Second puppy found crucified
Police investigating another animal atrocity in Mosta
A second dog was found crucified upside down in Mosta yesterday, exactly one month after a puppy was nailed to the front door of an abandoned house a few streets away in near identical circumstances.
A note left with the puppy said the suffering he or she went through was worse than that of the dog
The gruesome discovery was made by a passer-by in Tower Street. The dog, described as a Chihuahua cross-breed, was nailed onto a makeshift wooden cross and hung upside down on the gates of the oratory of the Sacred Heart.
The cruel act is a copy of the ending meted out to another puppy, which was found in an upside down crucified position on the door of an abandoned house in Main Street, a few streets away from the oratory, on October 16.
The police were alerted to the dog at about 7.15 a.m. yesterday. When they arrived they found a halo around its head and a note – two elements also present in the first incident.
A third factor that was the same was that the note – presumably left by the perpetrator – said the suffering he or she had gone through was worse than that of the dog
Investigators are also following a potential link between the first case and a 1999 murder. The house where that puppy was found was where Franġisku Buhagiar, now aged 81, shot dead his sister following a bizarre argument over a burnt toast.
Mr Buhagiar, who served a 10-year jail term, has lived elsewhere since but was interrogated last month and denied any connection to the incident.
However, police sources said they were not excluding that these acts were some form of personal vendetta.
So far, it seems the police do not have any strong indications but are taking everything into consideration – including footage from nearby security cameras, sources said. The first dog, which was discovered by a priest, was a stray but the second is being examined by a veterinarian to see if it was chipped.
Even though both cases were linked to religion – especially the second incident – Mosta’s Archpriest Mario Tong does not believe there is any “personal message” to be taken from them. “I don’t think there is any message for us – the method used is exactly the same as the previous one. It’s a terrible case of animal cruelty but it is not meant for us,” he said.