ITALY: Dog owners in Rome who fail to take their dogs for a daily walk will be fined under a new local law.
Although Romans are dog lovers, many owners keep their canines cooped up in apartments.
The "walkies" law, which decrees that dogs have a right to a daily walk, is just one of many measures introduced by the city council to ensure a dignified life for the hundreds of thousands of dogs, cats and other pets living in Rome.
Docking the tails and ears of dogs has also been made illegal and trimming cats' claws for aesthetic purposes is forbidden.
Animals can no longer be displayed in shop windows or offered as prizes at fairs.
It is also illegal to keep a goldfish in a round glass bowl.
"The civilisation of a city can be measured by this," said Monica Cirinna, the councillor who sponsored the bylaw.
She told the Rome-based newspaper Il Messaggero: "It's good to do whatever we can for our pets who, in exchange for a little love, give us so much pleasure."
City authorities have also officially recognised the role played by the gattare or cat ladies who feed colonies of stray cats among the ancient ruins of Rome and in the suburbs.
Other cities and towns are also adopting laws similar to Rome's.
Under a bylaw in Reggio Emilia, a town near Bologna, the boiling of live lobsters, described as "useless torture", has been banned, and birds such as budgerigars and parrots must be kept in pairs.-