Rome, August 9, 2016 – The stray dogs is still a very widespread phenomenon in our country , which lack the exact dimensions. To overcome the lack of real data, the LAV surveyed region by region, of which today makes the results known: The Stray Animals DOSSIER 2016, snapshot of the situation on the basis of the latest available information and It reviews the evolution of the phenomenon over the past 10 years, highlighting the main problems and indicating possible solutions for both public administrations to individuals.
“We have asked the Regions and Autonomous Provinces how many dogs were in shelters, how many shelters for dogs and cats were present in their territory , the number of feral colonies, the of the sterilizations carried out and that the adoptions – says Ilaria Innocenti , Head LAV area Animals Family, who oversaw the preparation of the report – All administrations responded contact, except Calabria, Emilia Romagna and Sicily , even if providing data not always complete, and current, but in any case useful to give a framework, although underestimated the situation. ”
According to the latest estimate released by the Ministry of Health , in 2012 in Italy there would be an “army” of strays that is between 500,000 and 700,000 dogs , while the more comprehensive official data on stray dogs date back to 2008 and refer to the year 2006.
addition, as recently made known at an interregional on stray dogs organized by the Lombardy Region in Italy in 2015 would be 131 302 detainees dogs in kennels, of which 13,064 prisoners in the health and 118,238 in those shelter.
except for these numbers, and those relating to registered dogs nell’anagrafe of pets, to the inputs in the health kennels, sterilization of feral colonies, there are no further official data made public. An unexplained delay, if you really want to put in policies and strategies effective to combat a phenomenon that costs serious suffering to animals and represents a significant cost to the community.
to make up for this lack of information, LAV conducted a study, published in “DOSSIER stray animals 2016. What has changed in the last 10 years. ” By analyzing the data provided by the Regions and Autonomous Provinces surveyed by the LAV, for the years 2014 and 2015, and comparing those of 2015 with the figures for 2006 – released by the Ministry of Health in 2008 – shows that:
> the phenomenon of stray dogs is apparently down (-22.40% dogs in shelters 2006-2015), but with discrepancies between the north and the center-south, where the number of dogs held in shelters is still very high and where this number is the sum of the stray animals on the territory, whose reproduction is often uncontrolled;
> increase health kennels and the shelter (+24), you go from 959 in 2006 to 983 facilities in 2015;
> the relationship between population and held the dogs in the shelters is greater in the south (in head Sardinia, Puglia, Campania and Basilicata);
> the cost for the care of the dogs present in Italian kennels in 2015 nearly 118 million euro , as calculated downward , on the basis of only the authorities which replied to the LAV. A figure that multiplied for seven years, average time of stay in a dog kennel in the absence of adoption, exceeds 825 million euro [1];
> adoptions a slight fall in the last year (-1.3%): it goes from 33 202 dogs adopted in 2014 to 32,764 dogs in 2015 [2];
> catteries seem almost absent : only 79 facilities throughout the national territory. Few, indeed very few and incomplete data are the cat colonies, whose primacy is held by Lombardia, with 11,595 colonies in 2015. They follow the Veneto (7682), the Marches (6,072) and Tuscany (5,341);
> in 2015 we were sterilized only 26,044 dogs and 50,513 cats.
Altogether, although since 2006 the situation has improved somewhat, at least in the number of profile animals kept in shelters, the picture is far from encouraging: are still many interventions, especially in the center and south, to be implemented to overcome the stray dogs .
Here are proposed courses of action that is necessary and urgent to pursue, at local and national level, if you want to significantly affecting a real plague, by high costs in terms of animal lives and expenses for the community:
to deal effectively with this phenomenon , you must exit the emergency logic and work programmatically.
> collect comprehensive data and certain;
> application of existing rules, often ignored or only partially applied;
> take the park-kennel model;
> ensure the presence of voluntary associations in shelters to facilitate adoptions;
> creating incentives to those who adopt, in the form of deductions, tax reduction, coupons and redemptions (no cash incentives);
> promote sterilizations;
> encourage enrollment in the registry office dog and identification mandatory cats with microchips;
> encourage the reception of the animals in tourist facilities and public places;
> combat smuggling of puppies and trade in stores, in exhibitions and online.
“the data we analyzed show that stray dogs is an extremely complex phenomenon, with multiple implications that health invest animal, health security, the management of public costs, and a great geographic variability – says Ilaria Innocenti, Manager LAV area Pets Family – for these reasons, we must act in a coordinated manner on several levels, public and private, national and local. “
” It ‘also necessary, as required by current legislation – continues Innocenti – Municipalities ensure the voluntary presence in kennels and catteries, indispensable to promoting the inclusion of the animals in the family, but also to ensure a saving in the whole community. To come to heal this phenomenon, which is a scourge, primarily for animals, but also for civil society, is essential to work on preventing , encouraging sterilizations, dog registrations at the registry and mandatory identification for cats , and promoting adoptions aware (see new LAV campaign “This is an old friendship” http://www.lav.it/vecchia-amicizia/), to ensure the mental and physical health of the animals and saving public money. The students can fulfill a legal requirement, increasing the effectiveness, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of administrative action. “
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