Thread: Italy Scraps Dangerous Dog Blacklist

ITALY SCRAPS DANGEROUS DOG BLACKLIST

(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``.