A dog museum arrives at the gates of Paris (and it's dog-friendly!)

Man's best friend now has its own museum in the Paris region! Curious visitors and lovers of our canine companions can discover the Centrale Canine, the organization that coordinates the dog world, in Aubervilliers, a little-known place that will house this " dog museum" from May 16, 2025. Conceived as a cabinet of curiosities featuring a collection of works of art and unusual objects, the space pays tribute to these companion animals, whose history has been intertwined with that of mankind for at least 15,000 years.

This museum space, located on the fifth floor of the building, features several hundred exhibits, including period paintings (some of them quirky), sculptures, advertising posters, plush toys, crockery, a skeleton and lifelike reproductions of two breeds, as well as a library containing numerous books on the world of dogs, from breeding to training, grooming and learning about the different breeds!

A multitude of works testifying to the closeness between man and dog over the centuries, used for hunting and other tasks before becoming our faithful friend today. Of course, what would a dog museum be if it weren't accessible to dogs? You can take your pooch with you and show him around the museum, where he'll have the chance to meet his fellow dogs - provided he's kept on a leash - in one of the few dog-friendly cultural venues.

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Rather than a real museum, the site acts as a showcase for a fine artistic collection based around this beloved animal, which will undoubtedly delight collectors. But it's not ideal for families on a self-guided tour, as there are few explanations in front of the works, which may lack pedagogy and immersion for younger visitors, accustomed to learning with the help of playful devices, which don't yet exist here.

Themed tours, educational and creative workshops, as well as the presence of accredited visiting dogs, are all planned to raise public awareness of the history of the dog and its major role in our culture. Until September 1, 2025, admission to the museum, the second largest on this theme after the one in New York, is free. After that, adults pay €7. Self-guided tours take place on Monday afternoons, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, by prior arrangement, in the mornings from 10.30am to 12pm and in the afternoons from 3.30pm to 5pm, and guided tours in the afternoons from 2pm to 3.30pm.