Who compensates the person bitten by a dog without a muzzle or leash? The owner or whoever has the pet in temporary custody. This was recently reiterated by the Court of Trento, according to what was reported by Il Sole 24 Ore on Monday, in application of article 2052 of the Civil Code.
But the protection of the physical safety of people or other animals also calls into question the responsibility of local authorities. This is what was established by a sentence, also reported by Sole 24 Ore on Monday, of the Lecce Court of Appeal which condemned the local ASL to pay compensation for not having prevented a pack of dogs from causing financial damage to a breeder of cattle, attacked several times by stray dogs.
In the latter case, the judiciary found that the Apulian regional legislation had transferred the burden of providing for the recovery and hygienic treatment of stray dogs from the Municipalities to the local health authorities, while it had reserved the Municipalities the task of reporting to the local health service the presence of stray dogs and to prepare adequate accommodation facilities for animals without a master.
Naturally, the law provides that pet owners or public bodies accept all responsibility even in the event that dogs, cats or other animals cause damage not only to people but to things, as the Cassation ruled five years ago in the case of damage to motorcycles.
