Earlier this year, Vetter, a police horse with the UW Madison Police Department, gave birth to a foal named Puck.
Vetter was quickly issued 12 weeks off of the job so that mare and foal could rest and spend time together. During that time she will continue to be provided food and shelter by the police department.
This practice is at odds with UW Madison’s paid leave policy for its human employees, though, who are entitled to no paid parental leave. Despite calls to implement a paid parental leave program for years, UW employees need to use their sick and vacation time if they want to be paid while caring for a newborn child.
JT Cestkowski is a freelance journalist, who recently wrote a story for Tone Madison highlighting demand for paid parental leave for UW Madison workers, comparing these calls to the treatment given to Vetter the horse.
Photo courtesy: WORT Flickr
