International news | Animal Dignity

On loving and losing a dog

People who never lived with dogs, may have a hard time understanding what it's like to lose one. I've experienced those losses as the most painful things in my life, so far. I can't even begin to think how painful a loss like this is to people who can't share it with anyone, or for whom their dog is the only being they have in their life.

Dogs get to live fifteen years if they're lucky (some a bit more, some much less). If you have dogs all your life, you may be burying up to ten dogs in your lifetime - twice that many if you always have two at the same time, like we do. That's a lot of saying goodbye, each time again. It's saying goodbye to someone you shared your life with, someone who is part of the family. Someone who was always home, waiting impatiently for you to come back when you weren't.
Dogs are, I think, some of the greatest beings on earth, incredibly loving and kind. I wish the loss of a dog on no one, but I wish the love for and of a dog for everyone.

What makes the suffering of an animal extra difficult is that - just like with babies and young children - there is no way to explain them what is happening. You can't tell them why you leave them behind in a hospital, why you allow them to be examined by a stranger. You can't explain them why they are hurting, even when seeing their fear and confusion is torture. You can't say to them why you are sad, knowing that it will soon be time to say goodbye.

To people who would minimize the hurt we feel about animals by saying there's so much human suffering in the world, I'd like to say that our empathy and sense of justice are not finite resources that we need to carefully spread over different topics and target groups.

More than that: maybe animals, and especially dogs, may mean something for all those big problems in the world. Maybe dogs can teach us how to love, especially since they are - at least for many people - so easy to love. Maybe they can teach us to have love and empathy for everyone who feels.

Is there anything more important than that?

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AnimalDignity.lu

1 week ago

anyone who is interested in helping with the animal rights march, please come monday the 15th to the Rotondes at 18 o'clock!! 😊😊 ... See MoreSee Less

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1 week ago

Revue Semestrielle de Droit Animalier

"Parmi les intervenants qui viendront débattre figureront notamment Jean-Paul Costa, ancien président de la Cour européenne des droits de l’homme, Olivier Duhamel, grand constitutionnaliste et professeur émérite à Sciences Po, et le professeur Jean-Pierre Marguénaud, spécialiste du droit des animaux."

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2 weeks ago

radio 100,7

"De Réckgang vun den Déieren- a Planzenaarten ass massiv", soe move., déi Jonk am Mouvement écologique. Mat enger Aktioun hu si symbolesch op de Biodiversitéitsverloscht opmierksam gemaach.

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2 weeks ago

Danièle

Op der Foire Agricole, traureg 😢

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