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Serial accumulators? Here’s what the law says

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How many animals can be kept in the house?

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Grace Fontana

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We often hear about Animal Hoardingnamely thecompulsive accumulation of animalsbut very little is known about what the law actually allows to do, or not, in Italy.

Compulsive pet hoards have a tendency to keep large numbers of animals (generally speaking of dogs and cats, but other animals may also be involved, such as ferrets, for example) in confined and overcrowded spacesthus causing a sort of mistreatment due to hygiene problems and lack of real welfare for the animals.

The Italian situation

In Italy there is no national regulation ready to monitor and prevent cases of animal hoarding. The only existing laws are active at the municipal and regional level.

“In Lombardy, in the case of non-profit detention, a maximum number of 10 dogs and cats over six months of age is envisaged, therefore puppies excluded, with the obligation, in the event of a higher number, to notify written to the Mayor, who can order a verification of compliance with the law ”, explains Claudia Taccani, lawyer in charge of the OIPA Legal Desk.

But the Lombardy Region is not the only one: also the city ​​of Verona provides that, in the case of more than five dogs in the house or more than ten cats, the approval of the Mayor after advice from a veterinary service is required.

In case of stall

In Lombardy, in the event of temporary stalls of animals, if the 24 hours of detention are exceededanimals must always be a maximum of ten and registered in the regional registry.

OIPA therefore invites Municipalities and Regions that have not yet regulated this situation do it asap to avoid as much as possible any form of animal abuse.

Read also: First absolute sentence in Italy for those who accumulate animals

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