In Lazio, it is now possible. With the 4 zampe con te initiative, the region has established that pet animals will be able to visit their owners admitted to care facilities freely. The new regulation provides for the identification of dedicated areas in which to authorise the entry of animals. These include outdoor spaces adjacent to hospital wards, gardens, or purpose-configured rooms, corridors and terraces. Hospitals will also be required to expressly indicate the zones where animals are not permitted. All animals admitted will, of course, need to hold a veterinary certificate attesting to their good health and confirmation that the compulsory vaccination schedule has been completed.

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Lazio's animal-friendly turning point

Lazio is thus following the lead of other Italian regions where laws or special permissions are being implemented to firmly assert the importance of four-legged friends, their protection and welfare, as well as the fundamental contribution they make to the mental and physical health of human beings. The aim of the new rules is to minimise disruption to the regular running of the facility's healthcare activities while at the same time allowing animals to visit patients, with evident positive effects on the care process. The medical management of each individual facility will also be tasked with identifying a group of experts who will receive dedicated training to ensure the visits are conducted and managed correctly.

The first hospital where the 4 Zampe con te service will be activated is the new Castelli Romani hospital, which will open its doors at the end of the year and where a specific area has already been identified to allow patients to meet their four-legged friends. "The moment of illness is a very difficult phase to face, and having one's own pets by one's side, alongside relatives and loved ones, is a factor that can have very positive effects on the care process and on the rehabilitation of patients of any age," explains the president of the Lazio region, Nicola Zingaretti. In this way, a further and important step forward is being taken along the path towards an ever deeper and more authentic bond between human beings and animals.