A Dangerous Decree.(dog laws)

Admittedly, I've never been a big fan of dogs. But a recent wave of pit-bull attacks in Italy has so frightened me that I've become uncomfortable about living in Rome. The attacks are chilling: a 43- year-old woman loses her leg while jogging; two men in their 80s out for a stroll are mauled to death. Worst, especially for me, is the 4- year-old boy in Turin who encountered a lone pit bull while out with his babysitter, who tried unsuccessfully to protect him. Within seconds, the beast literally gnawed off the youngster's face. Its owner, Vittoria Cavallaro, 67, showed up moments later with the leash. A little late.

We live on the same street as the owner of a pit bull, near Porta Latina. He walks his dog (or it walks him) down our block every morning. Our babysitter will take our children out only after 9:30 a.m., when he and his "pet" have passed. She loves dogs but is terrified of this one. And even I, usually more insouciant, will walk blocks out of my way just to avoid sharing the sidewalk with it. But just this week, as my 4-year-old and I were crossing our street, there they were. This time, the owner wasn't walking the pit bull but "motoring" it. Its leash was loosely wrapped around the handlebars of his moped as he sped by within a meter of us. The pit bull's yips and growls sent my son scrambling into my arms as the owner swerved through traffic, the dog galloping in tow. It would have taken nothing more than a quick jolt for that strong animal to break free and, perhaps, attack us. Luckily neither the dog nor my son sensed my real terror.

I am not alone. Italian authorities say the problem with pit bulls is grave and stems from the illicit dogfighting industry, worth around 15 million annually. The government estimates that as many as 16,000 fighting dogs are spread throughout the country, bred and trained solely to kill and maim--or, more ...