Our Projects

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support!

We’re proud to announce that Associazione Amici Animali a 4 Zampe has been awarded the 2024 Humanitarian Grant from the Italian Buddhist Union (Unione Buddhista Italiana). This funding will let us carry out important work for the animals in our care and raise awareness of animal welfare in the local community.

Here’s how we’re going to put the grant to work.

What the project sets out to do:

1. Better physical care for our dogs:
   • We’ll improve the medical and psychological care the animals in the Park receive, with targeted treatment for emerging conditions and specific needs.
2. Bringing in a professional dog trainer:
   • A trainer who specialises in shelter dogs will run behavioural and social rehabilitation programmes, with a holistic approach that looks after both the physical and the emotional side of each animal.
3. An awareness campaign in schools:
   • We’ll hold a series of meetings in local schools to talk with students and their families about what it really means to adopt and look after an animal, how to prevent abandonment, and why registering dogs on the official canine registry matters.
4. A cat neutering and microchipping campaign:
   • To reduce cat overpopulation and the risks that come with disease and unwanted behaviour, we’ll run a targeted neutering and microchipping campaign in both urban and rural areas.

What we’ll actually do:

1. Specific treatment for dogs with health problems:
   • We’ll treat conditions that until now we could only manage partially, such as epilepsy, mange, heartworm and leishmaniasis. Healthier dogs also have a much better chance of being adopted.

   How we’ll measure results:

   • Improvement in the dogs’ health (checked every two months).
   • More adoptions, with the goal of finding a new family for 50% of the dogs treated by the end of the project.
2. Behavioural rehabilitation for dogs with social difficulties:
   • We’ll work with dogs that have been through trauma or abuse, helping them build new social skills with the support of an experienced trainer.

   How we’ll measure results:

   • Better socialisation, so the dogs can share a kennel with others.
   • A real chance of adoption for at least 50% of the dogs treated.
3. Cat neutering campaign:
   • We’ll launch a campaign to reduce the number of cats living on the streets and in shelters in the areas we cover.

   How we’ll measure results:

   • Around 120 cats neutered.
   • A noticeable drop in the number of stray cats.
4. Communication and awareness campaign in schools:
   • We’ll visit 15 local schools to teach pupils and their families about caring for animals and being responsible for them, using teaching materials and comics that tell the stories of the animals living in our Park.

   How we’ll measure results:

   • Active involvement of families and local councils.
   • Coverage of the project in the local media.
   • Positive feedback from students, gathered through sample interviews.

This project is a big step forward for our Park and for the whole community. Once again, thank you to the Italian Buddhist Union for their generous support, and to all of you who keep believing in what we do. Together we can make a difference for so many animals in need.