HOME   |   SIGN UP FOR THE OHMI NEWSLETTER   |   CONTACT US   |   DONATE
The OHMI Trust
  • Home
    • About
    • Stories
    • OHMI Music-Makers
    • OHMI Research Partnership
    • Latest Annual Report
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Team
    • History of OHMI
  • Supporting OHMI
    • Donate
    • BBC Radio 4 Charity Appeal
    • OHMI Fundraisers
    • OHMI Funders
    • OHMI Affiliates
  • OHMI Competition
    • Competition Rules
    • Competition Judges
    • Past winners
  • Instruments
    • Shop
    • Instrument hire scheme
    • Woodwind
    • Strings
    • Brass
    • Electronic
    • Instrument Fingering Charts
  • Resources
    • OHMI Connect
    • OHMI CPD Training
    • Research >
      • Teaching research
  • News and Views
    • News
    • Press

My Dog (and Other Animals)

19/4/2021

 
PictureMy dog Rousseau (left) and Boris (right) investigating a pile of leaves
To the long line of men who’ve been desperate to date me,
I regret to inform you that your application for the role of Amy’s boyfriend has been unsuccessful. However, I wish you all the best for the future.
Yours faithfully
Amy Hetherington
 
Yes, my experimentation with online dating has been successful. I’ve met a lovely man, and it’s going strong. Most importantly, he has a dog, an adorable golden retriever called Boris.
We’ve been on three dates so far, one with our doggies, one without, and one at his parents’ house (compliant with COVID restrictions, of course).
It has made blog writing difficult this month since my head has been filled with thoughts of a budding romance and not music-related topics. 
​Therefore, I’ve decided to write about dogs. True, there is little connection between music and pets, but my dog has played a significant role in my life, particularly during the pandemic, and I know that many others have found comfort and joy in pet-owning. 
Animals can have a significant influence on our thoughts and emotional well-being. When I’m anxious, listening to gentle music calms me, and when I’m frustrated, listening to loud rock music helps me get that anger out of my system. And each time I’m feeling down, my dog comes to comfort me. (It’s very hard not to feel just that little bit better after a bad day when you come home to find a waggy tail on the doormat.)
If you look after them, pets (dogs especially) can give so much back: unconditional love, loyalty, amusement and comfort. To me, the evidence is clear - dogs are often brought into old people’s homes, trained to help autistic children and can even predict epileptic seizures. We never trained our dog to predict my attacks, even when I suffered them regularly, but he always knew when I was about to have one. He was and still is a great comfort to me when I feel unwell. Admittedly, his attempts to help are not always practical - pushing his nose into my face, licking every available part of me and barking - but I appreciate the effort, especially when he brings me his (very smelly) teddy. 
There has been something of a boom in pet-buying during the pandemic. The BBC recently reported that 3.2 million households have acquired a pet since the start of the pandemic, and the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association posits that this is in response to social isolation during lockdowns. Many people have suffered from loneliness since the COVID crisis occurred. Admittedly, you can’t have a deep, philosophical conversation with a dog, but they really do listen. And, “walkies” get you exercising and socialising - usually with other dog owners - which can be the start of a lasting friendship (my mum met her best friend while she was walking the dog). 
Any pet can help your mental health. My sister finds solace in stroking her rabbits, and many people find a cat’s purring calming. I once read a report which showed that after two minutes of stroking a pet, people’s heart rates were significantly lowered. 
Since I think we sometimes take the health benefits of pet-owning for granted, I dedicate this post to all the pets out there helping their owners through anxiety, loneliness, and sedentary lifestyles.

First edition of the Accessible Challenge Clarinet Team Newsletter goes live!

14/4/2021

 
Click to read the April edition of the Clarinet Newsletter
A team of people including instrument makers, 3D printing specialists and designers have been working on producing an entry level version of Peter Worrell's fantastic one-handed clarinet.  Read more about how they are getting on in the first edition of the team newsletter. 
If you are interested in joining the next meeting on Friday 16th April at 12:30pm then please email for the access code.
Picture

    Categories

    All
    News

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    June 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    May 2018
    January 2018

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
    • About
    • Stories
    • OHMI Music-Makers
    • OHMI Research Partnership
    • Latest Annual Report
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Team
    • History of OHMI
  • Supporting OHMI
    • Donate
    • BBC Radio 4 Charity Appeal
    • OHMI Fundraisers
    • OHMI Funders
    • OHMI Affiliates
  • OHMI Competition
    • Competition Rules
    • Competition Judges
    • Past winners
  • Instruments
    • Shop
    • Instrument hire scheme
    • Woodwind
    • Strings
    • Brass
    • Electronic
    • Instrument Fingering Charts
  • Resources
    • OHMI Connect
    • OHMI CPD Training
    • Research >
      • Teaching research
  • News and Views
    • News
    • Press