What do you do if you stumble across the carcass of a domestic animal in the countryside?

The answer would appear to be 'nothing', unless you found the dead animal on a named street.

This is what happened to a man who found a dead dog in a bag in Xemxija.

Democratic Party MEP candidate Cami Appelgren said on Facebook that the Animal Welfare Department, which had been called to pick up the dog, had refused to turn up because the person who found the carcass could not provide a street name to direct them to. 

GPS coordinates of the area were apparently not enough either.

The person who found the dog was instead asked to check the rotting dog - "full with maggots", as Ms Appelgren described it - for a collar and a chip. 

Pets must be microchipped with contact information for their owners by law. 

Ms Appelgren questioned whether there should be more efficient cooperation between Animal Welfare and the Police, and why residents had to deal with so much bureaucracy when trying to do the right thing.

Civic pride should be awarded, not made hard, she added. 

"It's a disgrace that authorities seem ok with people finding dogs like this in nature... It was once someone's loyal friend, it deserves some respect."

Times of Malta has sent questions about the matter to the Environment Ministry.