Rescued dog put to sleep

A pure German Shepherd, that looked like a "walking skeleton", was yesterday found abandoned in a pebbly cave off Qala that is only accessible from the sea. The Psaila family, who was out on a boat in the area known as Barbaġan, spotted the lonely dog that swam to greet them. They immediately called the Civil Protection Department to rescue the poor creature.

Betty Berry, from the SPCA Gozo that took in the dog, said sadly the dog had to be put down because it had a severe case of sand fly that was beyond treating.

"The dog weighed 19kg - I have a whippet that weight - and her eyes were weeping with yellow pus. I'm no vet but I've been doing this for 20 years and I can recognise advanced sand fly. It's so devastating to put her down because she was a sweet, gentle creature," Ms Berry said.

Ms Berry believes the dog must have been dumped in the sea and it managed to swim and seek shelter in the cave: "She must have been in the cave for a few days. She was about eight to 10 years old and was likely used for breeding."

"This dog was thrown away like a piece of garbage in the sea. Unfortunately, with her severe case of sand fly I had nowhere to keep her quarantined. We're stuffed full and at our wits' end. I don't know how much longer we can go on this way," she said, breaking down.

Expressing her frustration, Ms Berry said she was at the end of her tether with the excessive animal cruelty on the island. SPCA Gozo had picked up 210 animals this year alone and had managed to find a home for the majority of them.

The family who helped rescue the dog was disappointed the creature was put down. "She looked fine and was very happy to see us. We wanted to give this dog a chance and SPCA Gozo didn't give it this chance," Mario Psaila said.

Ms Berry defended her decision and said: "I had to think on my feet. Treating this dog was extremely hard and I cannot risk infecting all the other animals. If anyone wants my job, they're welcome to it."