from Golden Oldies to the Perfectly imperfect. This dog show with a difference celebrates dogs for the right reasons – their health, happiness, and welfare.

This year's categories are:

Happiest Hound –
Send us pictures of your dog's happiest, smiliest or most contented face.
Perfectly imperfect – Especially for ‘wonky’ dogs who will never be ‘perfect’ according to  arbitrary ‘breed standards,’ but who are perfect in your eyes
Best transformation Send in before and after pictures of your rescued pooch The RSPCA is after examples of the most heart-warming transformations which demonstrate that ‘rescued’ is the best breed!
Best rescued ex-breeder Let’s not forget about the many dogs discarded when they’re no longer producing puppies. Send in pictures of your ex-breeders finally enjoying a slice of the good life.
Best RSPCA rescue dog – Was your dog adopted from the RSPCA? Send in your pictures and their stories.
Golden Oldies – For older ladies and gentlemen over eight years old. Send in pictures of your dogs enjoying their retirement!

The deadline for entries is 20th February 2015. For more information, and to find out how to enter, visit the RSPCA's Ruffs website, and keep up to date with news by following #Ruffs on Twitter. Good luck to you and your happy, healthy hounds!
 

Wednesday 11 February 2015

Win a month's supply of Pure Pet Food!

We've teamed up with the nice people at Pure Pet Food for our February competition!


Fancy winning this lovely 2kg box of Pure Pet Food Chicken Dinner?* Simply email us letting us know what you like most about owning a dog, at prize@hubbleandhattie.com to be in with a chance of winning. We'll announce the lucky winner on our Facebook page at the end of the month!

Pure have developed an innovative range of dehydrated dog food. The big difference with Pure is that they prepare all of their meals by gently air drying the recipes. Although a much longer process than producing a dry biscuit or wet tinned food, they believe it’s time well spent and the only option to do their ingredients justice.

Dehydration removes the moisture from their natural and human grade food, locking in the nutrients and goodness, whilst preserving them. All owners have to do is simply add warm water, which allows the food to rehydrate before serving, providing a convenient, low processed meal with the nutritional benefit of home cooking or raw feeding.


For more information about Pure Pet Food, simply click here.


*One lucky winner (selected at random) will win a Pure Pet Food Chicken Dinner in a 2kg box of food (rehydrates to 8kg). More information here about the prize. Competition closes 28/2/2015.
This competition is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.


Friday 6 February 2015

Animals and wellbeing – part one

 
Hands up, pet owners – how many of you think that your furry friend has a positive impact on your life...?
I’d be surprised if there weren’t a whole bunch of people staring at their screens with their hands in the air right now. Because it’s true – from getting us out of the house for a bit of exercise, to making us feel better when we’re down, our pets definitely have the ability to enrich our lives and improve our wellbeing.

Over the next few months we’re going to take a look at the various benefits our interactions with the animal world have on our general wellbeing. This month, the focus is on animals and our mental health.

Animals and mental wellbeing 


If you’ve ever felt low or upset, and then had a cat come and sit on your lap and purr, or a dog rest his head on your leg for you to scratch his ears, you probably already know the amazing effect that animals can have on our mood. Their very presence offers comfort, and they always seem to know when we need them most – even before we do!

There are hundreds of ways animals help our mental wellbeing day-to-day. My husband and I are constantly talking about our two cats: watching them, playing with them, and laughing at their antics. After a hard or tiring day at work, I know I'll walk through my front door to find James Cat rolling around waiting for me, with Leonard not far away (often in my husband's lap!) Five minutes talking to, cuddling, and playing with them is enough to have me wondering what I was so grumpy about. Their upbeat attitude is infectious.

Organisations such as Pets as Therapy have been telling us this since the early eighties. Through visits to hospitals, hospices, nursing and care homes, and special needs schools, the charity's volunteers and their pets have helped many people to feel better about themselves, and the world around them.

For the elderly, the presence of an animal can help them feel less isolated, and keep them active, both mentally and physically, and offers a sense of security and companionship. This article describes the ways in which therapy animals can help people with dementia, indicating that they recognize an animal in the environment as friendly and non-threatening. When they have a pet with them, studies show they display more interactive behaviour – animals bring us out of ourselves. 

This is also true of people living with mental illness. The State Hospital in Scotland has many animals on-site for inpatients to visit, work with and care for, as well as regular visits from therapy assistance animals. It released a very insightful article about the benefits this has had on residents.

Aileen Galt, a rehabilitation Instructor at the centre, says “Bonding with animals is often much easier than getting people to like and trust you, so animals-as-therapy is a great first step in the rehabilitation process.”

The sense of trust, friendship and responsibility that people gain from interactions with animals is invaluable – perhaps even life-saving. Marion Janner, Director of Star Wards and contributor to My Dog, my Friend, is in no doubt about the benefits that her dog, Buddy, has had on her life. If feeling overwhelmed when out and about (in Buddy's words) “Marion … loves loves loves me and wouldn't put me in danger. So she somehow manages to stagger on and get me across streets and back home nice and safely.” (p27, My Dog, my Friend)


Buddy's presence is a comfort and a safeguard: Marion's love for her friend keeps them both safe, and allows Marion the freedom to lead her life, knowing that she has Buddy supportively trotting along beside her.

They cheer us up, they bring us out of ourselves, they keep us calm and give us a reason to carry on. They make us feel normal, safe and loved, and they do it all with a simple wag of the tail, an understanding gaze, and a gentle nuzzle. Yes, animals are an incredible asset to our mental wellbeing, because they're always there for us, and always will be. And there's great comfort in that thought.