Animal sanctuaries' work

Joseph Camilleri found himself in an awkward situation (The Sunday Times, May 18) which is, unfortunately, all too familiar in Malta where many dog and cat owners claim that spaying/neutering is cruel and against nature, but seem to have no objection to killing or abandoning newborn puppies/ kittens.

However, it seems as if his anger is directed against those of us who are trying to do something about it, rather than against the one who abandoned them in the first place.

Animal sanctuaries are 'staffed' by a handful of volunteers who can only do so much. I write on behalf of the Island Sanctuary Association, but I'm sure this applies also to Noah's Ark. Since we spay or neuter all our rescued dogs, we are not likely to have a nursing mother available to take over the care of the newborn pups. Anyone taking on these poor puppies would have had to bottle-feed them, or have them 'put to sleep'. The former is practically a full-time, 24-hour job; the latter, a nightmare for all animal lovers.

The comment about the funds we have to raise is very unfair. In our case, our expenses last year were over €44,000. We dedicate many hours of voluntary work, at great personal cost. Are we also expected to fork out the money ourselves? Mr Camilleri may not know the law, but neither does he know the precarious situation facing the various sanctuaries. None of us are in it for gain or glory, though we do get lots of criticism. We are simply trying to do the best we can and are thankful to the ones who are unable to join us, but want to support our work by their donations. Incidentally, our expenses were mainly for food, vet visits, surgeries, medication and the usual expenses involved in giving a dog decent care and a comfortable life.