Pitbull attacks 10-year-old boy. L’Oipa: “License needed for dangerous dogs”

A new episode in Milan after the tragedy in the province of Salerno and Padua. The Oipa complaint

MILAN – New episode of dog attacks against people. “Last night in Milan a ten-year-old boy was injured by the family’s pitbull, according to initial information.” The complaint comes from Oipa, the international animal protection organization (Oipa).

Just last April a15-month-old child was killed by two pit bulls in the province of Salerno,

READ ALSO Child mauled by pitbull, When in Italy is a dog considered dangerous?

and a 83-year-old woman had her arms amputated after being attacked by her seven dogs, Amstaff and American bully in the province of Padua.

“The International Organization for the Protection of Animals (Oipa) – reads the note – asks the legislator to regulate the keeping of certain types of dogswhich too often are also chosen by people not capable of managing them correctly. At a local level, some Municipalities, such as that of Milan, have regulated the matter by providing for the granting of licenses for the keeping of certain breeds or similar breeds”.

HOW TO HANDLE A DANGEROUS DOG?

How to manage a so-called “dangerous” dog and what does the law say about their management? The Oipa responds, clarifying that first of all there is no list of dogs considered “dangerous”. In 2006 the Ministry of Health issued an ordinance regarding the “protection of public safety from dog aggression”, which included a list of dog breeds deemed dangerous. Subsequent ordinances abolished this list due to the relative uncertainty and, above all, discrimination between races.

“Currently the dangerousness of a dog is determined depending on specific facts”, explains the lawyer Claudia Taccani, head of the Oipa Legal Office. “In the event of a bite or fight between dogs, in fact, the dog and its owner are reported to the Veterinary Service ASL, which keeps a register of dogs declared aggressive, and are obliged to follow a training course. The course is organized by the Municipality, together with the veterinary service of the local health authority, making use of the collaboration of the professional associations of veterinary doctors and animal protection associations. The costs are borne by the owner of the ‘challenging’ dog. In the event of serious danger, there is an obligation to take out an insurance policy and the obligation to use a leash and muzzle on the streets and in places open to the public”.