I am a veterinarian and bioethicist, I am passionate about the healthy cohabitation of humans and animals. I have held various positions, including the presidency of the Ordre des médecins vétérinaires du Québec, and for the past few months, I have been the manager of a shelter with municipal animal management contracts.
As I regularly appear in the media, as the 1st approacheser July, a date of mass moving in Quebec, I was asked if I wanted to remind the public that if you move, you must take your pet with you, just as you don’t move without your children.
No.
Why do I object to this kind of campaign? I will explain it to you with the example of a low-income couple with children who are in the process of separating and who have just entrusted their two dogs under 2 years old to my shelter.
First, I’m sorry if this statement is a shock to some, but no, a pet, in our society, does not have the same status as a child. In the scale of values of our society and mine, the life of a child is worth more than that of a cat or a dog. Some, like me, are lucky and have the opportunity to take care of their children AND their animals, but when things are going badly in someone’s life, I understand that priority is given to the children.
I also believe that it is useless and counterproductive to make people feel guilty for their past bad choices. Adopting each of these dogs was possibly a bad idea given the length of the commitment, the costs and the time required. This is why I am very involved in awareness and prevention, but at this point, what use is there in making them bear the weight of guilt by comparing abandoning a pet to abandoning a child?
Let’s be honest. Let’s look at where we were 5, 10, 15 years ago. Most of us have experienced unforeseen situations. Shit happens “, said Forrest Gump. These unforeseen events can cause abandonments.
Years and experience have taught me that animal neglect is very closely associated with human distress.
If people are forced to keep dogs out of guilt, the quality of life for the entire family (humans and animals) is likely to suffer.
Finally, in the current housing crisis, tenants have few options and many landlords refuse to allow pets in rental housing. Many private seniors’ residences do so as well.
You will have understood: I do not wish to make people feel guilty when it is too late, I do however wish to participate fully in preventing the problem, and I hope that this text contributes to this.