Exactly one country on Earth will pay you to stay home with a sick pet. It’s not the US. It’s not famous for progressive labour law. It’s Italy — and everywhere else, “pawternity leave” is either a bill sitting in committee, a HR perk at one company, or just a hashtag.
We wrote about Italy’s new law when it passed — three paid days a year, a microchipped pet and a vet’s note required. Since then the question we keep getting is some version of “does my country have this?” Short answer: almost certainly not yet. Here’s exactly where things stand, so you’re not googling this every few months.
Law: Italy (and only Italy, so far)
Italy’s rule traces back to 2017, when a Rome academic won a court case for paid time off to nurse her sick English Setter, Cucciola — the court’s reasoning was that leaving an animal to suffer is itself a legal wrong. That case became the basis for a national rule: up to three paid days a year, with a microchip on record and a digital vet certificate confirming the emergency. No other country has turned this into enforceable law yet.
Bills: introduced, not passed (US)
Three US proposals are the ones actually moving through a legislature right now, and none has been signed into law:
- Missouri House Bill 3207 — would require employers to give bereavement leave, including a limited paid component, after a pet’s death.
- Illinois Senate Bill 1670 — would fold “covered companion animals” into the state’s existing Family Bereavement Leave Act (unpaid).
- New York Assembly Bill A.791 — would let employees use their already-accrued paid sick leave to care for a companion or service animal, not just themselves.
Bills like these get re-introduced every session and mostly die in committee — that’s normal for employment law, not a sign these three are close. Worth bookmarking, not worth expecting soon.
Watching: Spain
Spain has no pet-leave proposal in front of its legislature as of mid-2026, but Italy’s law is being cited there as a reference point for what a future rule could look like. That’s the entire status: interest, no bill.
Perk: what employers already give you, law or no law
This is the part that’s actually usable today, for some employees: a growing list of companies offer “pawternity” style leave voluntarily, no legislation required. Rover gives staff three days of paid bereavement leave when a pet dies. Several other companies offer new-pet “bonding” or adjustment leave — anywhere from a few hours to about a week, often needing a manager’s sign-off. None of this is standard, all of it depends entirely on where you work, and most Indian employers haven’t heard of it yet — but it’s real, and worth asking your HR team about directly rather than assuming the answer is no.
Where this leaves India
No Indian bill, no policy on the horizon — and given how far behind India still is on basic pet-friendly workplace norms, a Cucciola-style court case here is a long way off. What’s shifting is smaller and slower: a handful of startups now mention pawternity or pet-bonding leave in their benefits page, mostly as a hiring perk rather than a legal obligation. If you want it, ask for it in writing before you sign, because right now nothing guarantees it.
One more honest note: every one of these policies, proposed or real, assumes you already have the pet. If you’re still deciding, the dogs and cats waiting for adoption right now don’t care whether your employer has a pawternity policy — they just need the home. Get that part right first.