"The animals are right here, right in front of us. And how we treat these companions is a test"
About this Quote
The pivot is “companions.” That word quietly reframes animals from property or background scenery into relationship. Companion implies mutual presence, a shared life, and therefore obligation. It’s also culturally loaded: in an era when pet ownership has become a stand-in for family-making, calling animals “companions” presses on people’s self-image. If you think of yourself as caring, modern, emotionally fluent, your treatment of animals is where that identity gets audited.
“A test” is the hard edge. Blair’s intent isn’t merely to advocate for kindness; it’s to introduce accountability without sounding like legislation. A test implies standards, pass/fail outcomes, and the possibility of judgment. Coming from an actress with a long public afterlife - someone whose name still carries pop-cultural shock and notoriety - the line reads like a bid to redirect attention into ethics: fame leveraged as a megaphone for the vulnerable. The subtext is blunt: compassion isn’t what you post or profess; it’s what you do when the powerless are literally at your feet.
Quote Details
| Topic | Pet Love |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Blair, Linda. (2026, January 17). The animals are right here, right in front of us. And how we treat these companions is a test. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-animals-are-right-here-right-in-front-of-us-81210/
Chicago Style
Blair, Linda. "The animals are right here, right in front of us. And how we treat these companions is a test." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-animals-are-right-here-right-in-front-of-us-81210/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The animals are right here, right in front of us. And how we treat these companions is a test." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-animals-are-right-here-right-in-front-of-us-81210/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.







