Category:

1. Happiness is....

   Posted on 10:00am Saturday 4th Nov 2017

   A new survey commissioned by entertainment channel W showed that material gifts don’t necessarily bring us great happiness. 

   The survey was done for Davina McCall’s series, The Davina Hour, and the hour focused on happiness. 

   It showed that the simple pleasures in life are the best.   Out of the 2,000 people surveyed, 56 said a kiss and a cuddle was their top treat, then sharing a laugh, the joy of clean sheets, and stroking a pet.

   Nature featured several times in the top 20:

   1. Stroking a pet (4^th, 30%)
   2. The smell of freshly mown grass (13^th, 16%)
   3. Morning birdsong (18^th, 11%)
   4. Walking barefeet in the sand (20^th, 10%)

   Doing things for others also featured, including Doing a Good Deed and Giving a Present.   I know I feel happy every time I put the bird feed out and fill up their water bath.  People also felt happy when they heard from an old friend, received kindness from a stranger and had a compliment, so there are a few things we can all do to make the world a happier place, if we don’t do them already. 

   Last year for Christmas, my husband gave a donation to SPANA for their mobile veterinary clinic to help care for working elephants in Myanmar.  Every time I think of this clinic going about its work helping to care for working animals, it gives me a glow.  SPANA do a wonderful job, and I'd far rather have a gift which gave animals the chance to have a happier healthier life, than anything else.

   Friendship also rated well, with 21% saying hearing from an old friend made them happy, and 11% having a cup of tea with a friend.

   The top 20 pleasures which make us happy were:

   1. A kiss and a cuddle – 56%
   2. Laugh with others – 54%
   3. Clean sheets – 38%
   4. Stroke a pet – 30%
   5. Get a bargain – 25%
   6. Receive a compliment – 24%
   7. Find money – 21%
   8. Hear from an old friend – 21%
   9. Do a good deed – 19%
   10. Have a lazy Sunday – 18%
   11. Have a cup of tea with a friend – 17%
   12. Give a present – 17%
   13. Smell of freshly mown grass – 16%
   14. Find out you lost weight – 16%
   15. Sit in front of a log fire – 14%
   16. Kindness from a stranger – 14%
   17. Relax in a warm bath – 12%
   18. Morning birdsong – 11%
   19. Find something you’d lost – 11%
   20. Walk barefoot in the sand – 10%

    

    

2. Being lonely - can a pet help?

   Posted on 9:00pm Thursday 19th Oct 2017

   When we talk of health and being well, much of the talk is often centred on physical health – but mental health matters too. And the Royal College of General Practitioners recently revealed that loneliness can be just as bad for our health as illnesses such as diabetes. More than 1.1 million people in the UK are thought to be chronically lonely, with 17% of older people having human contact less than once a week. So the RSPCA is urging people who know someone who may be lonely to consider adopting a rescue pet or to volunteer. The Chief Scientific Officer at the RSPCA, Dr Julia Wrathal, said:  “Adopting a pet can be a fantastic way to combat loneliness and animals can make wonderful companions for those who find themselves alone.” Pairing people with pets could also help ease pressure on animal charities.  Older pets are hard to re-home, and older people could adopt older pets – they don’t need to take on a youngster.  It’s often the older pets who really just want a loving, caring home with a lap to cuddle up next to, and a stroll around the garden or a short walk around the block.    There are benefits to adopting a pet: They make great companions.  There’s someone to meet you when you get home.  Walking a dog is a great way to meet people when you’re out and about.  Dogs mean you need to get out and about for exercise and you can get to meet other dog owners and build up quite a network of people to say hallo to! Evidence suggests that when we stroke animals - or in the case of dogs, when we just look into their eyes - our bodies release oxytocin, a hormone that brings about bonding between individuals as well as helping us feel more optimistic and lowering blood pressure.  They make us less vulnerable to the physical effects of stress. That said, owning a pet won’t be for everyone.  So what do you do if owning a pet long term isn’t for you? You could volunteer – it’s a great way to meet people and you can build it into a regular routine.  When I volunteered for Cats Protection, an elderly lady used to bring her knitting and radio along to help.  She would sit in the pens of the more nervous cats and knit listening to the radio at one end, and the nervous cat would sit at the other and gradually come to say hallo as she knitted away.  It was a great way to give cats in the cattery human companionship and keep them in touch with people. You could also foster – a short term arrangement – or longer!   Fosterers are great when kennels and catteries are particularly busy or when there are cats and dogs who aren’t coping with life in a rescue and need more of a homely environment.  Contact your local rescue to see how you can help. The RSPCA says that interacting with animals can be a great way to overcome loneliness in people – and help animals at the same time!  And if you’d like to help the elderly with pet care, you could become a volunteer for the Cinnamon Trust who have volunteers all over the UK.  They help with dog walking and all sorts of activities to help the elderly keep their pets, whether the older people live in a care home or in their own homes.

