A dog in a shelter after being subjected to mistreatment. (Archives) - Fabrice Elsner / 20MINUTES

  • For several months, cases of cruelty or mistreatment of domestic animals seem to be increasing in the North.
  • A canine educator specializing in behavioral disorders explains this sad phenomenon to us.
  • According to the 30 Million Friends Foundation and the SPA, it is above all public opinion that can no longer bear this violence against animals.

Cat passed in the microwave, hungry dogs or living in total insanitary conditions… For several months, cases of cruelty or mistreatment of domestic animals seem to be multiplying in the North. Last case in date, the discovery of the corpse of a crossed Yorkshire, defenestrated, last week, at the foot of a building, in Saint-Amand-les Eaux, near Valenciennes, as relates La Voix du Nord .

"Animals are victims of the phenomenon of society which tends to trivialize violence and to defy prohibitions", underlines Jeanne-Marie Binot, director of the SPA of Marly who filed a complaint in the Yorkshire affair.

"She was afraid that her dog would be euthanized"

“The animal was recovered and autopsied by a SPA veterinarian. He had two wounds, one of a centimeter and the other of four, corresponding to stab wounds. It was adopted by us, ten years ago, by the owner, ”says Jeanne-Marie Binot.

His second dog was seized by justice and placed in the SPA refuge. "The same owner came to claim him because she was afraid that he would be euthanized," laments Jeanne-Marie Binot. In 2019, the SPA of Marly filed ten complaints for mistreatment and the shelter is increasing mediations (one per day, according to its director) to avoid arriving at a legal procedure.

This phenomenon is hardly surprising Bertrand Beuns, canine educator northerner, specialist in behavioral disorder. "What I see on a daily basis is that many owners are overwhelmed by certain behaviors of their dog, because most of them have no idea how they should behave with the animal."

Between 350 and 400 legal proceedings per year

“We would like the dogs to be in our image and we criticize them, for example, for not obeying. Still, the animal must know what is asked of it, he adds. The key would be to train the owners before they have dogs. I find that people often spend more time yelling at their dog than having fun with it. "

Should we conclude that the ill-treatment of domestic animals is reaching new heights in the region, or elsewhere? Not for the national association of SPA which, for a few years, launches between 350 and 400 legal proceedings per year. “The difference is that before, we didn't talk about mistreatment. Hitting an animal was a trivial act. Justice has really considered that this was a crime from the 1990s and the Civil Code added the concept of being sensitive in 2015 ", explains its president, Jacques-Charles Fombonne.

"Public opinion does not let anything pass anymore"

"We must distinguish acts of cruelty from mistreatment," says Réha Hutin, president of the 30 Million Friends Foundation. It is these acts of cruelty that are punished with increasingly heavy penalties. The magistrates are more and more sensitized and the public opinion does not let anything pass any more ».

However, Réha Hutin also considers that the number of cases has remained stable in recent years. "The Foundation takes action in a hundred lawsuits a year, but investigates a thousand reported cases of mistreatment," she says. With social networks, we are immediately alerted. In these cases, we have a hundred investigators who must act quickly, in concert with the police. "

The only positive note is that the SPA recorded a historic record of adoptions in 2019, almost reaching the figure of 43,000 in France. "These are responsible adoptions," specifies Jacques-Charles Fombonne. With a big increase in the number of cats. "

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