This press note was given by the AP President of GaditAvellino, who intends to open a parenthesis on the phenomenon of dog abandonment and the resulting crime. Based on a 2023 statistic where in the month of June the transfers of animals increased by 17% compared compared to last year, there was a 60% increase in the abandonment of cats which, as they do not have microchips, are left to a sad fate much more often than dogs. Therefore, alarming signals are arriving from the territory. Therefore it is necessary to raise public awareness against the sad phenomenon of the summer abandonment of pets. The Gadit-ODV Avellino section has recently launched the 2024 anti-abandonment campaign to draw attention to the lack of sense of responsibility which often leads people to give themselves plausible justifications for carrying out an unspeakable gesture: abandonment. And with the advent of the summer months, Gadit has increased its self-assembled security services in the area. Welcoming a dog or cat into the family must be an all-round conscious choice. Keeping a dog in good health costs around 120 euros per month, but when illnesses and health problems arise the costs rise considerably. The economic factor accounts for almost 50% of sales.
ABANDONMENT IS A CRIME. The abandonment of animals, in addition to representing uncivilized behavior, is also a crime prosecuted in Italy according to article 727 of the Penal Code: “Whoever abandons domestic animals or animals that have acquired habits of captivity is punished with arrest up to a year or with a fine of 1,000 to 10,000 euros and represents the primary cause of stray animals. Law 189 of 2004 also provides for the protection of animals: article 544-ter introduces the crime of mistreatment with much more demanding sanctions. Also highlighting that we are talking about animals taken from parallel markets and therefore also without microchips.
Following abandonment, there are also reasons of lack of availability for which the animal is abandoned due to poor solvency due to the economic crisis, or the arrival of a child in the family. In essence, we continue to choose a pet as if it were a bag, which is thrown away when it goes out of fashion or is no longer liked. According to the data, approximately 40% of abandoned dogs were hosted by families.
It is underlined that Gadit is always present in the area with its vehicles and volunteers who hold the qualifications of Zoophile Guards, highlighting that since March an agreement has been in place with the capital municipality for the control of the urban territory, so it will often happen: to see Gadit volunteers stop and control people accompanied by dogs walking around the city, plus there are targeted services against the abandonment of animals on provincial roads and in neighboring municipalities.
