Dogs and cats make wonderful companions, but in times of economic hardship keeping them can be costly, and people are sometimes forced to give up the joy of having a four-legged friend by their side. Trieste, a city that is "Central European" par excellence, appears to have found a solution to the problem.

A pet bonus for low-income residents in Trieste

The municipality has in fact developed a series of financial measures to meet the needs of those who – at a particular point in their lives – find themselves unable to fully support their pet. In Trieste households there are 22,000 dogs and nearly 21,000 cats, and the city has set aside a wide range of benefits and discounts for them, ranging from free supplies of dry and wet industrial pet food to one-off payments awarded to those who adopt an older dog from one of the municipal kennels. The municipal package includes a monthly bonus of 50 euros for anyone who adopts one of the dogs aged over seven years housed in the accredited facilities.

The municipality of Trieste has also established a fund that allows elderly people on the minimum pension, workers on redundancy support and those on low incomes to receive vouchers that, when presented at the Enpa office, entitle them to free medical care and vaccinations for their dogs and cats. Those who meet the requirements must go to the municipal animal welfare office with the necessary documentation, which will then issue the voucher to be shown when needed.

Support for those aged over 65 as well

Trieste has also thought of those who have reached the age of 65 and hold a card giving access to a range of discounts and reduced rates. These individuals are entitled to a special discount from accredited vets of between 5 and 15 per cent. Alongside the initiatives introduced directly by the municipality, there is also the project run by the Banco italiano zoologico – Balzoo, which makes it possible to organise food collections for dogs and cats and deliver pet food to Trieste residents whose income is below 6,000 euros.