She purrs, he barks, one or the other coats you with his soft eyes, invites you to go out every day ... During the health crisis, and especially the first strict confinement, pets never looked so good bore their name. According to an online survey by the specialized site DogsPlanet.com, 95% of the owners consulted affirm that their dog helped them to overcome the episode which, with the restrictive measures still today, is not over. "The animals played a role in moderating mood, in relieving anxiety," confirms François Grandcollot
,
veterinarian in Deauville (Calvados).
The psychological support of a Carthusian, a poodle or even a turtle has proven to be invaluable, especially for those who suffer the full brunt of the restrictions: isolated elderly people, single people with brutally cut social ties, teleworkers lacking in discussions with their colleagues.
“A pet can be a bulwark against loneliness, which can help you feel better about yourself.
But it has its limits: a cat or a dog will never replace a human person ”, warns Katia Nobili, zootherapist in Lésigny (Seine-et-Marne).
To read also "Thanks to Java, I kept a routine of life": how their animals help them to cross the crisis
If the beautiful relations already existed before the pandemic, the French, on the other hand, strengthened the proximity with their animal.
“The masters, confined to their homes for two months, no longer put themselves in their dog's shoes.
Because the classic daily life of millions of dogs in France is to stay at home when their owner is away, ”agrees the zootherapist.
For city dwellers, the animal could also be the start of a return to basics.
“People realized that it was calming to walk with an animal.
And they may have wanted to reconnect with the living, with nature, ”she observes.
The confinement was therefore beneficial to the owner, not to mention the animal, which was able to get more oxygen and be pampered.
Adoptions exploded with the health crisis
The French have been numerous to maintain this emotional relationship. One in two households has a pet at home, according to a Facco-Kantar survey
(note: Federation of dog food manufacturers, cats, birds and other pets and data institute animals and Kantar studies)
of 2018. Our animal friends are almost as numerous (62 million) as we, the French (67 million). In addition to 32 million fish, our country has 14.2 million cats and 7.6 million dogs. In these two categories, France is respectively 3rd and 5th in Europe.
Beyond the figures, another SantéVet-Ipsos survey
(Editor's note: animal health insurance company, and polling institute)
from 2018 shows that a large majority of masters knew, long before the coronavirus, that their well-being s 'grew thanks to their dog or cat.
Read alsoWe pamper our cats, dogs or rodents ... the booming pet business
During the first confinement, trying for some, the adoption of an animal could therefore represent a comforting solution.
The Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA) recorded 2,000 solidarity adoptions during this period.
In other shelters, associations and farms, adoptions have even increased by 10 to 15% after deconfinement, according to the National Union of Dog and Cat Professions.
“There has been a boom in adoptions, they have sometimes doubled among certain breeders. People who dreamed of having a dog have taken the plunge by working from home, ”confirms Caroline Carrière, dog breeder in Argelliers (Hérault). However, she does not rejoice too quickly in this situation. “I'm afraid of the backlash, of dropouts, if the Covid-19 goes back. When we can normally go out to restaurants or go to parties, the animal, which requires a lot of investment, may become cumbersome. And France does not need to worsen its sad European record: according to the Ministry of Agriculture, 100,000 pets on average are abandoned each year.