The case of the dachshund returned in an urn teaches us the importance of choosing a “dog sitter”

We will proceed, hopefully, with the reopening of the investigations and an indictment to really ascertain how things went in the case reported by the lady from Treviso who told Kodami what happened to her Dachshund Nina after leaving her with her “trusted dog sitter”. The dog was “returned” to her in an urn, with nothing left of her but her ashes.

The prosecutor closed the case, but Stefania Earn he has not lost hope of being able to really understand what happened and is looking for further testimonies on other animals that died after being in the hands of the same person. His research has already led to the emergence of other similar episodes, including that of the tragic end of a Golden Retriever whose body, however, was recovered and the autopsy decreed that, again according to what the lady told us, “he had died due to a collapsed lung, probably because he had remained in the sun without water or food”.

The news on this story come on gloomy outlines will continue, waiting to know whether the appeal presented by Guadagna to reopen the investigations will be accepted or not. But for all of us who live with a dog, it sticks with us a sense of empty terror just imagining ourselves in a similar situation.

Leaving your animal companion for a more or less long period of time it is a choice that can depend on various reasons. In this specific case, the woman had to go on holiday and preferred not to bring her two dogs with her and declared that she felt comfortable having them stay with the dog sitter she had known for years and with whom no problems had ever arisen previously. The other animal, however, was also later recovered in very poor health and in a place where they were kept described as “very dirty and full of excrement. Pluto was catatonic, so much so that at first he didn’t recognize me, but when he did he started crying.”

While waiting for the truth to be ascertained, however, the point is that this story it leaves a feeling of the imponderable. We feel astonished by what happened and remain paralyzed when faced with the question of questions: How then do you understand how to identify a responsible, attentive and capable person who can you rely on if for any reason you are unable to bring your dog with you?

And so we arrive to the crux of the issue which can only be resolved if one fact is known: the majority of people who do this type of service have neither art nor part. Furthermore, in Italy the figure of the dog sitter is not recognized and those who practice this activity have no qualification to do so, although it would be very important to give value to specialization in the subject, to recognize and enhance it as a profession.

But, to date, there is not even an official national register or even at a local level. Right the Piedmont Regionrecently established one and not without consequences linked precisely to the identification of the necessary skills, given that it took the intervention of dog-loving professionals to have the main categories that should be there “by right” included in the list and which instead they were excluded: dog educators and instructors and no longer just qualified trainers as had been expected.

In the rest of the country there is no legislation in this regard and dogs disappear and die not only in improvised situations of home stalls but also in boarding houses set up in the “best and best” way in which there is no respect for animal welfare or even just the most basic legislative dictates which, in the latter case, are certainly there.

So everything remains at the mercy of “sensations” that we can feel towards the person we have chosen? Well no, there are certainly important evaluations to be made and elements to pay attention to and already in the case of Treviso alone, the fact that the lady did not receive photos or videos of the dogs should have alarmed her enough to return earlier or, at least, to have someone go to the area to check the situation, for example.

But let’s go step by step and try to get out of the specific case, trying to make a very basic list of fundamental considerations that must lead us or not to choosing one person rather than another.

First of all leave Fido to someone who claims to be a “dog lover” but who has no expertise in the field of canine ethology, which is also a dog sitter course which is now offered by numerous dog schools throughout Italy, is the first mistake not to be made. Why yes: love for animals cannot be the “title” but it is the obvious, basic element that those who provide this type of service should have, it goes without saying.

Then it is very important go to the place where the animal will be hosted and know in detail who else will he be with during the period in which you will be absent. Because there have been equally horrible cases of animals dying due to aggression by other guests and it is always the incompetence of those who detained them that is the trigger for what are real tragedies.

Know where he sleeps and who he possibly shares the space with it is therefore the least you will have to worry about because even having had this information you will then have to have it from the person you have entrusted not just photos and videos. Do something more: ask for “consent” to be able to make random video calls that you will make in which they will have to show you at that exact moment what Fido is doing. If a person does not accept this type of “interference” and if he defines it as such, fine: don’t trust him. Those who have nothing to hide can only feel more serene in knowing that they have responded to your need regarding the dog’s well-being, an element that should also be of interest to those who do this job.

Choose someone who only cares about your pet, however. Precisely in the case of dog sitters and not guesthouses, in fact, it should be the main reason why this type of hospitality is chosen. A single person who only looks after your dog or dogs is the best card to play and the ideal would be for him to do so by moving to your house on the days of his absence. In fact, moving house is never a good thing for Fido, but if you have opted to entrust him to a home pension, first let him go through a period of adaptation which is worth test on the reliability of the person.

Above all, organize yourself ahead of time. There are many dog ​​sitters or boarding house managers who operate at their best and who often find themselves with absurd requests from people who, for example, the week before August 15th, “remember” that they cannot take their dog with them on holiday. and look for an immediate solution. Here, let’s face it: there are not only unscrupulous businessmen who do business on dogs but also reference people who pay little attention to Fido’s needs and who believe that he can be with anyone without worrying about what could happen to him.