Dog left in the sun dies of starvation, owner goes to trial

In August 2025, he went on vacation and left his two dogs in the backyard. One of the two was tied with a very short chain to an exercise bike: he remained under the August sun for two days without shelter or sufficient water and died of heat stroke. The other dog was saved at the last minute by the intervention of the municipal police and the Oipa zoophile guards. For all this, a woman from Giugliano in Campania was sued.

This was made known by the Roman association Zampe che da una Mano Odv, assisted by the lawyer Giada Bernardi, who at the time presented the complaint together with seven other associations. The crime charged is mistreatment aggravated by the death of the dog. "That dog had no escape, a chain of a few centimeters, no shadow, no one to ask for help - explains the lawyer Bernardi, founder of the GiustiziAnimale law firm and president of the Roman association - A year ago we promised that his death would not end up in oblivion. Today there is a trial. We will be in the courtroom, so that we can ask ourselves to be accountable for what happened".

"This dog - reconstructs the lawyer - died a few weeks after the entry into force of law 82 of 2025, which finally recognizes animals as direct victims of crimes. This trial will be a test: the law must demonstrate that it has force in the courtrooms, not only on paper. Every summer we find ourselves faced with stories like this. Those who leave have the duty to entrust their animals to someone. Leaving them alone, on a chain, in the sun, is not an oversight: it is a crime, and today there are those who answer for it before a judge."