Caring for Pets

Congratulations!  You’ve jumped through the hoops to bring your cat, dog, or guinea pig with you to Paris.  Now, here are a few recommendations from the Anglophone expat community to keep your furry friends in good health, well groomed, properly fed, and lovingly tended while you take a weekend trip away.  If you have others to add, leave a comment and we’ll keep building this list.

Boarding

AVA
Ferme du Quesnoy
76220 Cuy-Saint-Fiacre
Phone: 02 35 90 11 44; 06 77 48 27 92
Note:  Located 1 1/2 hours west of Paris.  They come into Neuilly twice a week to pick up and drop off dogs.  Their prices are very reasonable.   Unlike other kennels, they don’t charge extra for the pick-ups.

City Canine
67, rue Balard, 75015 Paris
Phone: 01 45 57 47 06

Note: City Canine offers dog day care and boarding. The Web site is in English and everyone speaks English there.  Nice people, the facilities are very clean, and it’s located next to a 2-acre park, perfect for long walks.

Dogwalking.fr
Phone: 06 09 20 33 76 or 06 20 46 27 03.
Note:  They pick up at your place, take your dog for two 2 hour walks in the forest each day including swimming in the lake.  Your dog sleeps in a spare bedroom — no crates or kennel.

Taxi Dog
Phone: 08 25 82 94 36
In case of emergency, phone 06 28 04 21 97
Note: In addition to boarding, Taxi Dog also offers dog walking services and, as its name suggests, provides taxi services for dogs and their owners.  They will even take your dog to the vet or groomer for you.
Groomers

A.D. Paris, Salon de Toilettage
20, rue de Longchamp, 75016 Paris
Phone: 01 53 70 80 70
Note: Wonderful groomer; no English spoken;  very kind and caring dog groomers who will make recommendations if they see any inkling of a health problem while beautifying your pup. They’re not cheap– but not the most expensive either. Regardless, my Standard Poodle comes out looking like a million euros! I can highly recommend them.

Canicoiff
130, avenue Mozart, 75016 Paris
Phone: 01 45 25 45 75

11bis, avenue Jean Baptiste Clément,  92100 Boulogne Billancourt
Phone:  01 55 60 73 77

La Tour Canine
129, rue Lauriston, 75016 Paris
Phone:  01 45 05 54 25
Note:  Excellent, little English, but can get by well enough. 

Veterinarians

Thierry Bedossa
8, rue Ybry, 92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine
Phone: 01 46 24 08 34
Note:  Speaks English. 

Clinique Vétérinaire Laforge
72, rue St. Charles, 75015 Paris
Phone: 01 45 75 64 03
Note: This clinic is equipped to deal with all kinds of animals, not just cats and dogs.

Anais Le Treguilly
81, rue de Longchamp, 75116 Paris
Phone: 06.82.18.07.06
Note:  Speaks English

Clinique Vétérinaire Wagranville
4, rue Théodore de Banville, 75017 Paris
Phone:  01 47 66 53 56

Jean Christophe Gachet
32, rue Etienne Marcel,  75002 Paris
Phone: 01 42 33 90 33

Jean-Francois Gorge
81, rue de Longchamp 75016 Paris
Phone: 01 47 27 10 95
Note: Good vet, reasonably priced, speaks English

Ecole Vétérinaire Maisons Alfort
7, avenue du Général de Gaulle
94700 Maisons Alfort
Phone: 01 43 96 71 00

Feraoun Malik
84, rue Chardon-Lagache, 75016 Paris
Phone: 01 45 20 31 30
Note: Very patient with my fractured French

Olivier Noack
28, rue de Belleville, 75020
Phone: 01 46 36 66 26

Lionel Rohret 
4 rue Messonier, 75017 Paris
Phone:  01 47 63 40 40
Note: Excellent and speaks English

Michel Schamberger
47, avenue de la Republique, 75011 Paris
Phone:  o1 43 57 56 32
 
Lionel Schilliger
35, rue Leconte de Lisle, 75016 Paris
Phone: 01 45 27 23 85 35
Urgences 24/24: 06 75 75 35 35
Note:  I really like my vet; he seems to me to genuinely love animals, has done some volunteer work for the Brigitte Bardot Fondation, speaks English, and specializes in reptiles.  What really got me was my cat who normally gets totally freaked out at the vets and had to be tranquilized to have his blood taken by my previous vet.  But he was totally calm and relaxed with Dr Schilliger; it was quite amazing to see. He took his X-ray there, and also did an operation on him. Everything went smoothly and no complications. So I highly recommend him.  

SOS Vétérinaire Ile de France
Phone: 01 42 05 63 29

VetoAdom
VetoAdom provides emergency veterinary house calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  They serve the entire region of Ile de France.
Phone: 01 47 46 09 09 or 01 47 55 47 00

Dog Walking
A.J. De Campo
Phone: 06 03 94 18 86
Note: Found AJ through Craig’s List. He is a great guy, very responsible, always on time, speaks perfect English, has great referrals from other Americans. He lives in the 16th and only takes clients in the 16th. He charges 10 euros for an hour walk. He has also stayed at our apartment when we’ve gone away.

