At the age of 14 I started to help in the dog bound of Asti province, cleaning the dogs and bringing them out of their cages for a walk. I grew attached to dogs and studied about them, reading books and following lessons. Finally one day I found my own dog: Max. He was a German Shepherd but because of his strange behavior and attitude he was not easy to handle. The owner of the kennel of Camerano (a tiny village near Asti), Mrs Ornella, told me that she found Max outside the pubblic square of Collegno, a town near by Torino. Nobody dared to adopt him because, most of all, he enjoyed taking big rocks in his mouth and move them and play with them. As I went to pick him up at the kennel Mrs. Ornella warned me to be careful when she opened his cage door. Max jumped out and ran like a mad wild animal to play with rocks near by the garden. Nothing could make him stop and Mrs. Ornella was quite sure that I was not going to adopt him. But I liked Max and I took him with me, he loved cars and used to jump in every open vehicle. My house was still under construction so there was plenty of bricks and rocks. The first thing Max did after he got out the car was stating to move bricks and rocks around the garden, destroying the flowers my father had just planted. I guess the first impression on my family was not good about my new dog. In the following months Max and I became good friends and I learned a great deal about dogs and how to handle Max.

And Max was the key to my first job.

I went back to visit Ornella every week to work with Max and train him. After a few months of work Max was ready to engage in a dog competition. Unfortunately, I wasn't good as I thought and we just won a consolation price. Anyway during the contest I met a very respected lady: Mrs. Ida Rosso.

Later I will start to work for her, something that will make me very proud.

Animal Rights.

So my love for dogs, started first for beautiful dogs, then extended to all the living being, was the beginning.

The point was: someone who cannot speak and ask for help, as animals, needed somebody protecting their life and wealth.

I was particularly shocked when I got to know what was happening in Spain.

Bullfights and fiesta.

I have nothing against cultural celebrations and traditional "fiestas" where people meet happy, drink, sing, dance. But in Spain and many other countries, included Italy, some people enjoy to see bloody shows. They make animals suffer with sadist jokes: dogs, bulls, goats, chickens, they are killed not for food but for the simple need of having fun from the spectacle of death. Bullfights are not competitions or sport events. There is no fight: the bull is doped, drugged and drunk, the horn are fuled down, vaseline is put on the eyes and needles inserted in the testicles, cotton in the throat to prevent him to be strong, move freely and weak him down. After the animal is so prepared, the show in the arena where 7 men alternate in striking the bull with different kind of blades. After that the "heroic" Matador (the killer) dressed with beautiful and colorful costumes finish the animal already weakened almost to death. After the murder, the Matador will cut off the bull testicles and hears to be offered to the public. This show is similar to the ancient Romans empire sacrifices in their arenas and bullfights are unacceptable in a more civilized Europe  nowadays.

As I looked into the matter I came to discover that most of the people don't really know what really happens during a bullfight, as I didn't knew as well. I tried to look around and moved for explain to my fellows Italians not to support with our money, as tourists, this bloody show. I got in touch with the biggest anti-bullfight leaders in the world. In Italy, Claudia Sgarzi, Clara Genero, Elena Carasso, Mario Righi, Lilia Casali, Antonietta Dipierro. I joined these people in a couple of big anti-bullfight demonstrations in Spain. In one of these occasions I came to know the international leaders of these movements for animal rights: Gloria Torres, Marisa Martinez, Gianni Taming and the Members of Eu Parliament Bettini and Amendola.