Italy has further cemented its reputation as a pet-loving country after a woman was given paid sick leave to look after her unwell dog.
The woman, a Rome academic, won her case after being supported by a large animal rights organisation, the Italian Anti-Vivisection League (LAV).
The LAV is one of the biggest animal rights charities in Europe.
A judge accepted the lawyers’ case that her university should count her two days off under an allowance for absences related to “serious or family personal reasons”.
The unnamed academic, from Rome's La Sapienza University, won the case partly because of Italy's animal rights laws.
In Italian law, people who abandon an animal to “grave suffering” can be jailed for a year and fined up to €10,000.
The Italian Anti-Vivisection League President Gianluca Felicetti said the ruling paved the way for pets to be recognised as "members of the family".
"It is a significant step forward that recognised that animals that are not kept for financial gain or their working ability are effectively members of the family," he said.
"Now, with the necessary veterinary certification, those in the same situation will be able to cite this important precedent."