I've read repeatedly in many Italian newspapers about the abominable practice of abandoning pets while the family is on summer vacation. They drop them off in cages by the side of the road. If I were here on a full-time basis, I'd become an activist. People need to understand that not only humans are capable of suffering.

No need to be a resident. A quick Google will give you pages of organizations which need contributions to further their work.

It takes more than sending a check to an organization. People's minds need to be changed.

Of course! And you can do that as a non resident as well- writing letters to the editor, posting to Italian message boards, etc.
Donating to organizations who do advertising campaigns, protests, lobby for legislation is just another way. The goal is preventing abandonment, not the method one chooses to achieve it.

Christine, I agree with you completely that it is all a matter of changing the way people think or better yet, make them think about the issue. The govt. ran an ad campaign before August that was pretty heart wrenching and there were numerous articles in newspapers and stories on the news. The positive side is that statistically the numbers of pets abandoned keeps going down each year so with education I believe it will continue.
I was horrified when I first read about the problem and even more so when we stopped at an Autogrill on the way back from our vacation and there were about 4 sickly cats in the parking lot. I left a bunch of dog food there for them and water, but when I told the cashier about them she just stated that there were about 8 of them that live at the Autogrill and there wasn't anything they could do it.
These are the issues that make me feel powerless in a foriegn country. If I were in the states I would know exactly who to call and what to do, but here I don't know how the system works and who to call with my 2nd grade level Italian. Sending a check is about all I'm good for here at this point unfortunately.

If you see an abandoned dog/cat you can call vigili urbani.
The cat colonies are protected in italy.
if you see a group of cat you should call enpa (ente nazionale protezione animali).They came, they sterilized the cats and they put them back in the original place.

I saw a full bred boxer and a Corgi walking across A-1 when I was headed from Rome to Naples this summer. I felt terrible.

More and more I am also seeing pensione aka boarding kennels for dogs and cats popping up in some places but I am not sure of the cost and the quality of care.

In the States, since I had a giant yard and two little dogs of my own; I would arrange to take care of friends' dogs while they were on vacation so they would return the favor.

This summer I almost considered putting my ailing cat to sleep before I went on holidays but the vet said he was not ready to die so I asked the custode in our building if she could not only feed him but take him into her home daily for cuddles and company. She took great care of him and I paid her the average fee I paid in the States, 10 Euros a day. It was worth the piece of mind and quality of care she gave him.

Makes you wonder, even if these people don't care about their dogs, don't they feel stupid paying 200-300 euro for a pure bred and then letting it go in August?

You did great choosing to keep the cat alive,Gia-Gina. They want to live just like us.

If I did not find a solution for the cat, I was not going to go on vacation. This however made the DH really mad since he is not the cats owner he did not understand but thank everything it worked out.

PS. In Torino pure breds are 500 Euros and up.

Our neighbors' dogs, while not left on the road, are practically abandoned for weeks at a time while they're on vacation. Somebody feeds them, but that's it. So they get restless and decide they want to live with us (digging under the fence etc.), and/or they bark all night.

What's needed is a campaign to educate people that animals are a big responsibility. Not that everyone understands that in the US, either...

The only car accident I've had was in the UK where I hit a massive German Shepherd on the motorway: full on. It just loomed out of the dark from the fast lane and I didn't have time to brake or swerve. Probably safer for me that way but the poor dog didn't last long. The dog was fed but no collar on him, so the issue of abandonment isn't solely an Italian issue.

What I do find strange in the UK is how much more the animal rights organisations get in donations compared to the kids' organisations; but that's probably because we consider children more a government responsibility.

Also, kids can grow up and get back at their poor caretakers while animals rarely can. And if they do, they get "put down."

The care quality peovided by the pensioneper animali is very inconsistent. Some are just ugly places with lines of crate-sized cages. Animals are kept in the cages for the whole time and end up very unhappy. Other places are jut gorgeous. My buddy Susan found a great place for her Pepe not too far from Milano, they have large individual "boxes" for each animal (dogs), with a roofed and enclosed part on one side and another section in the open, and each day the animals enjoy two long walks in the countryside. Pepe is actually happy to go there, although he's happier when Sue picks him up. Even after longish stays Pepe is in perfect health, clean and well-fed. If anyone is interested I can ask her all the data of the pensione, she's really happy with them.

