Puppy show in Metz: open letter to the SAS Passion Chiots Organisation

After a puppy show being held at Arènes de Metz on the weekend of 1 and 2 April, One Voice can only be concerned about the type of animals being shown here.

While the law of 30 November 2021 on animal mistreatment provides for a ban on the sale of cats and dogs in pet shops from 1 January 2024, — thus implicitly admitting that they are not simply consumer goods — events such as puppy shows do not seem to be covered.

Puppies ages just a few weeks can therefore be exposed to incessant noise every weekend, under artificial lighting, with the comings and goings of the masses and buyers ‘groping’ them all over.

While thousands of animals are abandoned each year, how can we guarantee that these puppies, shown like common objects, do not end up the same in a few months’ time?

Shelters are saturated, overflowing with cats and dogs and often having to refuse new cases. To deal with this lack of space, dozens and dozens of animals are euthanised daily in pounds. And yet our country continues to commercialise living beings.

These puppy shows open the door to impulse buys and thoughtless purchases. The Arènes ensures to remind us on their website that a commitment and knowledge certificate is obligatory for any purchase of a puppy at the show, yet without specifying that a reflection period of seven days is obligatory between signing the certificate and acquiring the animal.

A few weeks ago, we were already warning the public about breeders’ processes, ready to get around the law to sell their ‘goods’, as was the case at the puppy show in Antibes, but also as we have reported about in various pet shops. How can we guarantee that this was not the case in Metz, or that this will not happen again in future?

This type of show directly participates in objectifying animals and encourages irresponsible behaviour by sellers and buyers. Would it not have been more thoughtful and appropriate to organise an event with shelters and associations in the department, during which those wanting to adopt are guided and listened to by volunteers who, not being motivated by the money to be made by a transaction, would select an adoption appropriate for each animal?

Specialised in holding these kinds of events, the SAS Passion Chiots Organisation is already getting ready for its next event in Montbéliard next weekend (8 and 9 April).

We are therefore inviting people from Montbéliard wishing to get a companion to favour shelters full of dogs who are also overflowing with affection, some who have been waiting for a family for many months. By adopting a dog from a shelter, you will be saving two: the one joining your household will open a place to welcome another unfortunate dog, saving them from being abandoned in the wild or from being euthanised.

Sign our petitions demanding respect for the law against animal mistreatment.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice