When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
blog

The Italian Prison That Teaches Inmates To Walk Your Dogs

The Italian Prison That Teaches Inmates To Walk Your Dogs

It's 1:05 p.m. and lessons are starting slightly late today at the dog-sitter course. But this is not your usual dog sitting class: It's taking place at Bollate prison, just north of Milan.

Every Thursday until November, 18 inmates will spend four hours (two hours of practical lessons and two hours of theory) learning until they "graduate" with a diploma from the National Sports Education Center (CSEN).

Animal-assisted therapy has long been advocated in helping piece together shattered lives — or simply aiding social, emotional and cognitive functioning. Dogs, obviously, are among the most widely used pets, though recently the Italian website Italy Journal reported that donkeys were being considered for use.

The lessons here at Bollate prison include animal care, pet therapy and lectures from veterinarians, trainers and teachers. The students seem to thoroughly enjoy their training, as evidenced in an article from Italian daily La Stampa, after journalist Antonella Mariotti paid a visit to the inmates that will become the prison's first qualified pet therapists.

Vito Catorre, 51, remembers that before he was behind bars, "I was good with animals — I even trained geese. When I get out, I want to live in the countryside with lots of animals."

The dogs that the class work with are called Bible — who has curlers in his hair to keep it in shape — and Rosie, a greyhound rescued from the commercial racing industry in Britain.The prisoners file into the room as class begins; one of them stops to pet Bible.

"Did you know it's been 10 years since I've pet a dog?" he says. He bends down, almost kneeling and Bible responds by rolling onto his back to have his belly rubbed.

Another student here is Otis Opoku Ackah, 34, who has been at the facility since 2007. "In Ghana I had so many animals: two dogs, a cat, goats. I'm so happy to be around animals again. What will I do when I get out? Maybe I will have learned dog sitting so well that I'll be able to teach it to others!" he jokes.

During the class, Claudio, the groom at Bollate comes in — yes, in this prison you can also learn how to take care of horses. "You never know who's helping whom," smiles Nicolò Vergagni, ethologist and biologist. "Once a week," he says, "these animals just take away the pain that's in here."

Main photo: Alberto Gottardo (All Rights Reserved)

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Society

Influencer Union? The Next Labor Rights Battle May Be For Social Media Creators

With the end of the Hollywood writers and actors strikes, the creator economy is the next frontier for organized labor.

​photograph of a smartphone on a selfie stick

Smartphone on a selfie stick

Steve Gale/Unsplash
David Craig and Stuart Cunningham

Hollywood writers and actors recently proved that they could go toe-to-toe with powerful media conglomerates. After going on strike in the summer of 2023, they secured better pay, more transparency from streaming services and safeguards from having their work exploited or replaced by artificial intelligence.

But the future of entertainment extends well beyond Hollywood. Social media creators – otherwise known as influencers, YouTubers, TikTokers, vloggers and live streamers – entertain and inform a vast portion of the planet.

✉️ You can receive our Bon Vivant selection of fresh reads on international culture, food & travel directly in your inbox. Subscribe here.

For the past decade, we’ve mapped the contours and dimensions of the global social media entertainment industry. Unlike their Hollywood counterparts, these creators struggle to be seen as entertainers worthy of basic labor protections.

Keep reading...Show less

The latest