Resting on her blanket, Star turns her forlorn eyes towards her visitors but immediately perks up when she sees the dog lead and waddles up to the gate of her pen.
When Star turns her head she reveals an angry open wound on her neck that is slowly healing after she was shot once at point blank range, and where vet Trevor Zammit painstakingly removed 40 shotgun pellets.
The female cross-breed never winces in pain and the torture she endured – she had her muzzle, front and hind paws tied before being shot and buried in a shallow grave – is only visible in her brown eyes.
Believed to be about four or five years old, Star was found near Għar Ħasan by Animal Welfare Department officers on May 19, whimpering after she managed to poke her nose through the soil; instincts that saved her from suffocating. Police are still investigating, but to date there are no developments.
She was taken to the animal hospital in Ta’ Qali, where she will stay until she has recovered and is ready to be homed – an easy take as more than 50 offers flooded the department from the US, Norway, Spain, the Czech Republic and the UK.
But Star already has a home and her new owners visit and call every day, anxious to have her join their family. Her rehabilitation should take around three weeks.
Animal welfare coordinator Janice Chetcuti said Star will be living with a Maltese family who made the first phone call offering to adopt her.
However, she stresses that the couple – whose children have left the nest and who are keen to welcome in a four-legged friend – were also suitable owners for the traumatised dog.
The fury sparked by this story has spread beyond our shores and Star’s incredible tale of survival has been featured in newspapers and TV programmes across Europe and the US.
Star is lapping up the attention and as she leads Ms Chetcuti past the other pens for a stroll on the lawn, other dogs look on enviously and a fox terrier barks in protest.
Her paws sink into the thick grass and as Ms Chetcuti bends down to pet her, Star nuzzles up, yearning for human contact despite what she has been through.
She never wags her tail except when Dr Zammit turns up – ironic, as so many animals detest their vets – and even then it’s a half-wag.
When rescued, Star had to be treated for her wounds without anaesthetic because doctors feared she was too weak to take it. Next week, her strength will be tested to determine if she can undergo an operation to have a piece of skin grafted from part of her neck to cover the gaping wound.
“Star is a calm, docile dog. She has improved in leaps and bounds considering her injuries,” Dr Zammit said, adding that he has seen worse cases of animal cruelty, including a dog whose back was blasted with a shotgun.
Asked what he thought could have inspired so much hatred towards an animal, Dr Zammit has only one explanation: “It’s the result of a sick mind.”
The animal hospital receives some 50 cases of cruelty and abandonment a week and according to Dr Zammit this is a conservative estimate.
The dog, a possible mix between a collie and a sheep dog, is fast becoming a mini celebrity and a symbol against animal cruelty. More than 2,600 people have signed an online petition calling for justice and nearly 20,000 joined a Facebook page to show support towards the dog that captured the nation’s heart.
Ms Chetcuti is taking the opportunity to encourage those who sought adopt Star to consider homing one of their 110 dogs and 80 cats.
Those who wish to find a new pet can either pop by the Għammieri farm in Luqa between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, call the department on 2590 4132/2590 4113 or send an e-mail to animalwelfare.mrra@gov.mt.
Those who find an injured stray can contact the animal ambulance by calling the police headquarters at all hours on 2122 4001.