Every dog has its day, and for a pack of pooches that day will come later in July when Karel van der Vyver opens a museum in Cape Town dedicated to man’s best friend.
At the bottom of Keerom Street, in the heart of the Mother City, the 24-year-old is putting the finishing touches to his project to pay homage to dogs and the roles they have played in people’s lives.
And it will aptly be called the Museum of Dogs.
Van der Vyver, who grew up in Seaview, Gqeberha, in a home where dogs were always in the picture, said he had long wanted to do something special to honour the loyal pets in some way.
Unfortunately, it took a family tragedy for him to define his plans.
“About five years ago, my aunt died of cancer. In her last days she came to live with us and brought her dogs along.
“Her biggest concern was what would happen to her pets once she died.
“And when she died her will stated that a portion of her money should go towards charity, specifically animal shelters for dogs.
“This got me thinking about all the amazing stories I’ve heard about famous dogs and people’s relationships with their dogs, and the idea of a museum to document all these incredible stories, started forming.”
The former Woodridge pupil and his mother started looking for a space to house the museum and came across a beautifully restored, historic home in Keerom Street with a heritage dating back more than 300 years.
The 330m² property was occupied by an Italian restaurant, which closed down during the Covid-19 pandemic, and is now being transformed into a space dedicated to dogs.
“We started gathering information about famous dogs, or dogs belonging to famous people.
“During that process word spread about our project and soon we were inundated with wonderful stories about the roles dogs have played in people’s lives,” Van der Vyver said.
The museum will provide a brief history of dogs in SA, a photography exhibition by pet photographer Emma O’Brien, ceramics by Tania Bubb and short films about dogs from around the world.
Van der Vyver is also curating a selection of personal tales from dog owners that will be changed on a regular basis as more stories emerge.
Some of these stories include a divorced couple who rekindled their romance through the joint custody of their dogs, as well as a woman who picked up a stray dachshund and had it neutered only to find out it was someone’s pedigree breeding dog and they no longer wanted it.
But one of Van der Vyver’s favourite stories came from a distant relative whose intrepid Jack Russell charged at three armed assailants holding her up outside her home, and scared them off with little to show for their crime.
“As far as we know, this will be the first museum of its kind, and we really hope to provide a happy space where dog lovers from around the world can come together and enjoy themselves,” Van der Vyver said.
The Museum of Dogs will also house its own coffee shop and gift shop.
The launch will take place on the evening of July 26, and the museum will be open to the public from the next day.
HeraldLIVE
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