scallywag62

Hi all,First post on here and would like to say hi to everyone and hoping for some helpful info on our possible move to Italy.
We have lived abroad in Europe before, (2000-2006) and at that time the EU countries were tightening up on Dog laws re where you can and cannot walk dogs off lead,Muzzles for larger dogs and Penalties for dogs found fouling the footpath,my initial question is we have 2 medium sized Spaniels and would like to know where in Italy is best area to be able to let them run off-lead,(on Beaches out of season?) as these dogs are quite energetic and to walk them on a lead is of no benefit to them at all so anyone with any info on this we would be very grateful.Ideally we were looking at renting in Southern parts assuming warmer winter weather,unless further north is still quite warm in winter,we really don't know,again,any info would be much appreciated.
One more question is Broadband speed,does it vary much from area to area like the UK? Lastly for now,how easy or difficult to get UK TV?

philat98

I usually let my dog off the lead when I take him for a walk. In Umbria and the Abruzzo there are plenty of wild mountainous areas where you can walk for miles without any problems. Parks and beaches often have notices forbiding dogs. In agricultural areas the farmers sometimes leave poison (boccone) to kill foxes so you have to be careful.

modicasa

beaches out of season are fine for dogs off lead certainly in the south.

philat98

I had a week in Sardinia last September and it was difficult to find a beach that permitted dogs. If nobody is about you can ignore the signs but I suppose there is a chance of a fine.
I was stopped yesterday by the police for having my dog on the back seat of the car. They just said that if they saw me doing it again I would get a fine.

Geordieborn

Only other things I would add regards the dogs is to be aware there are a lot of big sheep dogs and they will attack cars never mind dogs! You also need to be aware of Leishmania as I've heard of a few dogs that have got it here.
The weather here in Abruzzo can be 20-25c in Decembet, BUT it can also be in excess of -5c and several feet of snow. Not too sure how far south you would need to go to avoid it.
From what I've read, it is a lot more difficult to get these days to get UK tv here and it goes hand in hand with the internet, which as you guessed is patchy.
Big welcome by the way.

GeorgeYoung

Phil - does your dog have one of those doggie seat belt contraptions or was he loose?

I've found Italy really quite welcoming as a dog owner. When we first arrived we always asked if we could bring the dog in to bars/restaurants, etc. before soon realising that hardly anyone ever said no. Letting them off a lead can be problematic in some areas but it's generally just a case of finding some open space.

Up here, I go running with my dog quite a bit and once we're away from the roads I tend to let him run free, unless we're in an area with bears or deer. In fact, some countryside areas will still require you to use a lead because of other wild mammals, either for the benefit of those animals or for you!

The biggest annoyance is the blanket muzzle rule on public transport, plus you have to pay a full ticket for them on the bus (half fare on trains) unless they can sit on your lap and there's no way I can do that with 35 kg of golden retriever!

Expect to be find if you don't pick after your dog (and rightly so) but in most towns and some villages you can also expect to find doggie bins and free poo pags. Oh and particularly in urban areas you might also find specially fenced-off areas of parks where dogs can go for a run around off the lead (just make sure you speak to any other dog owners already in there first as they seem quite fussy about that in my experience).

We found the beaches on the lakes (we're quite a way from the coast) were generally off limits in the summer apart from designated "dog beaches", which is similar to how we found Cornwall to be in the past. I would expect coastal beaches would probably be similar, in the summer season at least.

Lastly, and I'm sure you've already thought about this, it gets really, really hot in the summer, especially for dogs so think about how they'll get enough exercise without overheating and maybe even look to get a paddling pool or similar for the yard (if you have one) to cool off in. My dog really suffered at times this summer and we live in the Dolomites.

philat98

He was loose. He is a small beagle type hunting dog and normally sits on top of the handbrake. I read a dog above 10kg has to be in kept in a cage at the back of the car.

GeorgeYoung

Not heard that rule myself - ours goes in the boot of our Qashquai. He doesn't like it though so been thinking of getting one of the dog seat belts and trying him on the back seat instead.

Caprihana

Firstly I'd like to say that we had a springer cross and he loved it here in Abruzzo. It was lovely for him to run around like crazy, BUT, there are dangers.

During the hunting season we had a high-viz jacket for him (and us) when were out walking as we've had a few near misses, unfortunately another danger we didn't manage to avoid - poisoning. If you live in 'truffle country' sometimes people put down baited meat to protect their area from other truffle hunters. Unfortunately we didn't know this, but we learned the hard way when our collie picked some up and died.

It's a wonderful place to live, but if you are choosing somewhere rural make sure you ask lots of questions. You've got off to the right start!

BRIAN 1

LOL.round here I think its an addition to the driving test to drive with a toddler on your lap whilst texting and smoking a fag.

philat98

In the Valnerina on the south east side of Umbria all the woodlands have signs saying truffles reserved. I hadn't thought about poison there because there are so many wild pig hunters. Were there any signs where you were taking your dog? I wonder how they avoid poisoning their own truffle hounds let alone the hunters dogs?

Caprihana

No signs and no idea how they avoid poisoning their own dogs (unless they remove it when they arrive) We've since become friends with a truffle hound owner and he's warned about the practice. These people aren't worried about other animals, wild or otherwise, unfortunately they're of that mentality. Thankfully it sounds like not all areas are the same!

heritagestanley

When we're out with our dog and meet other dog owners the first thing they say is almost always to ask whether ours is male or female. When we say female they relax. But the odd thing is that we hardly ever come across another bitch. Which prompts the question what's happened top them all and how on earth the Italian dog population manages to keep going....

philat98

Yes it is the same in my village. Here most dogs are kept in cages and never go anywhere. Few walk a dog or keep the dog inside the house. The local dogs only go out to look for truffles, pigeons or wild pigs. Probably the females are used for breeding and the males for hunting.

athoni

I regularly travel with my Golden Retriever,who has a "dog belt" on the back seat. We travel long distances through border controls,and police checks especially when crossing by ferry over to Croatia or Montenegro,and in 10 years have never had a problem or indeed a warning from police.