Hi,

I just thought I'd share this article with you, for those of you have thought of taking your dog on a train to Italy. Outrageous. Just last year, we took our 5-year old lab to Milan and had a great time. ...

Dogs banned from Italian trains to fight fleas
By Nick Squires in Rome

Last Updated: 12:01am BST 24/09/2008



Passengers on the country's extensive railway network have complained of arriving at their destination itching and scratching and plagued with insect bites.



Blaming the bug problem on pets, Trenitalia has announced that from October 1, passengers will no longer be able to travel with large or medium-sized dogs – defined as weighing six kilograms or more.



Small dogs, as well as cats, rabbits and all other domestic animals, will have to travel in portable cages.


Fish will be exempt from the new regime, the train company pointed out, as will guide dogs for the blind. Pet owners caught in breach of the law will be fined 100 euros (£80)– the amount it costs to clean and disinfect a carriage.



The crackdown is based on a similar effort in Spain. "Spain is similar to Italy in many respects, starting with the climate", said Trenitalia chief executive Vincenzo Soprano.



But the initiative has outraged animal welfare groups, consumer organisations and many of Italy's seven million dog owners.

"This hygiene mania is ridiculous. What next? Will guards be checking that people's nails and ears are clean?" MP Carla Rocchi, head of an animal protection association, told the newspaper Corriere della Serra.



"Trenitalia can't hope to eliminate ticks. If the cleaning services were decent, the problem wouldn't even arise."

The ADUC consumers' association agreed.



"They should clean the carriages properly and fire the people who do the job badly before making these ridiculous statements about dogs and cats," a spokesman said.



Italy's Anti-Vivisection League said that on the day the laws come into force, its members will board trains up and down the country with large dogs in tow.



"Let's see if they can stop us," said the league's Gianluca Felicetti.



"Alitalia should be taking as an example railway companies that function, like the British ones. Spain has absolutely nothing to teach us".