Over the last 20 years, the French Association on Human and Animal Interaction (AFIRAC) has been developing an original approach to enhance responsible pet ownership in towns. AFIRAC participates in improving the quality of urban life through a harmonious integration of pets in cities and a better understanding of human-pet interactions.

AFIRAC's main objective is to encourage responsible pet ownership through positive management of urban animals by local authorities without tarnishing the pet and its status or setting up repressive measures such as roadblocks to ownership. AFIRAC shares its experience and knowledge of animals in urban environments with the municipal authorities, public establishments, housing administrators, and property owners.

AFIRAC provides a variety of services:

• Permanent or occasional consultancy with a team of experts who specialize in town planning and management.
• An auditing tool that towns can use to determine the number of animals in the town. Then, develoment of an action program adapted to the physical, technical, budgetary, and social restraints.
• Design and development of amenities with areas of defined ranking (dogs forbidden, dogs to be kept on leash, and dogs free to roam) is offered according to the diagnosis.
• Encouragement of responsible pet ownership through a consciousness-raising campaign.
• Training and education.
• Supportive communication tools.

To date, 60 French towns have developed original projects of animal integration with the help of AFIRAC.

AFIRAC
Association Francaise d'Information et de Recherche sur l'Animal de Compagnie
(French Association on Human and Animal Interaction)
32 rue de Trévise
75011 Paris
France
Telephone: 33 1 56 03 12 00
Fax: 33 1 56 03 14 15
Email: afirac@i-et-e.fr

 

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