Italians abandoned some 14,000 dogs on roads and motorways last summer as they set off on holiday, animal rights group AIDAA said Monday.
AIDAA said this was a 19% decrease on figures for 2007, and added that dog owners in Milan, Venice, Turin, Genoa, Parma and Bologna had especially taken to heart appeals not to ditch their pets when they go on holiday.
Southern Italy fared less well, with the number of dogs abandoned between June and August up by 5% compared to 2007 figures.
Annual appeals and a 2004 law introducing 1,000-10,000 euro fines and a one-year jail term for offenders are making modest inroads into curbing the practice.
Most of the suddenly unwanted pets are left by roadsides as their owners set out for beach or mountain resorts, and an estimated 85% of dogs die within 20 days of being abandoned.
AIDAA is currently collecting signatures for a petition to present to Tourism Undersecretary Michela Vittoria Brambilla that asks for special reserved spaces on public beaches where dog owners can holiday with their pets.
The association's president, Lorenzo Croce, said there were currently around 600,000 stray dogs in Italy.
