Italy cracks down on pitbull owners

Fighting dogs are often trained on treadmills for hours on end

Italy has imposed tough new rules on the owners of pitbull terriers after a string of savage attacks, which has left several people injured.

In the latest incident, a four-year-old toddler had to undergo facial surgery after a severe mauling.

It comes in the wake of attacks on an elderly woman, who had her nose bitten off, and a woman jogger, who almost lost the use of one arm.

Experts believe that the scorching heat this summer has helped to turn hungry and thirsty dogs into a real social menace.

Dog fighting

This week, Health Minister Girolamo Sirchia issued a decree banning the training, breeding or drugging of dogs to increase their aggression.

These dogs are the victims of those who use them as war machines Adolfo Sansolini, Italian Anti-vivisection League

Under the new rules, owners must also be insured against any damage their animals cause.

People with a criminal record are banned from owning potentially violent dogs, as are children.

Police say that the vast majority of pitbulls in Italy are bred and trained for dog fighting.

Steroids

The fights, and the gambling associated with them, are controlled by criminal gangs - especially by the Neapolitan Mafia, known as the Camorra.

The business involves some 15,000 animals and is believed to generate an annual turnover of 775 million euros.

Fighting dogs are forced on treadmills for hours and stuffed with steroids as part of their training.

Those that do not die in the fights are often covered in scars.

"These dogs are being portrayed as criminals, but in fact they are the victims of those who use them as war machines," Adolfo Sansolini, the chairman of Italy's Anti-Vivisection League, told daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.