The government said on Friday it was planning a fresh crackdown on dangerous dogs after a nine-month-old baby girl was fatally savaged by her family's two pet Rottweilers.
Health Minister Livia Turco said that a December law, which already requires certain breeds of dog to be muzzled outside the home, would be overhauled as part of more general legislation on domestic animals.
The minister said the Wednesday attack had shown that the December law was right to impose certain safety measures with regard to "aggressive breeds".
"It's true that certain types of dog carry a greater risk of aggressiveness and that includes Rottweilers," she said.
She did not say whether the government was planning to ban certain breeds.
Nine-month-old baby Alessia Caponet Chiado' and her 68-year-old grandmother Caterina Bertino were attacked at their family home in Rivara near Turin on Wednesday.
Bertino took her granddaughter out into the garden, unaware that the two Rottweilers were loose, and was immediately set upon by the dogs.
The baby was rushed to hospital but nothing could be done to save her. Bertino was also treated for bite wounds and shock.
The father of the child told police that the two Rottweilers had become agitated by the recent arrival of a third dog, a German shepherd, and that all the dogs were usually kept tethered.
The gardener was reported to have untied the two Rottweilers.
Another dog attack near Turin made headlines on Thursday when a woman was set upon by two pit bull terriers while walking in the street.
The woman was bitten on her arm and legs and had to be operated on.
In another case on April 11, a 7-year-old child in Livorno was seriously injured after being attacked by two Rottweilers.
The December law contains a list of dog breeds that are considered potentially dangerous, including Rottweilers, pit bull terriers, bull mastiffs and American bulldogs.
Owners of these breeds are required to keep them muzzled in public places and ensure that they pose no danger to others. Failure to respect the law can result in the animal being put down.
The law also bans ear cropping and tail docking.
The muzzling requirement drew protests at the time from several animal rights' associations.
Top Italian animal rights' group LAV said on Friday that the law was "ineffective" and difficult to apply.
It said new legislation was required which ensured that owners of potentially aggressive breeds knew more about their animals and how to look after them properly.
It objected to the idea of a dangerous breed list and the possibility of such animals being put down in the case of owner carelessness.
