Post by RealPitBull on Mar 17, 2009 11:07:52 GMT -5
Italy Scraps Dangerous Dog Blacklist
Italy News Culture Lifestyle
(ANSA) - Rome, March 3 - Italy is to scrap its blacklist of dangerous dogs, replacing it with a law making owners more responsible for their pet`s training and behaviour, Health Undersecretary Francesca Martini said Tuesday.
The new law, which will come into effect in April, will wipe clean the current list of 17 breeds which are considered potentially dangerous, including Rottweilers, pit bull terriers, bull mastiffs and American bulldogs.
Under the current law, owners of these breeds are required to keep them muzzled in public places and ensure that they pose no danger to others, while failure to respect the law can result in the animal being put down.
The new law works on the theory that any dog could be potentially high-risk and puts the onus - morally and legally - on owners, or the person who happens to be in charge of the dog at any one time, to control the pet’s behaviour.
The new law also foresees short training courses for prospective dog owners, who will be issued with a special dog licence.
“This is a historic day because we have established for the first time the responsibility of the owner or the person who is momentarily in charge of the animal,” Martini said.
“The measures adopted in the previous laws had no scientific foundation. Dangerous breeds do not exist. With this law we have overcome the black list, which was just a fig leaf (over the larger problem), and we have increased the level of guarantees for citizens,” she said.
Under the new law, vets will be responsible for compiling a register of individual dogs who they believe may be potentially high risk, and it will be obligatory for owners to keep these pets muzzled in public.
The law also requires dog owners to keep their pets on a lead at all times in urban areas as well as to pick up their dog`s mess, and to carry a muzzle with them in case of need.
It also forbids training dogs to be aggressive using sticks and protective body gear, doping, surgery that is not for health purposes and dangerous cross-breeding.
Carlo Scotti, the president of the National Association of Italian Vets (ANMVI), praised the new law and said courses for dog owners were crucial.
“Before taking on a certain breed of dog, the owner should follow a course to understand its behaviour and how to deal with it, “he said.
Scotti added that recent cases of dog aggression were the result of “the incapacity of the owner in controlling certain breeds”.
“Choosing a 90 kg dog like a Neapolitan mastiff without being properly prepared, for example, is like giving a Ferrari to someone who has just passed their driving licence,” he said.
The idea of scrapping the dangerous breeds blacklist has in the past come under fire from consumer group Codacons, which claims that the number of dog attacks has fallen dramatically since its introduction in 2004.
Last month Codacons appealed to Martini not to scrap the list but instead widen it to include Neapolitan mastiffs after a ten-month-old child was mauled to death by a family pet near Rome.
“There are some breeds that remain potentially much more dangerous than others because of their strength and their powerful jaws,” the association said at the time.
“But Martini continues on her ideological battle in favour of dogs, failing to understand that it’s absolutely normal for a dog to bite a human, as is demonstrated by the 191 bites that happen every day”.
Italy News Culture Lifestyle
(ANSA) - Rome, March 3 - Italy is to scrap its blacklist of dangerous dogs, replacing it with a law making owners more responsible for their pet`s training and behaviour, Health Undersecretary Francesca Martini said Tuesday.
The new law, which will come into effect in April, will wipe clean the current list of 17 breeds which are considered potentially dangerous, including Rottweilers, pit bull terriers, bull mastiffs and American bulldogs.
Under the current law, owners of these breeds are required to keep them muzzled in public places and ensure that they pose no danger to others, while failure to respect the law can result in the animal being put down.
The new law works on the theory that any dog could be potentially high-risk and puts the onus - morally and legally - on owners, or the person who happens to be in charge of the dog at any one time, to control the pet’s behaviour.
The new law also foresees short training courses for prospective dog owners, who will be issued with a special dog licence.
“This is a historic day because we have established for the first time the responsibility of the owner or the person who is momentarily in charge of the animal,” Martini said.
“The measures adopted in the previous laws had no scientific foundation. Dangerous breeds do not exist. With this law we have overcome the black list, which was just a fig leaf (over the larger problem), and we have increased the level of guarantees for citizens,” she said.
Under the new law, vets will be responsible for compiling a register of individual dogs who they believe may be potentially high risk, and it will be obligatory for owners to keep these pets muzzled in public.
The law also requires dog owners to keep their pets on a lead at all times in urban areas as well as to pick up their dog`s mess, and to carry a muzzle with them in case of need.
It also forbids training dogs to be aggressive using sticks and protective body gear, doping, surgery that is not for health purposes and dangerous cross-breeding.
Carlo Scotti, the president of the National Association of Italian Vets (ANMVI), praised the new law and said courses for dog owners were crucial.
“Before taking on a certain breed of dog, the owner should follow a course to understand its behaviour and how to deal with it, “he said.
Scotti added that recent cases of dog aggression were the result of “the incapacity of the owner in controlling certain breeds”.
“Choosing a 90 kg dog like a Neapolitan mastiff without being properly prepared, for example, is like giving a Ferrari to someone who has just passed their driving licence,” he said.
The idea of scrapping the dangerous breeds blacklist has in the past come under fire from consumer group Codacons, which claims that the number of dog attacks has fallen dramatically since its introduction in 2004.
Last month Codacons appealed to Martini not to scrap the list but instead widen it to include Neapolitan mastiffs after a ten-month-old child was mauled to death by a family pet near Rome.
“There are some breeds that remain potentially much more dangerous than others because of their strength and their powerful jaws,” the association said at the time.
“But Martini continues on her ideological battle in favour of dogs, failing to understand that it’s absolutely normal for a dog to bite a human, as is demonstrated by the 191 bites that happen every day”.
I look forward to learning much here