Rome is preparing to host “Dogs & Museum”, an initiative that will allow dog owners to visit museums and monuments without leaving their pet at home. The tour will start from the capital on 12 January 2025 and will involve important cultural places such as the Ara Pacis Museum, MAXXI, National Etruscan Museum and Castel Sant’Angelo.
How the “Dogs & Museum” service works
The “Dogs & Museum” project involves the presence of specialized dog sitters at the entrances to the museums and monuments participating in the initiative. These professionals, easily recognizable thanks to branded clothing, will look after the dogs while the owners visit the museum. While waiting, the animals will not simply remain tied up in a rest area, but will be taken for a walk in the surrounding green areas and will receive specific attention: hydration, feeding and cleaning.
To use the service, owners must book online via the bauadvisor.it website or app, at least 24 hours in advance. In the launch phase, which will last from 12 January 2025 to 5 April 2026, the service will be completely free. After this period, it will become paid at a cost of 10 euros per hour.
To ensure the safety and well-being of the animal, upon delivery the owner must provide:
Once the visit is over, the owner will be able to pick up their dog directly at the exit of the museum.
After Rome, the tour will visit other Italian cities, involving a total of 280 museums and archaeological areas.
All the stages
But the question arises: was all this really necessary?
Pet sitter at the museum
The idea of offering a dog sitting service at the entrance to museums might seem interesting, but on closer inspection, how many people really felt the need for such an initiative?
If a dog owner decides to visit a museum, he can simply organize himself by leaving the animal at home, perhaps entrusting it to a family member or a private dog sitter, as has always been the case. After all, dogs are not allowed in museums for obvious hygiene and safety reasons, and this is certainly not discrimination.
Furthermore, the service does not allow you to visit the museum with your dog, but merely offers a temporary dog sitter. At this point, wouldn’t it have made more sense to expand museum access policies for well-behaved dogs, rather than create a paid parking system for four-legged friends?
Free, but not forever
The initiative will only be free for 15 months, thanks to the support of sponsors such as Wahl and Haqihana, but once the promotional phase is over, the service will cost 10 euros per hour. At this point, the question arises: how many will be willing to pay for a service that is in fact a temporary “dog park”? Isn’t it simpler and less expensive to leave the dog at home, perhaps by organizing in advance?
Ultimately, this project leaves some doubts: is it really a step forward towards greater inclusiveness or just a cosmetic operation?
