An organization for the protection of animals in Europe has been delighted by a verdict given to an Italian university professor, who absented herself from work to take care of her sick dog. In its verdict, the court decided to compensate the plaintiff with 10,000 euros, after the case made headlines in Italy.
The professor, whose name wasn’t declared, filed a case against the Rome's La Sapienza University, where she works, after she faced punitive procedures absented for personal reasons. Later, it was known that the reason behind her absence was to care of her sick dog.
The plaintiff’s lawyers cited Italy's strict animal protection laws that say people who abandon an animal to 'grave suffering' should be jailed for a year and fined up to €10,000.
Commenting on the court’s decision, President Gianluca Felicetti, the president of the organization, saw that the verdict paved the road for the legal recognition and practice of pet rights.
He added that it is a significant step that recognized that animals are not only kept for entertainment or when they are joyful and in full health.
The Association of Veterinarians praised the decision, stating that it is a first-of-its-kind step that will reassure animal owners, and allows them to receive veterinary certifications that enable them to stay with their sick animals until they recover, after making the necessary examination.
This verdict asserts that Italy is a civilized and animal-loving country, especially amid people’s concerns about losing their jobs, and the difficulty to find a new one amidst Italy's hard economic conditions and rampant unemployment.
