Interview: 'It’s time animal welfare became a political issue in France'

Straight after retiring, Jacques-Charles Fombonne, 65, found one more occupation to add to the varied list of jobs he has held over the course of his career, including gendarme for 35 years, lawyer, screenwriter, magistrate, professor and author.

He became president of the Société protectrice des animaux (SPA), the French equivalent of the British Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

The owner of two dachshunds and one German shepherd, he has spent the past six years on calls and in meetings trying to turn animal welfare into a government priority, or ‘grande cause’.

Since he took office, animal welfare has indeed improved.

A law was passed on November 30, 2021 to punish animal cruelty more severely. Sanctions were toughened, new owners were asked to sign a certificate pledging to behave responsibly towards pets, and the sale of animals in pet shops has been forbidden as from 2024.

Parties and politicians have included animal rights in their manifestos and have gained votes as a result, including Hélène Thouy, the Parti Animaliste leader (see Big Interview, May 2022).

The SPA is France’s second most popular association behind the Restos du Coeur, according to a Toluna-Harris Interactive poll in November 2022.

However, support for animal welfare does not mean French people are necessarily well-educated on the subject; France is often ranked among the worst European countries for pet abandonment. Summer figures released by the SPA every September show between 6,000 and 8,000 animals have been dumped in each holiday period since 2015.

The SPA attempts to tackle the issue every year using various methods, including hard-hitting advertising campaigns and open days. However, the past two open days were under-attended because of poor weather.

Mr Fombonne has ordered a study into the reasons behind abandonment, the results of which are due to be released next January.

The Connexion asked him about his work and priorities.

Read more: Cat compensation case is 'turning point' for animal rights in France

Every September, the SPA publishes its figures on abandonment during the summer. Is this a heartbreaking time?

It is hard seeing abandoned dogs in their cages. 

For the first few days they get excited every time the door opens, thinking their owner is finally coming back. But slowly, as the days progress, they become resigned, giving up hope, as if they understand that they have been abandoned.

From an objective standpoint, the number of abandoned pets is pretty low if you compare it to the number of domesticated animals in France. 

Two-thirds of abandoned animals are wild cats, which cannot legally be considered pets. 

Dogs tend to be lost or non-identified, or brought to us by people who cannot keep them and do not know what to do with them.

Do you have an estimate of the total number of abandonments per year?

No one knows exactly. We calculated around 46,000 in 2023, with two-thirds of them being wild cats, but I am unable to give you an exact number. 

What I am sure of is that it is higher than 100,000. Maybe 200,000, maybe 300,000.

However, it represents fewer than 1% of the 45 million pets across France. When you eliminate the wild cats and the people who organise illegal dog fights, I would say that among family dogs there are not that many which are abandoned.

Hopefully, the study will shed light on the reasons. Then the SPA will decide what action will be needed over the following months.

What do you expect the results to be?

I am expecting dogs that have 12 puppies to top the list. 

Aunts and cousins take about three, leaving nine that will end up in one of our 73 refuges.

Some of these dogs will be sold on the internet or at annual exhibitions because people are enticed to make money from them. 

Brigitte Bardot released a video showing very explicitly how easy it can be.

Currently, we are basically doctors being asked to cure a disease without a diagnosis. We take these animals to avoid them getting hit by cars or dying from hunger in forests. The problem should be treated at its source.

Read more: Alain Delon’s dog will not be euthanised and buried with him

Inflation has been one of the most-cited reasons by owners. Is it a convenient excuse?

It has played a part. But money has always been a taboo subject in France. 

The SPA puts the issue on the table, up front. I always tell people: “A dog is going to cost you €100 a month." And I do not mean a big dog or a sickly dog. It is, at least, a budget of €1,200 per year for any dog.

You cannot own a dog if you earn €1,300 per month. You could if you lived in a cottage house – that you owned – and with a garden. But this is a very specific type of owner.

My sister, who owns a British pointer, tells me that this aspect is never taken into consideration. People get a dog on impulse, because it is easy, accessible, and children love them. How do you explain this behaviour?

We always ask owners about their living conditions, not how much they earn. We say: “You want a British pointer? This is the information you need to know. This breed needs to run a lot, it is a dog wired for hunting that requires a lot of education and affection.

