A dog as an object cannot be good for the heart
One Voice leads a nonviolent fight to defend animal rights and respect all life forms. The organization operates independently and is thus free to speak and act freely.
A scientific study published in 2017 explains the health benefits of living with a dog companion 1. Today it is exploited in a campaign by the French Federation of Cardiology which communicates on the medical and social “assets” of these domestic companions. Presented as perfect drugs, dogs would allow seniors to reduce their risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease by 36%.
To
add a note of humour to these findings, the French Cardiology
Federation sees fit to emphasize that these 4-legged health remedies
are “fearful, smell strong, snore, bark all the time, drool,
lose their hair, have gas “, And other compliments … Hmm, what
kind of respect for these beings is this” who fortunately can
save your life “! How can we imagine that a dog is but a mere
object, despised to this point and that it could bring any help to a
person who would need it thus ?
Au quotidien, les chiens vous rendent parfois la vie difficile mais savez-vous qu’ils peuvent aussi vous la sauver ? #OhMyDog
Pour tout savoir : https://t.co/FkHcjkeZQh pic.twitter.com/K5BlUWOtV7— Fédé de cardiologie (@fedecardio) 10 mai 2019
Dogs
are our millennial companions! Their sensitivity is no longer needed
to be proven, nor is their degree of evolution. We have shaped them
to embellish our existence. This campaign, full of arrogance and
derision, gives them a representation that demeans and distorts them.
Where then is the respect for these animals and for the millions of
humans who love and rely on them?
We, defend dogs against the cruelties of which they are victims. We also
offer conferences to get to know them better and to live with them on
a daily basis. And we know that if their presence in a home can be
good for the heart, it is precisely because this life that they share
with us is based on a loving relationship. This unconditional love
that dogs teach us and offer us, this benevolence, this indulgence,
this absolute fidelity, and all these little moments of happiness
that humans come to know having had the chance to meet them.
It
is no coincidence that the lectures that we have given in many cities
were entitled: In the “heart” of a dog. These companions
with an immense heart pursue only one goal: to be there for us,
without reserve and forever. This is how they make us deeply happy,
that they give us confidence and the desire to reach out to others.
This is how they protect our heart, in every sense of the word.
If
the French Cardiology Federation has laudable intentions, its
campaign clearly misses out on what makes the essence of a
relationship worthy of the name, a companion dog. Moreover, people
who would be tempted to adopt an animal object solely for their
health, are likely to lie about the results of this study …