Pet Supplies

There are numerous pet stores along the Right Bank on the Quai de la Mégisserie but we’ve heard extremely mixed reviews about their products and their treatment of animals.  The same goes for the bird and small animal market that takes place on Sundays in Place Louis Lepine on Île de la Cité. Use your judgment and exercise caution when patronizing these merchants.

BHV
42, rue de la Verrerie, 75004 Paris
Phone:  01 42 74 94 31
They say BHV has it all; La Niche is the name of its animal store which is in a separate building just around the corner from the main store on rue de Rivoli.

Botanic
Rue Pagès 26, Quai du Général Gallieni
92150 Suresnes
This is a great chain store that is combination garden store, organic food store and pet shop. The “Animalerie” sells all varieties of animals – from fish to exotic birds and rodents.  They have an excellent selection of dog and cat supplies as well.  It’s open on Sundays and prices are generally better than in Paris.  They also have free underground parking.  It’s very easy to get to from Paris as it is  not far from the Pont de Suresnes.

Truffaut
85 quai de la Gare, 75013 Paris
Phone: 01 53 60 84 50
This gardening store also has a good pet section.  Plus it’s open 7 days a week.  Ile de France locations can be found in Arcueil, Bry sur Marne,  Cergy, Châtenay-Malabry, Domus Rosnay sur Bois, Ivry sur Seine,  Le Chelay, Mantes Buchelay, St. Denis, and Vélizy.

Etcetera

Centre Antipoison/Paris 
Phone: 01 42 05 63 29

Fichier National Canin
155, avenue Jean Jaures
95535 Aubervilliers Cedex
Phone: 01 49 37 54 54
In France, every dog is required to be tatooed with an ID number.  This association maintains the records but also provides all sorts of info on breed, dog shows, breed standards etc.

Société Protectrice des Animaux
39, boulevard Berthier 75017  Paris
Phone: 01 43 80 40 66
French equivalent of the ASPCA

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A Dog’s Life

Oh how Parisians love their dogs.  There are nearly 150,000 dogs in the city and you see them everywhere:  on the métro, in restaurants, poking their heads out of windows, even strolling down the Champs-Elysées. Although it may seem to be a free for all, there are, of course, rules for behavior for dogs and their owners alike.  And while you will almost certainly see your neighbors flouting these rules, it’s a good idea as an expat to remember that you are a guest here and therefore have an extra responsibility to respect the word of authorities.  The basic rules are as follows:

• Your dog must have either an electronic chip or be tattooed for identification purposes.
• You must keep your dog on a leash when walking it.
• Your dog, even on a leash, should be kept close to you.
• You may not take your dog into food stores and markets.
• Keep an eye on your pet if you leave it outside of a store.

Picking Up after Your Pet

For a city as beautiful as Paris, the amount of dog droppings on sidewalks can be both surprising and upsetting.  Technically, the city of Paris requires that your dog take care of its business in the gutter and that you pick up the droppings. You can actually receive a fine of up to 450 euros for not picking up after your pet.  Regrettably the city seems to be fighting an uphill battle on this issue.

Taking Your Dog to the Park

A large number of Parisian parks and gardens are accessible to dogs, but certain rules such as keeping the animal on a leash and picking up after it must be respected. Service dogs are allowed in all parks and gardens, sometimes even without a leash.  You can download a detailed list of the restrictions for each park and garden here: http://www.paris.fr/portail/Parcs/Portal.lut?page_id=6678&document_type_id=5&document_id=18558&portlet_id=15202

Taking Your Dog on Public Transportation

If your dog is small (weighs less than 6 kilos), it can travel free with you in the métro, RER, buses, trams and the funicular Montmartre. But you must carry your pet in a bag or basket and prevent it from dirtying or inconveniencing other passengers.  If your pet is large, you can take it on the RER provided it is kept on a leash and muzzled. You also have to buy a half fare ticket valid throughout your journey.

Service dogs can move freely on all networks (métro, RER, trams, buses).

Taxis generally do not take dogs with the exception of seeing eye dogs.  If you absolutely need to take your dog in a taxi, call the taxi company in advance to verify.   Taxi Dog and Aniwal will transport dogs with or without you but be aware that the fees are substantial compared to a regular taxi.

In Case of an Emergency

Urgences vétérinaires (Ecole nationale vétérinaire d’Alfort): paramedics and emergency response
01 43 96 23 23 (from 1 pm to 8 am during the week, 24 hours a day on weekends; closed the month of August)

SOS  vétérinaires
08.92.68.99.33 (from 8 pm to 8 am and holidays) This call is billed at 34 centimes per minute.

Pet Poison Control
01.48.93.13.00 (Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm)