National Reference Centre for Animal Assisted Interventions (Pet Therapy)

The duties of the National Reference Centre for Animal Assisted Interventions (Pet Therapy) are as follows:

• to promote research into standardized operating protocols relating to the health and behavioural control of animals used in AAT (animal-assisted therapy) programmes;
• to strengthen collaborations between human and veterinary medicine in order to identify operating and research synergies which guarantee improvement in outcomes in the sector in question;
• to enhance knowledge on the applicability of the interventions in given categories of patients, as the elderly, autistic children, the mentally challenged;
• to organize and manage training pathways;
• to collect data and disseminate information to the international scientific community.

In cooperation with the Italian Ministry of Health and the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Italian National Institute of Health), the Reference Centre has developed national guidelines for standardizing operating protocols for AAI. The guidelines also provide details on the training pathways for professionals and providers involved in the multidisciplinary team. According to these guidelines, the Centre has developed and manages Digital Pet, a web platform containing national lists of AAI professionals, Specialised Centres/Recognised Structures, activated AAT and AAE projects, and a register of animals of the dog, cat, rabbit, donkey, and horse species that can be involved in AAI.

Furthermore, it plays a role in integrating AAI and Social Farming practices with traditional welfare practices. This is useful for bridging welfare gaps and providing an innovative approach based on the concepts of community care and One Welfare. The Centre’s research on social agriculture is aligned with its mission to promote research and collaborate with human medicine.

Finally, in 2018, the National Reference Centre for AAI has joined in the CEN TC 452 working groups, contributing to a standardization process supported by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) aimed at harmonising the assistance dog sectors in Europe. The European standard defines the requirements of the assistance dog supply chain to ensure the safety of the user and the welfare of the dog throughout its life. A shared standard at the European level is necessary to facilitate the legislative process at the national and EU levels, ensuring the social acceptability and accessibility of dog-disabled pairs in various public or private contexts open to the public and on public and private transport. The Centre works in collaboration with regional institutions and professional associations to organize the supply chain from a One Welfare perspective.