A man who found a German Shepherd puppy only to abandon it later, was fined €400, yesterday.

Mario Agius, 38, of Qormi, was found guilty of abandoning the animal but was cleared of ill-treating it after the court heard that he had left food and water for the puppy.

Mr Agius found the puppy in Ta’ Qali on April 19, 2009. He took it to the Island Sanctuary in Delimara but was told they did not have room for it as the sanctuary was full. A sanctuary volunteer suggested he take the animal home for the night and then take it along to the SPCA the following day.

A few minutes later, Mr Agius abandoned the puppy a few metres away from the sanctuary, prompting the worker to file a police report against him. He admitted what happened when questioned by the police.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli found him guilty of abandoning the puppy, saying that once he had gone out of his way to rescue it and had driven up with it to Delimara, he had assumed responsibility for it. The court, however, cleared him of ill-treatment since he had left provisions for the puppy.