A woman lost an arm to a dog she wanted to adopt. She's now seeking justice

A woman who was brutally mauled by a dog during a trial adoption, requiring her left forearm to be amputated, has opened legal proceedings against the authorities.

Elisa Falzon was attacked in her home in June 2024 by a dog she and her husband had adopted on a trial basis from Animal Welfare. Last February, she filed a judicial letter accusing the authorities of “systemic failures” and demanding compensation.

After they failed to respond or reach an agreement with Falzon, she opened court proceedings last week.

Animal Welfare officials, Animal Rights Minister Anton Refalo, the animal rights permanent secretary and the state advocate are being held jointly responsible for “systemic failures” which led to the attack.

The sworn application filed last week reveals shocking details about the attack and the permanent impacts of the resulting injuries on Falzon’s life.

Falzon and her husband adopted the bully breed on a trial basis from the Animal Welfare Directorate, which for months had advertised the dog as “tame, calm and gentle, suitable for domestic life and for integration into a family environment”, according to the application.

But only five days into the trial adoption, Falzon was subjected to a vicious attack, leaving her in “danger of dying”.

‘Ferocious attack’

After showing signs of aggression towards Falzon’s existing dog, the adopted bully breed, without warning, launched an “immediate, violent and ferocious” attack on the woman, biting her arms and causing serious injuries.

The dog dragged Falzon from the living room to the garden, “continuing to harm her with extreme ferocity”, the court document reads.

The attack only stopped when the dog went to drink water from the pool, giving Falzon enough time to re-enter the house and close the door behind her with her hips – her arms unable to operate the door due to the injuries she had sustained.

Despite losing considerable amounts of blood, she remained conscious throughout the ordeal.

She was rushed to Mater Dei hospital, where she was diagnosed with deep wounds to both arms, a fractured hand and dangerous blood clotting in the main artery supplying blood to her left arm, among other injuries that left her hovering close to death for several days.

In all, Falzon spent 12 weeks in hospital and underwent 50 hours of surgery, with further surgeries and other treatments in the months that followed.

‘Permanent disfigurement’

The attack left Falzon with an amputated forearm, impairment of the right arm due to nerve damage and a fractured right hand – treated with plates and screws inserted into the hand – and 17 scars across both arms, her right elbow and both thighs – from where skin grafts were taken.

Those injuries and scars caused “permanent and visible disfigurement”, the application says.

In addition to a 62 per cent disability related to amputation and orthopaedic injuries and a 39 per cent reconstructive surgery disability, she was left with a permanent 30 per cent disability resulting from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

She is holding the authorities individually and jointly responsible for her injuries, arguing that as the dog’s owners at the time of the trial adoption, they were responsible for its management and are liable for damages caused by the attack.

Falzon’s lawyers argue the authorities failed to ensure the dog was properly assessed by a behaviourist, trainer and vet before being placed in her care, and “advertised” the dog as tame when it was dangerous and failed to provide information about the animal’s behaviour history.

They also claim authorities failed to establish an adequate monitoring, evaluation and control system to ensure the safety of the public and foster owners taking animals from the directorate.

‘Substantial necessary expenses’

The application references a January report by Animal Welfare Commissioner Fleur Abela, who highlighted ongoing issues at the Għammieri shelter where the dog that attacked Falzon was being kept.

The report, covering the controversial proposed transfer of 20 bully-type dogs to Italy in December – plans that were later abandoned – noted the lack of qualified behaviourists and dog trainers at the Animal Welfare shelter and called for their immediate recruitment.

Other points in the report highlighted by Falzon’s legal team include findings of inadequate infrastructure and overcrowding, and a recommendation that adoption decisions should not rest solely with one person.

Due to her permanent injuries, Falzon will incur “substantial, recurring and necessary expenses throughout the remainder of her life” related to her prosthesis – requiring regular replacement – medical treatment and the employment of a full-time carer, her lawyers said.

Falzon, a notary, also suffered loss of earnings due to the attack, her lawyers said.

They called on the respondents to pay damages for the attack and compensate Falzon for her existing and future medical expenses and loss of earnings.

Authorities were given 20 days to respond to the sworn application or the case will pass before the court for a judgment.

Lawyers Alessia Zammit McKeon and Massimo Vella assisted Falzon.

A new regulation prohibiting the breeding, importation, sale and keeping of non-pedigree bully dogs was announced two months after the attack on Falzon, and came into force in December of the same year.