Ion is Syon, but he is different from how many people imagine his race. His mind is full of knowledge, his heart is full of feelings. His need to share them with others will lead in a few days to a book published by Ikaros. “Ion the Son”. It is signed by Stella Panayiotopoulou and within its pages the reader will find fascinating information and stories about dogs from ancient times to the present day. He learns, for example, that Alexander the Great’s dog, Peritas, was an Epirus Molossian, and that Sigmund Freud’s dogs, and especially Joffi, participated in many sessions with his patients. But Ion “touches” much more than canine life. The subtitle of the book reveals this: On the coexistence of humans and animals. After all, isn’t that what our time is all about?

I was inspired by life with my dog. Dogs have inspired many writers: Virginia Woolf, Jack London, Paul Auster, John Steinbeck, our Penelope Delta and many others. In my case, Ion, the storyteller, functions as a vehicle for multifaceted reflection on animals and people, combining science and literature. My goal was to synthesize existing knowledge in such a way as to pose existential questions such as genetic identity, origin, social inequality, the ability to love, the consequences of pain, communication, loneliness, death.

– Animals are not a homogeneous category and the use of the term is generally misleading. Different cultures and religions treat them very differently, like Hindus treat cows or Muslims treat dogs or pigs, and all these ideas determine what meat is and what is not on our plates. When Ion discovered that dogs were eaten in Vietnam, he suffered from depression and culture shock. Vegetarianism, animalism, all have different meanings in different contexts. Ion is involved in these disputes, and so am I! He wonders if a dog can go vegan and if vegetarians have a moral advantage over meat eaters.

“Living with a dog, cat or other animals is an enrichment. It highlights aspects of us that we weren’t aware of, we’re developing a different type of connection.”

– Dogs are “meters” of communication. It is not in their nature to be alone. Their talent for communication opened up new professional fields for them. If from ancient times they were hunters, soldiers, detectives, policemen, today they are also diagnosticians, rescuers, nurses, nurses, I would even say psychotherapists. Also no pay. Ion notes that not only do people save homeless animals they adopt, but dogs also save their people.

— Lord Byron’s epitaph to his dog Bowson, who died prematurely of rabies. She devotedly cared for him and, after his death, wrote a poem in his honor (1808) beginning with the lines: “Here lies the remains of one who had beauty without vanity.” In addition, he erected a monument in the garden of his estate. In his will, he did ask to be buried in the same place as Bowson and his beloved servant, but when he died at Messolonghi in 1824, the estate was sold to someone else, so his wish was not granted. .

– What do I think when I hear about any violence in general: against children, women, homosexuals, etc. Abuse is preventable pain. Unnecessary. There is also useful pain: the one that warns of illness. One that can lead to important discoveries for the benefit of all. Science would not develop if some experiments were not carried out with animals. These questions are eternal and extremely complex. Only deepening and knowledge can lead to improvements. There is also heartache, such as loneliness, which can also be offensive.

I decided to get a dog at a difficult time in my life. It worked absolutely refreshing, fun and supportive. But beyond that, living with a dog, cat, or other animal is enriching. It highlights aspects of us that we didn’t know about, we develop other types of connections, we gain intimacy and knowledge about species other than humans. Our coexistence with animals is a form of interspecies communication that awakens our own openness to a world that is “out there” and often ignored. A world that can teach us a lot.