According to the magazine "30 millions d'amis", Lille stands out as the French city of more than 100,000 inhabitants where dogs and their owners live the best. This ranking is established according to various criteria and puts the capital of Flanders in the lead.
Lille came in first with an average score of 18 out of 20, showing that this is the city where dogs and their owners are most satisfied. The magazine, an animal welfare advocate, evaluated several criteria to develop this ranking, including:
- Access to green spaces, play areas and transportation
- Cleanliness, through facilities such as waste bags and canisites, as well as cleaning devices
- Awareness and commitment to dog education, bite prevention for children, celebration of the animal, spay/neuter campaigns, choice of pound system and pet cemetery
- Mediation, with an elected official dedicated to animals in the city, an antenna to fight against animal abuse, management of neighborhood conflicts related to dogs, awareness among the homeless and prevention among mail carriers
An elected municipal official dedicated to animal welfare
Last year, Lille received a score of 15.9 out of 20. The city attributes this improvement in part to the creation in 2020 of a new delegation entrusted to Christelle Libert, city councilor in charge of animal welfare.
In a press release published on its website, the City of Lille is pleased with this first place, which demonstrates the commitment and mobilization of its elected officials and agents to enhance biodiversity and improve animal welfare in Lille.
Last year, the municipality also published a 40-page guideThis booklet, entitled "Guide de l'animal en ville", aims to inform and raise awareness about animal issues in general. It deals not only with domestic animals, but also with stray animals, wild animals, municipal actions and associations.
Nice and Montpellier complete the podium established by the magazine "30 million friends".