Italy is finally cracking down on the many fickle pet owners who dump their cat or dog on the roadside as they head to the beach for their summer vacation.
The Senate gave final approval on Thursday to an animal cruelty bill which would slap Italians found guilty of abandoning their pets with prison terms of up to one year and fines of up to $12,350.
Some 150,000 dogs and 200,000 cats are abandoned in Italy every year — many of them at the start of summer holidays — according to animal rights groups. About 85 percent of them are killed by cars, hunger or thirst.
“From now on, vacation-goers know that if they leave their dogs on the highway they could find themselves in jail instead of on the beach,” Guido Calvi, a senator for the Democrats of the Left, told reporters.
The bill was approved in the lower house of parliament in 2003 and received the Senate’s final approval just in time for the 2004 holiday season.
Other forms of animal cruelty
The law also cracks down on anyone found guilty of killing or torturing animals, or organizing dog fights or clandestine fur industries.
Animal rights activists believe that hundreds of animals, especially stray cats, are deliberately injured, tortured or maltreated each month in Italy.
Pessimists wonder how easy it will be to track down Italians who abandon their pets and bring them to justice, but at least one Italian region has come up with a solution.
In northern Piedmont, the government has introduced a bill requiring all dog owners to plant microchips in their pets.
The bill is aimed at keeping track of the animals, but is also seen as a way of keeping an eye on their owners.
“We’ll be able to find dogs when they’re lost and it will also be a deterrent for those people who want to 'lose' their dogs before vacation,” said Cristina Cellerino of the region’s health department.
