rejecting nature at home

A few weeks ago our regional Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals launched a public service announcement on television, informing Québeckers that, each year, 500,000 pets are abandoned in our dear province, and asking people to reflect on this fact and to rethink their behaviour.  July 1st is the date when most leases are renewed in Québec (so insane, but I'm not going to get caught up in the political reasons for this decision made a long time ago), and that is when most animals are abandoned.  Québec has a population of about 7.5 million.

Belgium has a population of just over 10 million and, it appears, only 50,000 pets are abandoned there each year, one for each 200 persons.

I'm the last person on Earth who should be muddling with statistics as I live a very unprecise life, but I am moved by the comparison between Belgium and Québec in this regard.  Even if the Québec statistic were indeed lower and the Belgian stat higher, the disparity would still be remarkable.

Reflect.  That's what the SPCA wants us to do.  And I've been doing that for a few weeks (although the idea has been bothering me for a few years).

I have such a hard time imagining that one out of every 15 Québeckers is a pet-abandoner each year.  Maybe I have this figured out wrong, arithmetic not being my strong suit.  One out of every 15.  Common reasons I suppose:  renters have a difficult time convincing some landlords that their pet will not be a noise- or dirt-nuisance; pet owners become allergic and must get rid of their pets and carpets and other allergy-producing household items, often after the birth of a child;  pregnant women will sometimes get rid of a cat when they realize that cleaning the litter box can be hazardous for a safe pregnancy; people haven't figured out ahead of time that pets are costly to feed, need attention, require occasional medical care, have behavioural problems, and some people don't feel up to the challenges associated with any or all of these things.  Exotic pets require even more study and attention as a society we aren't yet used to having them and just don't always know what to do.  Reproducing pets need special considerations as well (the solution is easy and cheap in most places, but, but, but....) and present particular challenges.

I'm wondering though if there is a deeper reflection that can be pushed forward.  I cringe at the thought that Québeckers are "abandoners".  I am a Québecker -- a Québécoise.  Like many Québeckers, I cling to a lot, and tenaciously:

- I cling to my maternal roots which go back to Louis XIV's decision to bring close to 800 young women to Québec from 1663 to 1673 to marry the men who were working here as soldiers, farmers, etc.  My ancestress came to Québec from Paris to marry a farmer during this period, had a moment of infamy when she assaulted a neighbour (!), and produced enough children to create the Vigneault clan which continues to flourish to this day, in Québec and elsewhere;

- I cling to my affection for and attachment to this beautifully-desolate land on the North Shore of the St-Lawrence River where, according to my late father, there are two seasons:  winter and the month of July;

- I cling to my curiosity about all things North Shore (the whole gamut -- English, French, Innu and other 'invaders'), as well as the more-than-human dimension here which is greater than the human -- whales, wolves, partridge berries, wild roses, old stunted evergreens, porcupines, stable rock forms that are billions of years old....;

- I cling to my family, small family in danger of extinction as we won't win any fecundity awards.

There are a lot of Québeckers like me, with profound attachment to ancestry, to the land, to family, to nature, to culture.  Yet, one out of 15 detaches himself/herself from a pet each year, every year.

Are household pets not part of our culture yet?  There are few laws protecting pets here in Québec, certainly fewer than in Ontario, our provincial neighbour to the west.  I remember one politician (left-leaning party in power at the time) reacting with indifference just a few years ago when asked about puppy mills after some scandal about how breeders treat their animals.  His response was that there were enough human problems to look after in Québec, he wasn't going to worry about animals.  The SPCA in Sept-Iles, 125 km from my home, is run by the most dedicated souls on earth, but has no registered Foundation which could provide income tax receipts for donations and therefore struggles on a very meagre budget (I am afraid to ask about the percentage of animals euthanized there...).

I gather that many people are looking for designer pets and are less interested in un-pedigreed cats and dogs -- just another indicator of how we are trying to live like celebrities with our pets, purses, jeans, cologne, kitchen appliances, spa bathtubs, never-paid-for cars and all the rest of this crazy overconsumption we are addicted to.  With overconsumption comes the "art of discarding", the selection of what is expendable .. barely used cell-phones replaced by the latest update of same; unused shoes whose only flaw is the angle of the heel which is barely discernable to the human eye but sooooooooooo "last year"; working houshold appliances which aren't the stylish "stainless steel" for our "gourmet" kitchens in which we heat up over-salted processed food....; AND, sad to say, household pets, not as cute as we hoped, not as quiet as we hoped, not as entertaining as we hoped, etc.

I am distressed to admit that I have also abandoned a pet.  Two years ago, it seemed convenient to accept the medical diagnosis of asthma (never proved!) and to eliminate those things in my home which might aggravate an attack.  It's something I regret.  It's something which makes me feel I lack character.  It's something which makes me feel I have a hard time with commitment, in spite of all my pious claims of attachment.  I'm not proud of myself when I catch myself in a "justification of my actions" memory.  Whenever I drive through the streets of Sept-Iles I look in the living room windows of the homes I pass, hoping to see Maxx my cat, as that's what he used to do when he lived with me .. sit on the window sill taking in goodness only knows what.  I hope he was lucky enough to be adopted and not be one of those animals euthanized by the poor SPCA -- they won't reassure me, which I think is not a good sign.  Maxx might have been better of had he been born in Belgium.

Comments

[heather]

Well, I must say that I thought you meant that the pets were abandoned... out on the street. So it is a (small) consolation that they are given to shelters. I honestly don't know what I would do if my baby was allergic to my cats. After all, they were here first!! ;)

Seriously, I find animal abuse particularly heart wrenching and haven't figured out how to come to terms with it in any healthy way. It feels like I'll drown from the thought of it if I let my attention go there...