SPCA fund-raising fair to help animals

The SPCA fair on Sunday is another initiative aimed at raising money for the animals' home, which appears to be a bottomless pit.

Its president, Barbara Cassar Torreggiani highlighted the animal horrors that occur on a daily basis and that the SPCA tries, with its limited resources, to remedy.

"Often, as soon as pet owners encounter trouble, they lose reason and the animals are abandoned when all they have to do is ring us up and ask for help," she said.

She related the story of a goat that was recently dumped in a ditch along the Qormi Bypass. The animal was unable to walk, or even stand. In a pitiful state of neglect, it was suffering from severe hair loss, had excessively long hooves and a lump on its hind leg. It had been abandoned to die a slow death and the SPCA carried it out of the ditch, took it to the vet and had to relieve it of its misery.

Then again, some of the animals are fortunate enough to encounter a brighter future and are re-homed. A Labrador, Nero, which was adopted by the Civil Protection Department to be trained for search and rescue operations, has landed "a great family and environment".

It is being looked after in a "beautiful" home in a courtyard, with stone arches, a plunge pool and a garden.

The SPCA hoped its dogs would one day be able to benefit from basic training, which would facilitate their being re-homed, Ms Cassar Torregiani said.

The money raised from the SPCA fair at the Scouts Headquarters in Floriana should help to come closer to achieving its goals, which include a national neutering programme and new premises.

The fair should be a "fun day out with the children", complete with a variety of activities, including sketches of pets by artist Debbie Caruana Dingli and advice on animal problems from vets. One of the raffle prizes is a visit to the Troy film set at Fort Ricasoli.