Also, legally abandoning a pet is now a crime which can be punished up to on year of prison and a 1,000 to 10,000 euro fine. If you see somebody abandoning an animal, or abusing the animal, call the police!

quote:

Originally posted by AliceTwain:
The care quality peovided by the pensioneper animali is very inconsistent. Some are just ugly places with lines of crate-sized cages. Animals are kept in the cages for the whole time and end up very unhappy.

Alice, you talk of CANILI COMUNALI, not pensione per animali.
And actualli a lot is done and it will be done to shut down those "LAGER-KIND" of canili.
All the private ones are, generally speaking of excellent quality. There is one, in Policiano where they ask you also which kind of food you give your pet, so if they do not have it, they'll buy it. I left my cat there for 15 days one year ago at the rate of 8€ per day, and they also gave him Vitamin K -he ate a poisoned rat and the vet saved him wityh massive doses of Vitamin K- the cat was purring to the caretaker when we got it back, when they had my dogs, they let them all togeter in a box -special sized one, because of animals that are used to stay togheter- and the guy told me that he was leaving Zelda around him because they were getting along so well.

No doubts that lager/kennels still exist, but things are changing, and they are not the rule anymore.

Just check on the references for the kennel -any kennel- if they are associated with ENPA or similar associations for animals.

Actually even our regular canile comunale is in good "health" there are a big number of volonteers that take care of the dogs and cats that are there.

Pure bred dogs cost from 700 up, I had people asking me 1700€ for a Fox Terrier puppy.
I managed to find one in Florence, pure bred -all papers in order- but raised in a family, it costed me 600€,-but then I found out that the owner of the mother got 300€, the rest was the "mediator fee"

Unfortunately, even if the dogs abandoned are always fewer and fewer, it is still a dramatic problem here. People is more and more interested and involved, let's hope that it is more of them in the future. And if you wander why animals are treated like this still, look at any News, CHILDREN are treated this way also. It should really be no surprize. GREAT CONCERN, yes, but no surprize.

Ale, unfortunately I have seen Pepe being just back from one of the bad ones Suez tried before she found the one she uses now, and he was in a really pityful state. Maybe the ones you can find inTUscany are better than the ones he rein the Milano rea, but around MIlano the lagers are still abundant!

We took our terrier Rocky to 2 different places. The first was a house owned by an eccentric couple. The dogs were spoiled rotten, running around loose all over the house etc. It seemed most of the canilini were femina (Rocky was maschile but sterilizzato). When we returned after a week he was exhausted. We took him home and he slept 2 days straight. We think the femine chased him around all week.

The second place was a small dairy farm with a few kennels the owner built to raise German sheperds. 2 German sheperds remained to keep Rocky company. It was outdoors but sheltered from rain, direct wind. The owner didn't want our dog food, he took me to the corner of the barn and showed me where he mixed his own dog food. It looked pretty good- like granola. We left Rocky there several times and he seemed to like it. Oscar said he took Rocky out and let him run (which he loved, especially with pheasants, etc to chase).

We were lucky I guess. We found Rocky a good home away from home.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bill 2,

quote:

Originally posted by AliceTwain:
Ale, unfortunately I have seen Pepe being just back from one of the bad ones Suez tried before she found the one she uses now, and he was in a really pityful state. Maybe the ones you can find inTUscany are better than the ones he rein the Milano rea, but around MIlano the lagers are still abundant!

Alice, if only people would stop complaining and start to denounce this things at the carabinieri, and the animal protection a STRISCIA LA NOTIZIA more often!!!

Bill, what kind of terrier you have?

Rocky was a Skye terrier mix. He had fluffy dark grey fur, was about one meter long, with short legs, all muscles, about 10 kilo. We hiked all over the place and he was very strong- he could vertical jump one meter when we were ascending.

Alas, in February 2005 he passed away from a bout with spleen cancer at the age of 15. He still feels like he's here, though.

At the time there wasn't the current law yet, if they denounced the place nothing would have been done.