Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq dog sanctuary folds up

Dogs jump around and wag their tail joyously when Maria Jenkins approaches the sanctuary in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq where she has been caring for the canines for the past three years.

She bends down to greet her canine friends and ruffles their head as she addresses them by their names.

"Gorgeous ones... I'm really going to miss you. All of you," she says, as she explains she will be closing down the sanctuary because she can no longer cope with the stressful responsibility.

With the help of the Animal Welfare Department, she will be transferring the 24 dogs to other sanctuaries where she hopes to help out as a volunteer.

Relieved by this support, Ms Jenkins's only pending concern remains the fate of one particular dog called Mask, named after the black patch on its face.

Although very friendly with people, Mask does not get on well with other dogs because he gets jealous of human affection. Mask needs to be kept in an individual pen and Ms Jenkins is worried other sanctuaries would not have a pen to spare for one dog. So she hoping someone will adopt Mask.

Ms Jenkins started working with dogs three years ago as the helper of dog lover Rennie Scicluna who set up the Animal Lovers' Association, a registered voluntary organisation. When she joined Mr Scicluna she was meant to be working four hours a day but, as time passed, she was loaded with more and more responsibilities.

Mr Scicluna has been incurring a daily fine of €4.65 since last year for ignoring a court order and continuing to keep dogs at a derelict building in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq. Following a neighbour's complaint, the court had ordered him to remove the dogs because the site was too close to people's homes and he did not have a permit to keep so many dogs.

Mr Scicluna's and Ms Jenkins's luck seemed to be turning when the opportunity came about to rent out a complex of garages in the Rabat countryside to turn it into a sanctuary. But the deal fell through.

Since then, Mr Scicluna stepped down from the association and Ms Jenkins ended up having to manage the sanctuary with the help of some volunteers. "I've spent the last years stressed and engulfed by worries. My phone has not stopped ringing and it's mostly people asking me to help them get rid of a dog. I've had to make sure there were enough funds to feed the dogs and pay for vet expenses.

"I also worried about finding a new place where to build a proper sanctuary because the place in Baħar Iċ-Cagħaq is not ideal for them. I've been fighting to find a piece of land. There were so many false hopes. I can't take it anymore and I reached the point where I know that closing down the sanctuary would be the best decision for me and the dogs," she said in an emotional tone.

As she stared at the dogs behind the sanctuary's fence she added: "I must stress that I'm making sure they are being taken to other sanctuaries and I've been reassured none of them will be put down".

She thanked Mario Spiteri, the director of the Animal Welfare Department, for his support and for helping put her mind at rest.

"I appreciate that, not once, did he tell me I brought this on myself," she said. Anyone who would like to adopt Mask, or any other dog, can call 9913 0805.

While the sanctuary would no longer be collecting funds, Ms Jenkins urged the public to help other animals by buying OC Charity magazine that is sold at City Gate, Valletta, for €3.50.