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kilkennyobserver.ie
The Kilkenny Observer Friday 5 May 2023
Opinion
As I See It Marianne Heron
Doggone it! Who let the dogs in? Our four-legged friends have been dogging the headlines of late: a sign of how the status of canines has changed. No longer confined to a kennel in the yard, dogs have wagged their way into our homes and our hearts and the passing of a pet can be akin to the loss of a family member. The death of President Michael’s D’s beloved Bernese Mountain dog Brod got column inches with pictures in the leading Sunday papers. Brod and companion Bernese Misneach became celebrities with their own social media accounts and a key role in welcoming visitors to the Aras. Dogs get a looking in on mourning too, at TV personality Paul O’Grady’s funeral in Kent, when dogs from the Battersea Cats and Dogs
Home, for which O’Grady was an ambassador, formed a guard of honour. There was mourning of a different kind when listeners called in to Live Line to protest over the fact that in some instances pets are not allowed in council or privately rented property. Faced with a choice between property and petlessness in several cases, families turned down places on offer, despite the housing crisis, rather than live without their pooches. Treating dogs like family members has led to a whole industry for pampered pets. One pet insurance company reckoned that Ireland’s half a million or so dogs cost their owners about €1,250 a year on average. Pet shops are awash with comfy dog beds, doggie treats and toys, never mind all the bags of kibble
and canned foods and, increasingly, clothing for dogs, even including, I kid you not, dry robes. In addition to dog grooming parlours and kennels services, there are now dog sitting firms like House My Dog and then there’s doggie portraiture. There are dog whisperers, special pet cemeteries like Heavenly Haven and dog schools which are as much about training owners rather than their four-legged friends. One side effect of all the care and attention is that dogs are now living longer than before, as well as being treated for conditions normally associated with humans like ulcers or depression there is an increase in canine dementia. The rise in petiquette means that dogs get in on the act on all kinds
of occasions, especially, it seems, at weddings, leading to some unexpected headlines as in Dog Wolfs Down Wedding Cake, Swallows Ring or The Dog Ate My Wedding Album. One acquaintance of mine refers to her pair of poodles as her children. Is considering dogs as furry babies taking things a step too far and how does this humanisation affect dogs and what does it say about us? Animal psychologists view this kind of anthropomorphising as a mistaken idea where people attribute human needs and emotions to dogs and treat them accordingly in a misguided attempt to understand and get closer to their pets. The trouble with this approach is that it ignores the dogs’ needs and doesn’t allow them behave like dogs.
It can lead to behavioural problems in dogs like aggression when they don’t get their own way, like separation anxiety when owners are absent and fear or fighting with other dogs where they aren’t socialised. Aside from humans’ tendency to bark up the wrong tree, dog ownership has lots of pawsitive effects on owners. The catalogue of health benefits (maybe that should be dogaloge as cats are only half as popular as pets) includes lower blood pressure, less loneliness and stress and longer life expectancy. Dog owners are more likely to go walking and due to better exercise routines have lower body mass index (BMI). Could having a dog be better than popping a pill? If what happened during the pandemic is any indica-
tion, many more people would like to have dogs given the right conditions, working from home (WFH) led to a boom in pet ownership. Sadly, the return to office and school brought a return of dogs to shelters for rehoming with pets that were illprepared to left home alone, bone idle and as their owners realised that dogs need to be given more exercise and stimulation than they could manage. My take on dogs? They have been around us humans for somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000, years long before cattle were domesticated and they are wise to our ways. Treated right they are the most faithful companions and having had the pleasure of the company of a succession of canine companions I miss having one now.
Reduce stress with Terranova Government must intervene to reduce rip-off energy bills CLAIR WHITTY
Are you feeling stressed, tired, or under pressure to get daily tasks completed? Some of the most popular supplements I talk about to help alleviate stress include Ashwagandha, Rhodiola, Magnesium and B Complex. As you know there are many brands of these available, it can be difficult to know which one to choose. One of the brands we stock is Terranova. Recently I was talking with Laura Downes Nutritional Therapist and she reminded why Terranova is so special. “ I love the fact that the whole range of Terranova supplements contains no fillers, binders, additives or artificial anything. Everything in the product has a function, is animal free and it is perfectly suitable to anyone following vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.” I agree with Laura that we can never remove the stress trigger in our lives but that we can moderate how our body’s respond to that stress with adaptogens. Rhodiola root is possibly one of the most popular adaptogenic herbs we have. It is commonly used to support energy levels and endurance, may improve cognitive function and combat stress. Laura
told me that Terranova’s Rhodiola is supported by numerous clinical trials, which have demonstrated benefits in both physical exercise stress and psychological stress. I wondered about the difference between fermented Ashwagandha and one that isn’t fermented. She told me that when herbs are fermented, it unlocks the potent healing and nourishing properties of
that plant, to a degree, that the body is often incapable of achieving on its own. Terranova’s Fermented Ashwagandha does just that! Fermented Ashwagandha contains activated compounds in a highly bioavailable form. Research shows these smaller molecules are directly bioactive and penetrate the body more easily, which is what you want from an adaptogen. And not to forget the bestselling Terranova B Complex for optimum support during times of stress. It provides the full spectrum of B Vitamins, plus Vitamin C, and a Magnifood Complex featuring botanicals that work in synergy with these nutrients. It has been formulated with ingredients which allow the body to resist the damaging effects of stress and restore optimal physiological function. Getting out in nature, meeting a friend or watching funny movies are all good ways to unwind. And the fantastic news is Terranova is 25% off for the month of May. Shop online at www.naturalhealthstore.ie where you’ll be able to take a look at these brands. Natural Health Store, Market Cross Shopping Centre Phone: 056 7764538 Email: info@naturalhealthstore.ie
BY: DEPUTY KATHLEEN FUNCHION SINN FEIN TD FOR KILKENNY CARLOW Sinn Féin TD for Carlow Kilkenny, Kathleen Funchion, has said that the government is not doing enough to help struggling workers and families overwhelmed by the costs of energy across Carlow and Kilkenny. Teachta Funchion said: “Households in Carlow and Kilkenny are still struggling to keep their heads above water as government continues to prioritise the profits of energy companies over workers and families at every turn. “Average gas and electricity bills have doubled over the last year to the point that the price of electricity here is the highest in Europe and the price of gas is eighth most expensive. “There is no excuse for this. Wholesale prices of gas and electricity have fallen significantly electricity by half - yet there have been no efforts to pass these savings on to consumers. “As energy companies rack up eye-watering profits, the number of people living in energy poverty doubled over the last year and at its peak was a shameful record-breaking high
of 40%. “One in five Irish homes are now behind on their gas bills - of those 679,000 people that rely on gas to heat their homes, 139,785 were in arrears at the end of December with this rising to 152,276 by the end of February. “The government can act to protect domestic consumers but instead continues to sit on its hands. “Sinn Féin is calling on them to introduce a windfall tax which addresses the super-profits of energy companies. “Government must also provide financial relief and certainty to households by reducing domestic electricity prices to their pre-Ukraine invasion levels and capping them at that level - as has been done in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. “They must also reverse the increase in carbon tax. “They must also introduce new regulatory powers for the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities that empowers them to tackle instances of price-gouging and to ensure that it has the resources to do so. “These are all
sensible measures that the government can and must introduce to protect struggling households from greedy profiteering.’’
