Most people would think twice before sticking their hand inside a cage to pull out a neglected, starving dog for fear the scared animal would know no better than to attack.

But animal welfare officer Godric Marston has no qualms about climbing over fences to save injured animals and was even ready to abseil down a cliff to save an abandoned dog last summer.

"It's a great feeling to save a dog and see him look at you as though saying: thank you," Mr Marston says, as he pets a recently-rescued puppy wrapped in a blue blanket.

The small dog, which he calls "my baby", looks even tinier in the burly arms of Mr Marston who admits he exercises regularly to maintain his build. In fact, at first sight, the uniformed officer can seem intimidating - an image that immediately melts away when he starts playing with the animals he rescues.

A former black belt, having trained in martial arts, he now applies those disciplinary skills to the animal rescue missions.

"Animals are my best friends. I prefer them to some people," he laughs. "You know where you stand with animals. They are either friendly or show you their teeth upfront."

Mr Marston, 40, believes animals can distinguish between people who care for them and those who do not.

"When we were called to pick up some fox terriers from Birkirkara we were told they were ferocious. But when we opened the cage they jumped on us with joy. That's the beauty of the job," he says.

Mr Marston joined the Animal Welfare Department a year ago after spending many years working within various government ministries and four years in the police Special Assignment Group.

He now forms part of a team of eight animal welfare officers who man the animal ambulance service through which people can call the police headquarters to report injured or abandoned animals.

Since the department took over the ambulance service this month, about 50 dogs and some cats have been rescued.

The department also intervened to help ducks who lived in dirty water, an ill-treated cow, roosters found roaming the streets, a rabbit noticed hopping around freely and even a horse.

Rescued animals are taken to a vet, at Happy Paws, and then to the government farm at Għammieri from where they are homed with the help of animal sanctuaries.

Mr Marston himself has adopted two dogs, Kim and Butch, which his four-year-old son Sean adores. "He loves animals like I do," he smiles adding that his wife, Denise, is very supportive of his job although she tells him to be careful and keep himself out of dangerous situations.

Her concerns are not unfounded as, during the past year, he received his fair share of threats from angered people whose animals were confiscated due to neglect.

On two occasions, people tried to run him over with their car when they saw him use a dart gun and thought he was shooting the animals.

"But people seem to have learnt that the dart gun is only there to sedate animals so we can rescue them."

It is not the animals he worries about but the people he encounters, he says.

"I'm not scared of the animals and they realise that. So far, I haven't been bitten but it wouldn't be the end of the world if I were. If there is one thing I fear, it's an injection needle," he laughs.

"This really is the right job for me. I love being with animals."

He recalls the satisfaction of climbing over a fence to save a young dog that had got its head stuck between two bricks at the barracks in Għajn Tuffieħa. He also helped save a husky found abandoned down a Żurrieq cliff face and aptly named Cliff.

Mr Marston has a knack for improvising names for rescued animals and recently rescued Scar, a dog that had its neck scarred by a very tight rope.

His passion for the four-legged friends started with his very first childhood pet dog Bivi. There was no turning back. He has since always had a pet and developed a passion for pit bulls that are often used for illegal dog fighting.

"I urge anyone who sees a pit bull with fresh wounds to call the department. The dog fighting circle is very well organised and it is difficult for us to catch the perpetrators without help.

"The Animal Welfare Department is not just made up of us officers but all the population. If people out there do not call in, we will not be able to do our job and help these animals," he says.