    

3. Amazing dogs helping amazing veterans - well done to everyone at Bravehound!

   Posted on 9:00pm Wednesday 27th Sep 2017

   So I was watching the Invictus Games tonight on the TV and just wanted to tell you about something which caught my eye.  Introducing Bravehound... Dogs can help heal invisible wounds.   Bravehound looks to provide companion dogs to veterans and then support the dog and veteran over the dogs’ life.  They try to match suitable veterans with companion dogs and where possible, they willl re-home dogs from an animal welfare charity.  Veterans are supported with pet insurance, feeding and equipment.     Dogs are really at providing companionship, and encouraging owners to take exercise and have a routine.  They also make it easier for people to talk to each other.   Scottish based Bravehound is the canine wing of Glen Art, and they support former servicemen and women and their families  This is really quite a charity and they have already been voted Best Voluntary/Charity Project in the National Lottery Awards.   You can make a donation to help them in their work here.

    

4. Donkey therapy works ... in Sri Lanka, Romania, the UK....

   Posted on 9:00pm Monday 25th Sep 2017

   There's some amazing work being done by animals all over the world to help people. A fantastic example is that of donkeys.   The Donkey Sanctuary donkeys are at work in the UK, Sri Lanka and in Italy helping children through donkey therapy. In the Donkey Sanctuary's newsletter this Spring 2017, we heard about the charity's most recent project. At the Mannar Assocication for Rehabilitation of Differnently Abled People (MARDAP) in Sri Lanka, children are benefitting from donkey interaction. The Director of MARDAP, Sister Josephine, noted that in the beginning a child called Murika was reluctant to interact with other children.  But with the help of the donkeys, that began to improve.  And Murika has shown a great love for animals.  Her bond with the donkeys has changed her from a nervous child to a happy, confident one, with a smiling face and a child who loves coming to school.  A child with hand co-ordination issues was seen grooming a donkey.   The children love to hug the donkeys.  They feed, groom and talk to the donkeys.  It all helps to improve their emotional and physical development.  And adults have benefitted too. The donkeys have been helped by Bridging Lanka, a charity which works with the large feral donkey population in Sri Lanka.   The project brings together children at MARDAP’s school with donkeys helped by Bridging Lanka, a charity which works with the large feral donkey population in Sri Lanka.    Bluto, a rescued donkey at the Donkey Sanctuary's Italian centre, sharies many special moments with residents of a nearby care home.  They love spending time with him - and he enjoys his visits to see them.   It's wonderful to see the great work so many of these donkeys are doing to help young and old.   Many have been rescued from terrible situations.   There are many ways you can support the Donkey Sanctuary to do their work - find out more here

    

    

5. Wild Horses of Alberta Society....

   Posted on 4:00pm Monday 31st Jul 2017

   So yesterday I was having a canter around the BBC website and having a browse and I came across a video made by the Wild Horses of Alberta Society. The Society is "committed to the preservation of these magnificent animals in their natural environment" and they have a number of videos on their You Tube page which I must say I did enjoy.   As well as informing the public about the history of these wonderful horses, the Society  is also working with the government to establish reasonable and achievable wild horse population management solutions, and also another objective I particularly like is their work to promote the welfare of wild horses by rescuing, gentling and rehoming of wild horses providing veterinary care. They also have a wild horse adoption programme. Of course, being a horse lover I had to have a look, and the video was just wonderful!   The wilds of Alberta, the care the people took of these wild horses and the spirit of the horses was just - for me - really moving.   Here's one of their videos, A Year with the Wild Horses - do take a look!   The organisation entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the province of Alberta back in November 2014 - a 5 year agreement.  It means WHOAS can run 2 programmes in a large area of the Sundre Equine Zone -  Firstly, a contraception program for wild horse mares - this should help manage horse populations Secondly, an adoption program so that WHOAS can rescue wild horses in trouble on private land or that are found abandoned or injured. It's always interesting to see how people are working to help animals and I do wish the Society well in its work. Click here to visit the Wild Horses of Alberta Society's website