Benvenuti! My name is Fiona Tankard , I’m a writer and I have lived in Italy, first in Umbria and now Tuscany, since 1994 with my husband and a variety of pets. Over the years we have had cats, dogs, geese, a crow, fish, two pigeons and alpacas.
I started this blog to help homeless animals in Italy and to help non Italian pet owners owners and visitors too. I know that it can sometimes be hard being an animal lover in Italy. You can be thought of as ‘un po’ eccentrica’ as my last neighbour dubbed me, and as for having animals in the house – well, say no more!
My husband Alan and I moved to Italy with our original pets, travelling in the back of our ancient Lada estate bought especially for the trip. The dogs Kelly and Emma, plus cats Harley, Widget and Birkana went in the back and we set off with trepidation on a journey that had many highs and some lows (like almost losing the cat in a mnotorway service station carpark!) We slept in two tents at Chamonix, one for Alan and the dogs and one for me and the cats.
Since we moved here we have seen many of our pets come and, sadly, go. The most recent loss was of our lovely little dog Maia, who died of canine lymphoma. Our current pet family comprises one male cat – Jimmy, three dogs – labrador ZsaZsa, Internet rescue English setter Gassie, Internet rescue dog Mana’, rescue pigeon Lulu and five alpacas – Nicola, Emilia, Champagne , Brunello and Dolcetto.
I add to this site regularly, posting blogs, resources, appeals, links and my own articles and photos. Please feel free to comment and get in touch if you have any questions or suggestions and I’ll be happy to help if I can. I am particularly keen to hear about any charities or appeals for animals in Italy that you could send me so I can post them on the site.You can email me on fctankard@gmail.com
Hi Fiona
I Just Moved To Italy With My Husband & We Want To Adopt A Dog I’ve Been Looking For Bout 2 Weeks On How To Do It. May You Help Me Out On How To Adopt An Puppy & What Information Will We Need
We are a British couple living in Lazio. We are animal lovers, so when we moved to live in Italy we brought our own 2 pet dogs with us.
But we were deeply saddened by the number of stray, unwanted dogs that there are in Italyand how many canines are badly treated by their owners. It seems Italians do not feel the same attachment to their animals as we do.
In the countryside everyone with a bit of land seems to have a couple of large, vociferous dogs, solely for guarding or hunting purposes. They are generally chained up, often neglected, and shown little or no affection.
Hunters often breed litters of pups and choose the best suited for hunting and literally just throw the others out.
During our time here we have taken in numerous stray dogs, feeding and generally looking after them. All the females have been spayed and all dogs have been annually vaccinated at our own expense.
Fortunately we have a very kind and friendly vet who has charged only for medicine / vaccinations, but nothing for his time, and a couple of other benefactors. We can’t thank them enough.
Sadly, however, we are finding that our circumstances are changing, as due to family reasons we need to spend more time back in the UK.
We are therefore searching for some kind, caring, genuinely dog friendly people / families to help us re-home some of these poor abandoned dogs.
Please take a minute to look at our webpages:
http://adoptdogs.shapcott-family.com/index.html
Email: ph.shapcott@btinternet.com
Or Telephone: 328 214 8277 or 328 214 1348
Hi Eilidh
There are lots of canili up and down Italy that welcome volunteers. Where are you based?
Do you take on volunteers? I would love to help such a worthy cause.
Hi Ashley
There are lots of dogs who need your help! Find your local branch of ENPA (like the RSPCA in Italy, if you know what I mean)and then find out your nearest ‘canile’ (council dog kennels)and offer your services. You’ll have to wait while you get insurance, which can take up to six weeks (they do it for you) but then you can go and help out and take the dogs for walks.
It’s so sad and so beautiful. My Mum, myself and our two dogs just arrived Wednesday night to Florence. We will be here for a year, I have always wanted to help at an animal shelter in some way. If there is a local branch or an event I can take part in, I have nothing but time and love. Please email me at Taylorpabst@gmail.com. I have no transport but a bike and my feet, but if there is a spot to fill….
Hallo,
pls visit our website http://www.diamocilazampa.eu
proud to say that our dogs can be adopted in Germany!
Corinna
Hello. Do you help people adopt dogs who live out of Italy? We live in Germany, and are finding it quite impossible to adopt a dog from a tierheim here. We are more than willing to drive to Italy to find a new member for our family and help one of the many dogs who need a home. Can you please pass along any advice?
Thank you so much for your help, I have been trawling the internet to try and find a vets.
I will let you know how good they are and then you will be able to let other people know as well.
