Two dog walkers collected some 30 sausages spiked with screws from a popular walking spot over the weekend in what appears to be a deliberate attempt at animal cruelty.

Angelika Jahn-Hartmann came across the sausages on Friday morning, when she and her friend took her five dogs for their daily walk along a path linking Għarb with San Lawrenz. 

“At first we only saw one sausage and I thought nothing of it, but when our dogs continued to sniff the grass, we knew something was wrong,” Jahn-Hartmann told Times of Malta. 

After walking further, they noticed more sausages scattered along the path.

Jahn-Hartmann's five dogs.

“I picked up one of them and spotted a screw head jutting out. My first thought was that this could kill my dogs and I panicked since they were everywhere.”

The two collected more than 30 sausages, but Jahn-Hartmann is worried they might have missed some.

“I was concerned one of my dogs might have eaten one without me realising. Thank God though, all five were on a leash, and I believe that is the only thing that saved their lives.”

Jahn-Hartmann said that while she had come across rat poison in the past, this was the first time she found such "cruel 'treats' for dogs to eat".

After collecting the sausages, Jahn-Hartmann reported the incident to the Victoria police station.

In a Facebook post, she warned other dog owners of the “treats” and to be cautious as they might not have managed to collect all the sausages.

The post was widely shared across social media by other animal lovers and was picked up by the Malta Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (MSPCA).

“We condemn this act of cruelty and urge you to pay close attention if you have animals that roam around in the area.

"Do spread the message around so we can reduce the harm caused by such an irresponsible act.”