by Rita Simonetta
Visit any Italian-Canadian neighbourhood this summer and you’ll find tons of four-legged companions. That’s reflective of what’s happening all across a country that’s fallen in love with its furry friends. According to polling firm Abacus Data, 32% of Canadians own a dog. Mattea Settino is one of them. The Woodbridge, Ontario resident has a female Havanese Bichon with whom she shares a unique bond. “I think that dogs can sense when something isn’t right; when someone in the house is acting different, the dog’s mood changes based on that individual,” says Settino. Welcoming a dog into the family had the full backing of her father, but her mother was hesitant. “However, after the first week and a half, my mom and my dog became best friends, and now my mom can’t imagine life without her.” But old-school attitudes run deep. “When I was growing up, my mom never really liked animals in the house,” says Montreal resident Michaela Di Cesare. “There’s that mentality from older generation that animals are to be kept outdoors.
Three years ago, she and her husband Gabriel Di Genova adopted Giacomo, an Italian Greyhound and Chihuahua mix. Some of her family members were initially against the idea. Italian immigrants who settled in Canada after the Second World War were a pragmatic lot intent on carving out a new life for themselves and their children. Spending hard-earned money on chew toys and pooch outfits was not part of the equation. Times have changed. While Italian-Canadians might have once cringed at the very thought of a dog inside their house or (God forbid) lounging on the plastic-covered couches, they can now appreciate that a beloved dog is a member of la famiglia. Di Cesare’s and Di Genova’s parents dote on Giacomo and shower him with gifts. Nonna Lina is president of his fan club. “She adores him and offers to babysit him all the time. One time when she was babysitting him, I arrived home and saw that she had placed Giacomo at the kitchen table and had made zuppa di latte for him.”
Three years ago, she and her husband Gabriel Di Genova adopted Giacomo, an Italian Greyhound and Chihuahua mix. Some of her family members were initially against the idea. Italian immigrants who settled in Canada after the Second World War were a pragmatic lot intent on carving out a new life for themselves and their children. Spending hard-earned money on chew toys and pooch outfits was not part of the equation. Times have changed. While Italian-Canadians might have once cringed at the very thought of a dog inside their house or (God forbid) lounging on the plastic-covered couches, they can now appreciate that a beloved dog is a member of la famiglia. Di Cesare’s and Di Genova’s parents dote on Giacomo and shower him with gifts. Nonna Lina is president of his fan club. “She adores him and offers to babysit him all the time. One time when she was babysitting him, I arrived home and saw that she had placed Giacomo at the kitchen table and had made zuppa di latte for him.”
This care and attention are particularly meaningful because Giacomo is a rescue dog who suffered physical and psychological abuse from his former owners. “We wanted to give him a second chance at love and at life,” Di Cesare says, crediting Sophie’s Dog Adoption for connecting dogs with loving families like her own. And Giacomo, who was malnourished and mistreated in the past, is now living his best life. To help with the dog’s digestive problems, Di Cesare cooks him organic farm-totable meals, and her husband devotes time to playing with him when he arrives from work–and even tops it off with a massage. Beyond the custom cakes he devours and the brandname attire he struts in, Giacomo has travelled to Italy three times where he’s enjoyed the sights and tastes of Rome, Naples, Calabria and Florence. “All of the big cities in Italy are dog-friendly,” Di Cesare points out. “Whenever we went out to restaurants, Giacomo was always welcomed.” The love affair continues in Canada. “Most of my clients are Italian,” says Maria Campo, owner of K9-5 Dog Walking. Campo has run her dog-walking service for the past 11 years and serves clients in Woodbridge, Kleinburg and Toronto. Indeed, nowadays the Canadian cities and towns Italians helped pave and construct are lined with pet retailers and dog grooming salons. Dogs have become big business.
Enterprising entrepreneurs offer up an array of services from training schools to pet-sitting to day camps and even wedding day dog attendants. For dog parents keen on spoiling their fur babies, the possibilities are endless: spa treatments, robots that play fetch, velvet-lined sofa beds. And there are more dogs to spend time with than ever before because the pandemic resulted in a puppy boom. “I’ve noticed a 50% increase of dog ownership,” Campo says, who got a female Bichon poodle during the pandemic (she already had another one). People who suddenly found themselves confined to their homes decided that a four-legged pal was the best way to plug through the isolation. They’re on the right track; dogs are a vital emotional support. For instance, a dog’s loyalty and protecting nature can be life-saving for veterans and first responders with PTSD. A dog’s ability to increase wellbeing has backing from medical research. According to a study released in March from the University of Saskatchewan, emergency room patients noted a reduction in pain, anxiety and depression after a brief visit with a therapy dog. This knack for improving mood is the cornerstone of the pet therapy program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. For more than 15 years, the centre has invited volunteer dog owners and their furry pals to visit and interact with clients. It’s resulted in an upshot of good vibes. “It gives people a purpose,” says Theresa Conforti, who oversees the program. “They have a reason to get up to visit with the dog; they feel responsible for it. Clients say a visit from the dogs brightens up their day and makes them less anxious.” Conforti hopes to expand awareness, as well as the program, so that more clients can benefit from the soothing effects of dogs. “Even when clients aren’t feeling their best, dogs don’t judge,” says Conforti. “They’re a source of inspiration and hope.”
Cover story, wardrobe by Canadian fashion designer Nadya Toto (www.nadyatoto.com)
