For the city of Turin, Italy, pet fitness is no laughing matter. Actually, in Italy's fourth largest city, walking your dog isn't just a ritual, it's a legal obligation. In 2005, Turin passed a law that mandated dog owners walk their dogs not once, but three times a day. Fail to hit that quota and you'll face a fat 500 euro fine. That's right, a massive bill for not getting your furry friend out on a leash.
This unusually strict regulation is part of a nearly 20-page pet rulebook giving the city the strictest animal rules in the county, and perhaps in all of Europe. In addition to the dog-walking measure, pet owners cannot dye their pets' fur or dock dog tails, regulations meant to make it "illegal to turn one's dog into a ridiculous fluffy toy," according to local paper La Stampa.
Rome has a similar dog-walking penalty (also instated in 2005), but only requires one walk a day. In order to enforce the policy, police generally rely on tipsters, wary neighbors dedicated to making sure Mr. Snuggles gets his dog steps in—or else.
