Purina, a leading European company in pet care, is proud to support Frida's Friends in carrying out Iaa (Animal Assisted Interventions), more commonly known as Pet Therapy, at the Fatebenefratelli Hospital in Milan, a center of excellence in the Italian healthcare landscape and renowned for its dedication to the care and well-being of patients.

With the aim of realizing its commitment to improving the lives of vulnerable people thanks to the benefits deriving from the human-pet bond, Purina is happy to collaborate alongside Frida's Friends, which for almost ten years has offered support to children in care and their families, in the development of the project "Quattro gambe in corsia" at the Casa Pediatrica dell'Ospedale Fatebenefratelli in Milan. In this way, Purina joins two organizations that for years have taken care of vulnerable people thanks to Animal Assisted Interventions, with the help of dogs, and now also cats, in a city like Milan, which over the years has proven to be particularly sensitive to the issues of promoting increasingly pet-friendly spaces and enhancing the positive role that pets have in society.

In support of Frida's Friends Animal Assisted Interventions at Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Purina has developed a booklet to entertain young patients, featuring pets. The contents are linked to Purina's A Scuola di Petcare educational campaign and have a dual objective: to provide fun pastimes and activities that children can do during their hospital stay and at the same time inform them about the world of pets and how to be a responsible future pet owner.

English: Awareness of the positive role of pets in situations of vulnerability and psychophysical distress is now widespread. As emerged from a survey conducted by Bva Doxa for Purina, over 8 out of 10 people recognize the importance of pets in these situations, as they are able to relieve stress, have a positive effect on mood, develop emotional bonds and help overcome trauma and difficult situations. But it is not just a perception, because animal-assisted interventions (AIA) are an increasingly recognized practice also at a scientific level and for this reason regulated by National Guidelines since 2015. In order to protect the health of patients and the well-being of pets, the Guidelines define the operational standards for the correct application of these interventions and provide indications on the tasks and responsibilities of the multiple professional figures and operators involved in this type of initiative, who must have specific preparation and training. These rules reflect the need to build activities on scientific criteria and apply structured protocols that verify the correct administration of the practice in all its phases.

Supporting Animal Assisted Interventions is a natural part of Purina's commitments, particularly in the context of programs to raise awareness and improve people's lives through the human-pet relationship. Through "commitments beyond the bowl", aimed at promoting a better life for pets, people and the health of the Planet, the company realizes its commitment to provide education on responsible pet ownership that helps pets and people live a happy life together. Among the social sustainability projects, "A scuola di PetCare" teaches young people how to learn to relate consciously with pets, while the "Pets at Work" project aims to raise awareness of the positive impact of the human-pet relationship also in the workplace.

“At Purina, we strongly believe in the benefits and importance of the human-pet relationship to enrich and improve our lives. For this reason, we have decided to support a concrete project that involves the integration of pets for the benefit of younger patients in vulnerable situations. In this journey, we are supported by valuable partners and excellent facilities, who, like us, strongly believe that life is better with pets. The support for the Fatebenefratelli Hospital and the Frida's Friends project is only the beginning of a much broader journey that we desire and aim to undertake in other cities as well,” says Rafael Lopez , Regional Director Italy and Southern Europe for Purina.