S&S - Italy: Officials, activists rescue dogs from shelter. Raid saves 51 animals from substandard living conditions

From my archive of press clippings:

Stars and Stripes

Italy: Officials, activists rescue dogs from shelter

Raid saves 51 animals from substandard living conditions

By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes


European edition, Saturday, February 14, 2009

Sandra Jontz / S&S

Animal activists team with and Italian health officials to load some of 51 shelter dogs seized Friday into a truck, which would take them to other Naples-area shelters. The shelter was shut down Friday after a court injunction on charges of cruelty to animals.

Sandra Jontz / S&S
This damaged and unsafe pen is but one example of the poor conditions dogs at a Castelvultorno animal shelter lived in. The shelter was shut down Friday, and the 51 dogs taken to other Naples-area shelters.

Sandra Jontz / S&S
Salvatore De Micco, an official with Naples' health department, scans a shelter dog to read its microchip. Animal Activists, some of whom are spouses of military members stationed at NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command or the U.S. Navy base, have worked to make sure all the dogs at the shelter were neutered and micro chipped so they could be taken to other area shelters.

CASTELVOLTURNO, Italy — Italian health officials, flanked by animal activists, raided and shut down an animal shelter Friday that officials said was being run in a substandard manner.

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