The Island Sanctuary Association is totally disgusted with the article Man Fined €200 For ‘Abandoning’ Puppy (timesofmalta.com, March 30). A slightly different version of the article appeared in the following day’s edition of The Times but by then the harm had been done.

The original article resulted in a spate of very negative – and totally unjustified – online comments against us, and the elevation of a man who broke the law to the status of a hero.

So – for all the experts and know-it-alls who criticised us so harshly based solely on what they read – here are the full facts.

Since the dogs have to be fed every day, the sanctuary is open every day –including Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and, naturally, every weekend.

On April 9, 2009, two volunteers had given up their Sunday afternoon to see to the dogs at the sanctuary.

At one point, a third volunteer turned up to walk one of the dogs. When the first volunteer went to let her out, she found Mario Agius in the act of tying a German shepherd puppy to our gate.

He’d also brought a bowl and water with him. She informed him that that was not the way things were done. We do have a waiting list and right then there was no room for another dog.

Mr Agius told her he’d found the dog abandoned at Ta’ Qali and insisted that the sanctuary should admit her.

When he refused to listen, she called the second volunteer for support but he was not prepared to listen to reason. He answered that when he’d visited the week before there was room enough! He insisted that he’d found her at Ta’ Qali and that it was our job to take her in.

Incidentally it’s not our job – we are volunteers who have chosen to help but can only do so much.

When one of the volunteers suggested he could try taking her to SPCA next day, he declared that he was not prepared to have the puppy under his roof for a night.

At this point, he picked up the puppy and informed us he would deal with the situation himself. One of the volunteers specifically asked him not to abandon her there but he just drove away, leaving the volunteers fearing for the puppy’s safety but still unable to help.

Sure enough, however, within a few minutes, the third volunteer – who had been walking a dog – texted them to inform them that the puppy had been dumped and was criss-crossing the busy road in front of the Tas-Silġ church.

This left the volunteers with no choice but to collect the puppy – who had to spend her first night in the office since all the pens were occupied.

The following day, in fact, she had to be fostered with a family since there was nowhere to put her.

Dog sanctuaries are not dumping grounds for unwanted dogs. It is unfair when people pay good money to buy a dog, then, once they have had enough of it, expect us to take the dog. Effectively, the “breeder” gets the money, while the sanctuaries get the dog, with all the responsibility and work it involves. Years of putting up with such irresponsible behaviour, not to mention harsh criticism, have brought us to the point where we have had more than enough.

At this point, we felt we had no other option than to report Mr Agius to the Animal Welfare Department and to ask them to prosecute on our behalf. Abandoning a dog, is, after all, a crime too, and it’s about time people learnt this! In spite of their full load, the department supported us all the way – and we heartily thank them.

Finally, I would like to point out that the Island Sanctuary Association is a voluntary association: we could close down tomorrow and nobody could stop us!

Nobody pays us to do what we do and, considering the chronic lack of volunteers, we do well enough!

Since the vast majority of people in Malta would rather criticise and complain than help out, we have had to cap the number of dogs we can admit and care for properly.

Should anyone doubt our integrity, we invite them to visit and see for themselves the work involved.

Sunday mornings are always open days, when visitors can just turn up to have a look and maybe even take a dog for a walk. I usually end with an appeal for volunteers but this time I am so discouraged I will not even ask!