Is the Italian strategy to face the problem of stray dogs sustainable? A case study of two small municipalities in central Italy

The Italian law for pet animal protection and prevention of stray dogs (L. 281/91) requires municipalities to solve the problem of stray dogs. According to this regulation the municipalities are obliged to capture free dogs which have to be put in adequate kennels. As a priority, the animals should be housed in public kennels, if they do not exist, also private kennels are acceptable. If the legitimate owner is not identified, the municipalities are obliged to maintain the animal lifelong. Large part of small Italian municipalities are not able to build and manage public kennels. In compliance with the law they are forced to enter into agreements with private facilities and to cover the costs. Currently the average cost for maintaining a dog in a kennel is approximately € 3.50/head/day, for an annual cost of € 1,250.00/head. In the present study we evaluated the economic sustainability of the law in two small municipalities of central Italy. Under the hypothesis that all stray dogs would be housed in the kennel the total expense would be € 19,493.00/year. It is interesting to note that this amount corresponds to the sum of the costs arising from the annual fees for human welfare (indigents support € 5,532, school meals € 6,780, support for elderly € 7,497).