Counteract pandemic stress by stroking a new four-legged friend. Over one in three Italian families hosts at least one pet at home, but in the year of Covid there was a real boom in adoptions .

2020, is a boom in adoptions

According to ENPA data taken from Coldiretti , this is a marked trend, which can be translated into an increase of 15% of dogs and cats that have found hospitality in homes, with peaks of 20-40% in some cities .

Even in Southern Italy, where stray dogs are particularly widespread, because of the difficulties in moving around, local adoptions have increased , up by 40% compared to the previous year . 

In particular, the National Animal Protection Authority found 8,100 dogs and 9,500 cats a home in 2020, for a total of 17,600 pets . The cases of the Enpa shelters in Treviso, Perugia or Monza, left without dogs to be adopted in December, are emblematic. 

“This is perhaps the small miracle of this pandemic ”commented Carla Rocchi, national president of ENPA. ” A miracle that has seen the animals present in our homes as protagonists, who with their affection and unconditional love have helped us in this difficult moment “.

According to what emerges from a further analysis – released by Coldiretti in a press release – over 3.5 million Italians have decided to welcome a pet to stem the sense of loneliness caused by the lockdown and anti-contagion measures . The cross-section reveals an Italy that is increasingly dog-friendly , with 28% of homes opening their doors to at least one dog.

Coldiretti and Enci against the illegal trafficking of animals

Following the increase in four-legged companions in the home, Coldiretti and Enci (National Body of Italian Dog lovers) have announced that they have entered into an agreement with the aim of combating the illegal trafficking of animals, a criminal business that is worth 300 million euros a year . 

” Those who arrive with the illegal trafficking are usually puppies of a few weeks, almost always unweaned and obviously without the identification microchip required by law ” warns the statement . “These specimens, very often stuffed with drugs to make them appear healthy, are introduced into the national territory accompanied by counterfeit documentation that certifies their false Italian origin and reports vaccination and prophylaxis treatments never performed “. 

These are real criminal situations, which the agreement intends to counter in order to promote the legal circuit of animal welfare-friendly farms.

According to what has been reported, in 2020 breeders who respect the rules have on the other hand recorded a 6% increase in registrations of specimens in the Italian herd book.

Tourism and pets, pet friendly accommodation facilities

How will Italians behave when they can return to travel? In a country with a high density of pets, it becomes essential, to avoid the spread of abandonments, to guarantee tourists the possibility of moving with their four-legged companion .  

Given this premise, the agreement with Enci aims to encourage hospitality to four-legged friends in the farmhouses of Campagna Amica , with the creation of areas dedicated to dog activities, training courses for operators and development of business activities educational – educational farms above all – that allow children to get close to animals to get to know and appreciate them.

There are over 24 thousand farmhousesequipped to offer open spaces and nature trails for families and their pets, which are added to other types of accommodation facilities sensitive to the needs of those traveling with their furry companions.  

Encouraging data comes, for example, from Airbnb, which reveals that searches for pet-friendly homes have increased on a global scale by 65% ​​since the beginning of January compared to the same period  in 2020 . welcoming pets, Italy also has a happy record: being the country with the highest percentage of pet-friendly homes in Europe.