Abandoned dog tally drops by 33%

(ANSA) - Rome, August 13 - The dog days of summer were apparently better this year for abandoned and stray canines when compared with last year, new statistics show.
    The number of abandoned and stray dogs reported to authorities dropped by 33% in the first 10 days of August, said the Italian Association for the Defense of Animals and the Environment (Aidaa) on the basis of reports from kennels monitored by the group.
    It said that in the first 10 days of the month - a period when many Italians take vacation and when domestic pets may be at greater risk of being abandoned - a total of 604 reports were received.
    That represented a dramatic drop from the same period last year when 902 reports of abandoned or stray dogs were made to kennels.
    The regions of Italy with the largest number of reports of abandoned and stray dogs were Puglia, with 221, and Sicily, with 166, while Rome, with 54 reports, and Palermo with 48, were the worst cities, said Aidaa.
    The cities with the fewest reports were Milan, with 11, and Bologna, with 14.