“Do you have enough space? Do you stay at home or do you work in an office and leave it alone at home for eight hours a day? What do you do on Saturdays and Sundays? Do you eat crisps on the sofa or do you enjoy hiking?

“What do you do when you wake up? Are you ready to wake up 45 minutes earlier to take it out?”

From this moment, usually, people leave the SPA with another dog than the one they had in mind. We have the ability to guide, advise and warn them.

Does working at the SPA make you take a dim view of humanity?

No, I do not think so. I have encountered very few people who hurt animals willingly. The harm is often caused by ignorance or because of social problems.

And on the opposite side of the spectrum are our volunteers, who are ready to do anything. 

They are extremely emotional, in a positive way, and have an absolute and sometimes irrational love for animals, which can make some decisions very difficult. My position, as president, is often complicated by this clash between rationality and emotion.

It is both an obstacle but also the engine that keeps associations moving forward.

France ranks as the worst European country in figures for abandoning animals. Do you think that is linked to France or French culture?

The reality is that nobody actually knows which country ranks first and we ourselves do not know how many animals are abandoned in France. 

However, the fact that we do not know is bad in itself. It means that nobody cares. It is proof of our characteristic inaction on the issue.

If the English are capable of producing an overview of the situation, this means there is a social and political will to do so, and the tools to know what is and is not working. We (the French) do not have this will or these tools.

Read more: Fines for owners of dogs found out alone in south-west France

Why are the French passive in this regard? My editor-in-chief thinks part of the reason lies in France ‘nannying’ its citizens. My sister thinks it lies in the over-abundance of comfort, the spoilt-child generation. What do you think?

Maybe. It is difficult for me to answer what specifically the problem is for France because I cannot compare it to many other countries as I do not know their outlook.

In the US, there are private charities which function through people’s goodwill and donations. In New York, I have seen dogs living in comfortable spaces with people coming to play the violin or read poems to relax and reassure the dogs.

But, just a couple of streets away on 97th Street near Harlem, there are dog pounds equivalent to our fourrières. There, what I saw was the complete opposite to the private charities…

I think, generally, the better the standard of living, the better animals are taken care of. That’s my take. Remember the Napoleonic war campaigns: people started eating their shoes, saddles, then harnesses and, as a last resort, horses.

When you can barely afford food for your kids, your only consideration in getting a dog is that you think it will be the only ray of sunshine in a difficult life. 

But this ray of sunshine is hard to feed and educate. That is when the SPA is called upon to intervene.

There are almost no testimonies from people who have abandoned pets. Do you think many do not come forward to the SPA for fear they will be shamed?

Yes. Here’s what I tell everyone: “We are here to save animals”. If people are ashamed, they will never come forward. 

If you chastise them, they would rather abandon their pets, tied to a tree. Let’s try welcoming them without making them feel like bad people. People give us whatever reasons they want.

You are the first president who was a former gendarme, with 35-plus years serving the state. Does it help on the political scene, to move the cause forward?

Any leverage I can get is worth taking. You have a greater chance if you catch the attention of the President or the Prime Minister than when submitting a dossier to the administration, risking it being buried on a desk somewhere.

These two things lie at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Yes, the government passed a decisive law in 2021 and both former ministers of the Interior and Justice – Gérald Darmanin and Eric Dupont-Moretti – have been particularly receptive.

Read more: French police to receive animal protection training

On the other hand, I am bewildered that no politician has yet taken up the issue of animal welfare for political gain. Some 3% to 5% of the population – no matter their political leaning – would vote for any candidate who would grant greater rights to animals.

Any politician who would is guaranteed 600,000 more votes the next day.

What happened to the project to create a Défenseur des droits des animaux?

That was one of Robert Badinter’s (ex-Minister of Justice who was instrumental in abolishing the death penalty) ideas. It was one of the best opportunities of my life to have had an afternoon conversation with him, at his home, on the topic.

There was not much enthusiasm for sharing authority. The plan would be to create an independent position, at the highest level of power, possibly nominated by the President.

I am not asking for a dedicated ministry but a secretary, deputy secretary, an officer or a superintendent on the issue. We need someone who can embody that fight. When that day comes, we will have won.

“The more I know about men, the more I like my dog,” goes a popular saying. Is it true?

(Laughs) Not entirely. The more I know men, the more I like my dog.

But, fortunately, a lot of men deserve to have a dog.