Animal Welfare rescues 13 dogs from man previously fined for animal cruelty
Fox terriers, pitbulls and a Labrador kept in unsuitable conditions
Animal Welfare officials on Sunday seized 13 dogs from a man previously fined for keeping his animals in poor condition.
The officials found fox terriers, pitbulls and a Labrador kept in unsuitable conditions on a property in Siggiewi. A French bulldog was found chained outdoors, sources close to the investigations told Times of Malta.
Keeping dogs chained is illegal in Malta.
The inspection took place after the Animal Welfare Directorate received an anonymous report that the animals were kept in inappropriate conditions.
The sources said the property is used by David Pace, who in 2020 was fined €25,000, handed a suspended sentence and banned from holding a dog licence for 15 years after inspectors found emaciated animals in a state of "total disaster" at his Biżbiżija farm, in Mosta. At the time, 15 horses, described as "skin and bone", were found in stables where the floor was covered in a layer of stools some "40 centimetres deep".
Sunday's raid was announced by Parliamentary Secretary for Animal Rights Alicia Bugeja Said in a social media post.
She said the dogs required immediate intervention.
"Thank you to the director of Animal Welfare and all the officers involved for the valuable work they do. I will continue to work to combat any cases of cruelty or neglect, while continuing to protect the welfare of animals," she wrote.