The Central Canine Federation – Cynophilia Association – opened its dog museum in its building in Aubervilliers. The place traces the history of the dog through works and objects. The space of 500 m² has been set up to accommodate part of the thousands of objects from its collection, ranging from the first millennium to today. This collection was formed over time thanks to donations, as well as in flea market or auction room. We can find works by artists Charles de Condemn (19th century), Xavier de Poret (20th century) and Miguel Angel Moraleda (21st century), as well as various objects such as advertisements, leashes of the First World War, Mexican statuettes or tapestries.
Funded by the Federation, the site has housed a media library of more than 3,500 books for more than thirty years, intended for researchers, historians and sociologists. Open for eighteen months, the museum was until recently reserved for researchers. Some workshops were organized there punctually. A turning point took place on the occasion of the joint exhibition “The new friends of Marco”, organized with Poush’s artists last October.
The collection is currently presented for the opening, but the museum now plans to offer an exhibition each year. The Federation wishes to develop workshops for children, organize visits to kindergarten and primary classes, as well as visits accompanied by dogs. The museum and the media library envisage a gradual reorientation of their mediation to the general public, while maintaining a scientific dimension. Too recent to set long -term goals, the museum nevertheless aims to attract 1,000 visitors per month and open a shop.
It is the first dog history museum in France and the second largest in the world, after that of New York.
