France's oldest animal cemetery at Asnières-sur-Seine (92)

Did you know? In Asnières-sur-Seine, there's a very special place. The dog cemetery. Bordered by the Seine, this quiet, wooded spot was the first animal cemetery in France. It was created in May 1899 by feminist journalist Marguerite Durand- whose horse is buried here - and lawyer Georges Harmois. What could be more beautiful than to offer your pet, the one that has accompanied your joys and sorrows for years, the most beautiful and original of burials, surrounded by its fellow dogs?

The Cimetière des Chiens d'Asnières-sur-Seine is unique in that it welcomes animals whose owners have wished to honor them one last time. As soon as you enter the cemetery - a large Art Nouveau-style gate designed byParisian architect Eugène Petit - let yourself be swept away by the emotion of the place.

Dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, mice, hamsters, fish, turtles - the cemetery is still home to all kinds of animals, and has welcomed some even more astonishing ones, such as cows, calves, pigs, chickens, sheep, and even a lion, a lemur and a fenec. Quite a lot of wildlife!

In all, over 40,000 animals have been buried here since the cemetery opened in the summer of 1899! A touching anecdote: the 40,000th animal to join the cemetery was an anonymous stray dog, who came to end his days in front of the cemetery gates.

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The Cimetière des Chiens is well worth the detour, with its lovely steles - often representing the animal in question - designed by the owners: Lola, Darling, Minou, Oscar, Nouna, Peluche,... - and even a Macdo and a Smaug the Magnificent - whose epitaphs reveal - with emotion, poetry and even humor! - the love of their owners. You may even come across a figure leaning over a small grave, busy and sometimes with a touch of emotion in its eyes, as you stroll through the aisles of crimson hydrangeas and geraniums.

Among the famous animals that have found a last refuge here are the film dog Rintintin, the soldier dog Moustache, two trench dogs, Mémère and Dick, who comforted the poilus during the First World War; as well as the pets of famous Frenchmen, such as Camille Saint-Saëns, Alexandre Dumas, Sacha Guitry and, more recently, Michel Houellebecq's dog.

Leaving this place, you can't help but feel deeply Victor Hugo's phrase, which adorns one of the small tombs: "Look your dog in the eye and you won't be able to affirm that he has no soul".