Two dogs were poisoned, thrown still alive in a suffocating sack and dumped in a skip in Marsalforn yesterday as the cases of animal cruelty continue to be reported at an alarming rate.
Gozo SPCA centre manager Betty Berry and the police were alerted at 8 a.m. by a pedestrian who happened to be passing by the skip and heard the dog's whimpers.
Ms Berry accompanied the animal ambulance on site and with the help of the police managed to lift the dog feed plastic sack from the skip. To their horror they discovered two dogs on top of each other inside.
"One of the dogs must have just died because rigor mortis had not set in yet. The one still alive was in severe pain throwing its head back in agony, screaming and in fits," Ms Berry said.
The dog, which had its head covered to calm it down, was immediately rushed to the vet, who said it had been poisoned and in the final throes of dying an agonising death.
"Sadly, the vet felt the only option was to put it peacefully to sleep. Both dogs were small to medium in size, of terrier cross breed and looked to have been in quite good health prior to being poisoned," she added.
The voluntary work of the Gozo SPCA was far from over and after filing a report with the Victoria police station, Ms Berry was informed that an injured kitten had been handed in by a tourist.
The tourist thought it had been hit by a car but the kitten had a severe eye infection, which could result in the loss of one eye. The kitten, which was very tame, seemed to be in good health and was now under veterinary care at the Gozo SPCA's shelter, Ms Berry said.
"This cruel abandonment may well have a very happy ending because the police would like to keep the kitten as a station cat when it has fully recovered from its treatment," she added.
Ms Berry said Gozo SPCA personnel were still very shaken and deeply upset by yesterday's two cruel incidents that followed so closely on the case of the German Shepherd found abandoned in a cave off Qala last week.
Gozo SPCA pointed out that recent "vigorous discussions" in the press had led to a lot of hurtful and ill-informed criticism of the Gozo SPCA but the society had also received numerous messages of support.
The society was heartened to know there were several people in Gozo and Malta who were willing to re-home injured and sick dogs on a permanent basis. Gozo SPCA said it would be grateful if such people gave their contact details by calling the centre on 2155 3769 or sending an e-mail to info@spca-gozo.org.
The society is trying to track down the owner of the two dogs found in the skip yesterday and urged the public to report any information they had to the society, the police or the Animal Welfare Department in Malta on 2590 5302.