Thanks again
Hi Angela
I have found this name and address of a well thought of vet in Ancona on another forum:
Vet in Senigallia:
Ambulatorio Veterinario Associato Porta Lambertina
Dottore Sordi
Via Mamiani 2
phone: 071/7922792
It is on the north side of the center, one block off the statale (SS 16, I believe), next to Porta Lambertina.
TypePad HTML EmailHi Angela
Thanks for your question. I am looking into it and will let you know when I have found a vet.
When is your trip?
Best wishes
Fiona
http://www.spiderywriting.com
http://www.petsinitaly.com
http://www.twitter.com/petsinitaly
Hello Fiona
Can you help, I live in Crete and am driving back to England, my ferry will arrive in Ancona, and I need to find a vet to have the treatment required for my dog before entering england. Could you recommend a Vets near Ancona that I can go to.
Hello Fiona,
You replied to a posting of mine on theppk.com regarding rescue. I sent you a private message from there but I wasn’t sure if you would see it since it appears that you are not on that site very much.
I would like to get more information from you if you could respond. Thank you!!
Lisa
Salve Daria
Grazie per il tuo commento gentile sul mio sito. (Va bene se diamoci del tu?) Ti ho mandato una mail sul Gaspare.
A presto
Fiona
Salve Fiona!
Complimenti per il suo sito. Mi chiamo Daria, sono una volontaria di Milano e da qualche tempo ho in stallo Gaspare, setter del quale conoscerà sicuramente la storia.
Una mia amica volontaria mi ha detto che era interessata all’adozione di questo splendido cagnolono. E’ ancora interessata?
Le lascio la mia mail per contattarmi dariabp@hotmail.com
La saluto e ringrazio anticipatamente,
Daria.
Hi there
I’m posting your URL as it isn’t obvious from your comment that you have to click on your name!
http://wheninrometours.blogspot.com/
hey there Fiona,
I thought your readers might be interested to know what happened to me and our cute little dog…
thankfully we were able to get over the incident and enjoy the rest of the day!
Thanks for the links Nemony. I think there is a big difference between attitudes to animals in cities and the countryside and my neighbours, the people in the villages around us and the teachers on our courses all thought we were strange for keeping animals in the house. I can only speak from my own experience, not the whole of Italy.
Despite a growing number of Italian animalists (mostly volunteering in the’canili lager’), the vast majority of Italians are very, very ignorant in matters of animal welfare. Still, since 1991 it’s illegal to put to sleep a healthy animal in Italy, a far cry from the 1 month rule adopted by the RSPCA (after a month in a cage a cat or dog is deemed too traumatized to ever be able to adapt to family life again, and therefore put to sleep). And lets not forget that in Wales cats are shot at to this very day, as pests, greyhounds are massacred after their circuit days are over and puppy mills plague N.Ireland and Wales still. The south of Italy and the countryside are known for a rough treaatment of stray pets, but my Italian friends living in Rome, Milan and Genoa have homes dedicated to their pets, including one sporting an indoor lawn pool in the middle of their living room for pooch, to be handy on rainy days! So I think it’s a little unfair to generalize on the subject of pets in the home based on a single neighbour’s opinion. For anyone wishing to adopt a cat or dog from a situation of dire need in Italy rather than from a shallow breeder: http://www.lidaolbia.it/
http://www.amicicani.com/
Hello, Im sorry to trouble you on your personal email site – i came across your site – pets in italy – and i wanted to ask if you might be able to help. i am english but my partners family are italian and we live part of the time with them in Bologna. Recently a memeber of their family passed away with two gorgeous outdoor living dogs. one springer spaniel and one one-eyed german shepherd, gentle adorable and lovable pair.. we are desperately trying to find a home for them in Italy, and avoid taking them to the shelters… do you know of anyone who might want a wonderful pair of canine friends? they are used ot living ‘outdoors’ and are very easy going… Sorry to trouble you and i wish you all the best with your work.. Thanks,Jim
Hi Alison
I’ve replied to you privately by email but in general I think the law asks you to carry a muzzle in case of trouble. Dogs in public parks should legally be on a (long) leash, but being Italy a lot of people break the rules! Even on the tv report I saw about the new legislation, there were dogs cavorting round the park where they were filming with no leads on! I wouldn’t advise that – you could get fined, but instead ask around for a good safe dog walking spot in the countryside where you can let her off the lead.
Hi, I’m Alison and we’re moving to Firenze this summer, with our standard poodle. I’d heard that she would need to be muzzled all the time, but this seems not to be true? She’s also used to good off-lead runs round the park etc etc, and I’m not sure where we are going to find a suitable alternative. Are dogs allowed off-lead in the countryside? I’d be most grateful if you could respond to revalison at btinternet dot com. I’m more worried about the dog being happy, than I am the change of lifestyle and work for us!