Many people rely on assistance dogs for support, and the well-being of all participants in these interactions is essential and given careful attention. To be sure that the dogs' and their humans' physical and emotional well-being receive the attention they require can take time and patience and isn't always easy to achieve. AnthrozoologistTiamat Warda's recent book, Interspecies Emotional Labour Unspoken Expectations of Professionalism in Guide Dog Work, explores this topic through the work of guide dogs and their instructors.
A blind former paralympic athlete who was repeatedly stopped while trying to do her shopping at Tesco stores by security guards wrongly claiming that her guide dog wasn't allowed in has won €6,000 in compensation for disability discrimination. It's the fourth time in the past year and a half that a business has been found liable by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) liable for discrimination against Nadine Lattimore, who represented Ireland in track and field in the London Paralympic Games in 2012.
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
Eleanor LawsonWest Midlands Kieran Cleeves/PA Media A Staffordshire MP's dog has emerged victorious after winning the Westminster Dog of the Year competition. The annual competition, organised by The Kennel Club and Dogs Trust, took place on Thursday in Victoria Tower Gardens, in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament. Poykee, a 13-year-old Keeshond, took the crown as the competition's 2025 winner. He is owned by Sarah Edwards, the Labour MP for Tamworth.