Guillaume Ageron & the dog park in Montmartre
ph. Jonathan LLense
text by Clara Bouteille
There are few places like the Square Nadar that open their doors to everyone, with or without a dog. Guillaume, the park's mediator, is constantly meeting new people and reuniting with regulars, his friends, every day at the experimental dog park in Montmartre. His goal? To create an osmosis, to meet new people and it works perfectly!
The hairy friends of mound Montmartre…
“In the past I was a photographer, I stopped working about twenty years ago and I started working in events. At that time, with my ex, we got a little dog, Loulou, who is now 7 years old. I still have her, but with alternating custody!
It was all new to me, I never thought I'd have a dog in Paris, I didn't even notice them in the street. As time went on, we started meeting dog owners, having evening gatherings and one thing led to another and I started taking photos of the dogs. Very quickly, the Paris City Council's "brigade des imbécilités" started to bother us. They forced us to change our meeting place, which had been held on rue des saules for almost 17 years. So, we moved to the hill of Montmartre but that didn't stop the famous brigade from finding something wrong with it. In the end, we set up an association with three or four other friends and contacted the parks and gardens department of the 18th arrondissement until we obtained the square.”
Meeting in Nadar Square…
“I discovered the dogs in Paris. I realised that it was very interesting to take pictures of them, so I continued to do so in the park. It may seem strange for people who don't have dogs but they have become my little companions. It's quite crazy to see that you can create such a strong emotional bond with dogs. All this creates a real affinity with the other owners, at first we talk about what we have in common; our animals, and finally we drift into our lives. I've had some great encounters. Especially through photography, as I make the effort to go up to all the new people in the square to take a picture of their dog. The aim is to create an osmosis, to meet each other, and it works very well.”
A mediator…
“There were dogs at my parents' home in the suburbs of Grenoble, and like all provincial dogs, they ran around in an enclosed space and barked at the sight of a passer-by. The association defends the fact that dogs in Paris are certainly happier than dogs in the provinces. Because they interact with other dogs.
I often go to the park, with or without Loulou, to keep an eye on the hygiene of the place but also to control conflicts. I have noticed that the owners tend to defend their dogs in bad faith, so I help to mediate.
There is a lot to be done in this square, to create cohesion with the neighborhood, to work on signage... There is always work to be done! The next step is to list the dog-friendly places in the 18th district, using stickers with the association's logo.
In this square there is a lot of traffic, children who come with their parents to pet the dogs, tourists, animal lovers, and most importantly we have a "concierge" Boris, who comes every day, he knows everyone, all the dogs. There are few places like ours.”
@lespoilusdelabutte
