The tragic death of the Eboli child risks putting pets under accusation and generating fear in the many families who live with a dog inside.
Doctor Luigi Morena, veterinarian, head of the veterinary operational unit of the Eboli-Battipaglia district of the ASL, but wasn’t the dog man’s faithful friend? Should we be afraid?
«The episode that happened at Eboli causes general dismay but must most likely be seen in the lack of precise knowledge on the part of the owners of the animals they own. It is no coincidence that courses are provided to obtain licenses for keeping animals, which explains the conditions in which they should be kept. It is up to the Municipalities to organize them in association with the Local Health Authorities, the most attentive Municipality is that of Milan, they have not yet been started in our country. Pitbulls have a very high ability to bite thanks to very strong muscular and jaw systems; they are therefore animals that must be kept in the best possible conditions for both humans and animals.”
What idea did you have of what happened?
“From what we understand, the child was the only one not known to the pit bulls. Dogs mark their territory and allow access to it to everyone who is at home and knows them. The child was a foreign subject, so much so that it would seem that the whole family would have worked hard to take him away from the animals but they failed because they treated the little one as if he were something foreign to that place. Even those of us who intervened after the attack were told not to go near them: the owners had to intervene to hand them over to us. We have placed the dogs under medical seizure due to a legal obligation which requires us to keep them in this condition for at least ten days and exclude any rabies infections. In 90 percent of cases, however, this problem is never encountered.”
Could it be a danger, then, every time we approach a pit bull we don’t know?
«In the collective imagination, pit bulls are all very dangerous but in reality they have been made dangerous by the will of man. The aggression is due to the fact that we are accustoming these animals to being guardians of our homes and in this case they attack everything that is foreign. The confirmation is in the fact that at Eboli only the child was attacked because he was the only one not known. But there is no need to be afraid: in ninety percent of cases the danger does not exist.”
In your opinion, would it be appropriate to restore the list of 17 dangerous dog breeds introduced by the former minister Sirchia which also includes pit bulls?
«It would be useful for everyone’s peace of mind. Among other things, compulsory insurance was imposed on owners of dogs of those breeds, which presupposes an element of economic solidity and greater awareness, as well as entailing a series of obligations. These dogs could not be kept without a muzzle outside the home.”
What advice do you have for living peacefully with a dog?
«Respect the animal and above all inform yourself well about the characteristics of the breed. Incidents of aggression often occur in isolated homes where dogs are instigated to keep a fierce guard, but this should not be done.”
What do pit bull owners risk?
«The judge could hold them responsible for not having kept the animals so that they did not offend others, but they were in the garden of a private house where the owners were not obliged to muzzle them despite their large size. To be able to return them to their owners, the dogs must be re-educated and have a certification from a veterinarian specialized in animal behavior at the Criuv, the regional reference center for urban veterinary hygiene”.
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