A metaphor, as defined by Webster's New World Dictionary, is a figure of speech "containing an implied comparison, in which a word or phrase ordinarily and primarily used for one thing is applied to another." That is a most treacherous aspect of this word. If we are deceived, and truths remain hidden and unexposed, a system of oppression and/or violation of others, human and nonhuman alike, is free to be carried on by those in the power position. All animals, companion and otherwise, are without a doubt, amongst the most vulnerable of all beings. Their voice needs to be heard, and only we can do that.