It is the “largest and most modern refuge in Europe”, according to the SPA. The new refuge in Gennevilliers (Hauts-de-Seine) has just opened to the public. After three years of work, it was designed to improve animal comfort and be as ecological as possible.
Enclosures for dogs with five meters of ceiling height, a cattery, a veterinary clinic… This new shelter, the project of which dates back many years, cost 16.25 million euros, half financed by the communities local. It opened Thursday, November 7, and can accommodate up to 120 dogs, nearly 200 cats and around twenty new pets. On this site with a surface area of 17,000 m2 comprising 2,000 m² of building space, everything has been designed to reduce animal stress. “We have created boxes which are not overlookeds, so the dogs don't see each other.” explains Céline Touguay, head of the animal expertise center at the SPA. The boxes “are large and are bright. There is room. Dogs are much more zen, much more peaceful“.
“We have 30 cm of earth which are above a mat which retains 10 cm of water,” he says. This allows you to have a damp mattress on your head, which provides very good thermal comfort in summer for the animals underneath.
Pascal Maréchaux, architect
The new shelter aims to do more than the old one, which had 3,500 adoptions per year. It also wants to be as ecological as possible. The buildings are equipped with a rainwater harvesting system for cleaning and solar panels. Impossible to notice when you're down there, grass is growing on the roofs. Pascal Maréchaux, project architect, takes a ladder to climb onto the roof of one of the kennels. “We have 30 cm of earth which are above a mat which retains 10 cm of water.he says. This allows you to have a damp mattress on your head, which provides very good thermal comfort in summer for the animals underneath.“.
The site also includes more than ten rectangular screened lawns. It is in one of these socializing spaces that Véronique and her husband, a retired couple from Bougival, meet Suzie. “She's a little dog that we saw on the SPA website and who we really like.she confides. Look: dogs don't throw themselves at cages. They are pretty much peaceful in their enclosures. It's beautiful work.“
It is not yet finished but it is one of the main new features of this refuge: the amphitheater. “The idea is really to raise awareness as much as possible so that the population gets to know the animals. And if possible to reduce abandonment“, explains Céline Touguay. Dog training courses and conferences will be organized there, mainly aimed at children and elderly people from the surrounding area.
This model of shelter, closer to a park than a prison, will serve as an example. According to its president, the SPA intends to draw inspiration from the Gennevilliers refuge for all its future constructions.
