The path of pet therapy

It was in 1960 that Boris Levinson stated for the first time his theories about the psycho-physical benefits deriving from the company of some animals. The child psychiatrist limited himself to experiments on loneliness, anxiety, stress, depression. In 1981, the United States inaugurated the Delta Society , a non-profit organization that cares about the condition of the sick with the help of some animals. Although the consideration that animals are close to those who suffer is almost taken for granted, pet therapy has only recently gained some of the due recognition it deserves. 

Even today there is no clear and precise national legal definition regarding procedures and the minimum requirements necessary to be able to carry out the activity of pet therapy. Indeed, it is up to the Regions to legislate and regulate the matter. The result was a heterogeneous panorama , made up of self-managed and self-certified work environments, characterized by often different operating methods. At times, these approaches have been detrimental to the patient and the animal involved in the therapy, due to the lack of a team that could monitor both the patient and the animal involved in the project at the same time. How is pet therapy characterized in Italy?

AAA and AAT

The acronym AAA stands for Animal Assisted Activities . These are the types of educational-recreational intervention and psycho-relational support, in order to improve the quality of life of different subjects, such as children, the handicapped, hospitalized patients, psychiatric patients, the elderly, and prisoners. Having no therapeutic value , AAAs are not prescribed by a doctor. This does not mean that it is advisable to be indicated by a professional in the health or education sector who is in charge of the recipient of the intervention.

AAT (or sometimes TAA ) instead stands for Animal Assisted Therapies. These are individualized interventions on the subject / patient, always in support of traditional therapies , practiced through specially trained animals. The AAT are aimed at improving physical, motor, psychic, cognitive and emotional disorders. Given their intrinsic therapeutic value , AATs are designed on the basis of health and psycho-relational indications provided by the doctor and / or the patient’s reference psychologist and provide for precise objectives and indicators of effectiveness. 

Also find out what the therapeutic power of the cat is

Pet therapy and the law in Italy

Pet therapy in Italy was introduced as early as 1997 for hours of the bill presented to the Chamber of Deputies by Piero Ruzzante . A second legislative proposal to promote human-animal contact for therapeutic purposes came in 2003 by Carla Castellani . The most important recognition given to pet therapy was always in 2003 thanks to the Prime Minister’s Decree which acknowledges the agreement between the Ministry of Health, the Regions and the Autonomous Provinces, on the subject of pet welfare and pet therapy. Let’s see what it consists of.

First of all, this agreement includes the animals to be used for pet therapy among the “pets”. Then it establishes that the training of pets for the disabled or for pet therapy is to be carried out exclusively by subjects with specific skills . Finally, the decree provides that the Regions and Autonomous Provinces can evaluate the adoption of initiatives aimed at facilitating the maintenance of contact of people with pets, both owned and usable for pet therapy.

From these three proposals originates a unified text relating to the “discipline of Animal Assisted Activities and Therapies”. In its articles, the text underlines the social and therapeutic usefulness of pet therapy, promoting the design and implementation of such activities in health facilities, always keeping in mind the well-being of the animal used. 

In addition to the definition of the treatments, controls and selections to which the animals used in AAA / TAA must undergo, the use , for the first time, of wild and exotic animals and puppies is prohibited . The composition of the National Commission for AAA / TAA defines different professional figures of pet therapy and describes the implementing rules for the design, evaluation and execution of the AAA / TAA, as well as research programs and methods for disseminating the data that emerged. Finally, standards are defined for the establishment of training courses for operators and for the preparation of animals to be used in AAA / TAAA. 

The attention paid at the legislative level confers scientific and procedural dignity to pet therapy in Italy, removing from the practice the anonymity and “do it yourself” that in previous years had characterized the nature of the activities carried out, often contributing to diminish the authentic value.