The four-legged friends will soon be able to follow their owners hospitalized in retirement homes and hospices in Prato. The Municipality thus accepted the proposal born on Facebook by the Councilor for Animal Rights Dante Mondanelli who, a few days ago, had published an appeal on his bulletin board.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Dogs, cats and pets in general will soon be able to follow the ownersthe owners hospitalized in retirement homes and in the hospices of Prato. The Municipality thus welcomed the proposal born on Facebook of the Councilor for Animal Rights Dante Mondanelli who, a few days ago, had published an appeal on his bulletin board.
This is one of the novelties of the municipal regulation for the protection and welfare of animals of the Tuscan municipality, presented yesterday at the Town Hall by Mondanelli and by the presidents of the council committees General Affairs Gianluca Banchelli and Social Policies Roberto Baldi with the aim of "favoring the access of pets in social and health structures together with their owners and spreading la pet- therapy in care facilities where the presence of four-legged friends can alleviate pathologies ".
It will be “a zero-cost operation for the Municipality - explains Mondadelli - which is compatible with the compliance with health and hygiene regulations, through the competent offices and the Health Society, intends to provide for the structural or furnishing adjustments necessary for the reception of animals in rest homes and in the future also in hospices. Being able to have your pet with you is very important for the elderly and for those in the terminal phase of their life ".
The director of the Health Society, Riccardo Poli, also agrees: “facilitating access to Rsa for pets can become a quality requirement. It is necessary that the structures adapt to accommodate these four-legged friends. They will have to comply with the requirements that can be indicated together with the hygiene office ".
The pet, therefore, is no longer seen as a passive subject to be exploited and used, but as one active figure from whom to receive affection. And this is precisely the principle that guides the Pet Therapy. Certainly it is not enough to place an animal next to a suffering person to expect the miracle of recovery, but having a trusted friend with you during the hospital stay will help the terminally ill and the elderly to overcome disability better and feel less alone.
Allowing dogs and cats to enter the facilities will make it possible to put an end to the painful and forced separations to which patients and animals, both victims of forced abandonment, are forced.
All that remains is to hope that the example of the Tuscan town will not remain an exception.
Roberta Ragni
