It's a dog's life... - August 24, 2006

I read the article entitled It's A Dog's Life... But Not If Englishwomen Can Help It (August 15) with great pleasure and interest. It's good to know that for this particular dog, at least, the future is rosy! (Incidentally - was the owner ever charged with neglect/cruelty?) As PRO of the Island Sanctuary Association I had answered the original appeal, regretting our inability to help, and pointing out that this is the fate of many more dogs in Malta. We have been operating from Marsaxlokk for almost 15 years now, and though we work tirelessly (and quietly!) we are still hampered by lack of support and volunteers and limited funds. It's heartbreaking for us to have to turn away so many homeless dogs, but we have no other option as things stand.

As the article made clear, the police had no other option but to leave the poor dog outside a sanctuary's gate. Now that is a real shame - why shouldn't we have a decent centre supported by public funds where abused animals can find temporary shelter? I mean a sort of canine/feline half-way house until a permanent home is found for them with a family or in one of the established sanctuaries.

A dog/cat who has been a victim of injustice deserves something better than the threat of being killed! If this were so, I'm sure more animals would be saved from a life of undeserved misery. Many people who love animals approach us with their concern, but usually refuse to report cruelty for two reasons: 1) there is nowhere to take the animal once it has been "removed" from the place of abuse; 2) the perpetrator of the cruelty will probably only get a slap on the wrist! When we ourselves report cases of cruelty to the police, we are usually asked if we are prepared to accept the dog in question in our own sanctuary! If our answer is no, the police are usually unable/unwilling to proceed. This is grossly unfair. After all, all our sanctuaries are run by unpaid - and generally unappreciated - volunteers!

We do the best we can, but we can only do so much.

As a sanctuary, we are sometimes asked by the authorities themselves to admit dogs that would otherwise face a very bleak future. Only last year we somehow made room for 35 dogs - all were "rescued" by someone who claimed to be an "animal lover". Unfortunately, it was a classic case of "out of the frying pan and into the fire" for these poor dogs as well as a number of unlucky cats. Thirty- five dogs admitted in one day - in varying degrees of ill health - is no joke, and our meagre resources were further stretched. Unfortunately, we cannot always oblige. After all, we too depend on the support and help of others.

Well done to Mrs Baker and family for stepping in and doing something, instead of just criticising. It is an example that all real Maltese animal lovers should follow. The same can be said of Fiona Brennan (of Hakuna Matata) who also gives her fair share to make a real difference in the lives of many abandoned animals in Malta, to Tom Broome of Happy Paws and Brenda Swift of Sharemalta.

It's understandable that, in the face of such a huge problem, too many of us feel helpless. In reality, though, all of us can help to make a difference, particularly by helping an already established group or sanctuary. Anyone interested in actually doing something to help at our sanctuary can call on 2165 9895 or visit our web site www.islandsanctuary.com.mt for more information.