Italian woman awarded sick pay for time off to take care of ill dog

(FOX NEWS) - An Italian woman was granted sick pay for the time she took off while caring for her ill dog, a ruling that could have pets be recognized as "members of the family" in the future, reports said on Thursday.

The unidentified woman won the case against La Sapienza University in Rome, where she works, Sky News reported. The Italian court ruled her two-day absence will count as paid time off for "serious or family personal reasons."

The woman recruited the Italian Anti-Vivisection League, one of the biggest animal rights group in Europe, to help her with the case.

"It is a significant step forward that recognized that animals that are not kept for financial gain or their working ability are effectively members of the family," the league's president, Gianluca Felicetti, said after the ruling, according to Sky News.

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