17 September 2023 , 06:29
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A dog chained to a railing on its owner's balcony died while desperately trying to escape.
The Labrador, which was around four years old, was found lifeless on a roof terrace after reportedly being seen hanging from a dog lead in Lecce; a city in Italy’s southern Apulia region. Horrifically, neighbours raised the alarm after hearing the whelps and moans of the strangled hound.
Emergency responders raced to the scene, but despite their best efforts, the dog couldn't be saved and was found dead as a result of asphyxiation. Thankfully, the pooch was microchipped, allowing authorities to find and question the owner.
Piero Rosati, the president of Italy's LNDC (National League for the Defense of Dogs), said: "I really can't understand why someone decides to adopt a dog only to relegate it to isolation on a balcony, terrace or garden. Unfortunately, many people still make such choices. It is even more worrying when, as in this case, the dog is kept tied to a chain, which is now prohibited in almost all Italian regions".
"Isolation and chain confinement represent among the worst forms of mistreatment towards a dog. This poor labrador was so exhausted by this chain that he had tried in every way to free himself, without succeeding due to the collar that was tightening his neck," he added.
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The animal protection organisation is active in 17 of Italy's regions and a total of 50 provinces. They have filed a complaint against the owner for mistreating the pooch and causing serious suffering which led to the dog's death.
Rosati went on to urge Italians to report similar incidents to authorities, or failing that to reach out to the LNDC by email. "We will do everything possible to intervene before something irreparable happens, as in this case".
"Whoever adopts a dog should make it part of the family and share their life with it. If you don't have this intention, it is better to avoid getting a dog", he added.
A similar incident happened in the UK this year when a dog owner was left heartbroken after her pooch died hours after she dropped him off at a boarding kennel.
On March 31, Dawn O'Brien, 40, left her Jack Russell and French bulldog cross at North Glassock Kennels in Fenwick, East Ayrshire, before she set off for the airport to fly to Tenerife.
But moments before she was due to leave home, she received a call every dog owner would dread.
The kennel told her that there had been an accident when Marshall had climbed into his kennel and was hanged, suffocating for 10 minutes before he passed away.