An Italian university employee was granted leave from her job to take care of her sick 12-year-old English setter in a decision that could pave the way for similar pet perks on the job, The New York Times reported.
"I had asked for the paid allowance, honestly explaining what I needed it for — namely to care for my sick dog," the woman, identified only as Anna, told La Stampa, according to the Times.
"I later realized that they had counted those days as a holiday, and I got angry as a matter of principle."
An animal advocacy group, Lega Anti Vivisezione, stepped in to help Anna make her case to her employer, Sapienza University in Rome, arguing her pooch was part of the family — and the university eventually agreed to give her two days of paid leave, the Times reported.
She is not alone.
According to the Times, paid leave for new pet owners or owners who have to take care of their sick pets has become part of some companies' benefits programs, including at the Scottish company Brewdog, which allots one-week paid leave for new puppy owners.
"Animals are part of the family, and to take care of them, apart from being our duty must be our right!" Lega Anti Vivisezione wrote in a Facebook post.
"I think there should be more support for those who have animals, starting for example with public vet healthcare," Anna, who owns two dogs, Cucciol, 12, and Duke, 17, told La Stampa, the Times reported.
"The costs to cure our little friends are very high, and not everyone can pay it."
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