Rome, August 5, 2025 – The collaboration between Italo and Empethy continues, aiming to combat stray animals and the abandonment of dogs and cats.

Once again this year, Italo has chosen to support a “Virtual Animal Shelter”, an innovative tool designed to promote the adoption of abandoned pets—whose numbers rise exponentially during the summer months. The shelter was created by Empethy, the digital platform for pet adoptions and the first search engine for conscious adoption, supported by interactive tools and educational resources.

A total of 120 dogs and cats, cared for by 6 volunteer associations across 6 Italian regions—Veneto, Lombardy, Lazio, Campania, Tuscany, and Piedmont—are featured in the initiative.

Italo’s Virtual Shelter becomes a real opportunity for these animals, who can be adopted by both travelers and employees. Already an active promoter of pet adoptions, Italo has decided to increase the visibility of this initiative by placing dedicated flyers on all its trains. These flyers include a QR code that links directly to the company’s shelter page, helping connect these animals with new adoptive families.

This pet-friendly initiative builds on the efforts made by Italo and Empethy over the past three years. Since October 2022, Italo has been the first transport company to offer free round-trip tickets every week to Empethy-registered volunteers who need to transport animals to their new adoptive homes. In November 2023, the company organized its first Pet Day, allowing employees to bring their dogs to the office for a day of play and training, thanks to Empethy and the Cave Canem Foundation of Dog Educators. In June 2024, a Team Building Day was held at the Valle Grande shelter in Rome, giving participants the chance to interact with the animals hosted there.

This ongoing commitment has had a positive impact on both the community and the animals: in 2024 alone, 170 adoptions were facilitated through the Italo shelter and volunteer transport efforts, along with the donation of 200 kilograms of pet food to shelters.

Looking ahead, Italo will continue to engage its employees in awareness initiatives focused on stray animals and conscious adoption, with the support of Empethy.

“We continue our strong partnership with Empethy. We've been working together for three years and have seen great enthusiasm from our employees and travelers. We help fight stray animal issues by giving these pets a new life and a loving family,” said Fabio Sgroi, Health & Safety Director at Italo.

“We’re proud to continue this collaboration with Italo, which for three years has expanded adoption opportunities for hundreds of animals. The Virtual Shelter combines technology and compassion, creating real impact against stray animal issues,” said Annamaria Barbaro, CEO and co-founder of Empethy.

Additionally, this summer Italo launched a new partnership with Baboop, an innovative pet insurance broker, to offer policies tailored to the needs of pet owners, with exclusive rates for Italo travelers.