At least five dogs died or were seriously injured while in the care of pet sitters over the last six months, the MSPCA has claimed.

The Malta Society for the Protection and Care of Animals, an NGO, is calling for the urgent regulation and licensing of pet sitters due to the growing demand for such services.

Another sitter, who took on many dogs at once, reported a dog running into a door and smashing his head and dying- MSPCA spokesperson

“One inexperienced pet sitter took a Shih Tzu out in the car and left him alone with the window open. The dog jumped out and was run over, losing a leg, said the MSPCA’s Althea Galea.

“Another sitter tied a Fox Terrier outside a shop and returned to find the dog strangled.

“Another sitter, who took on many dogs at once, reported a dog running into a door and smashing his head and dying.”

She said these were cases that have been reported to the society but there may be others.

“Yes, accidents do happen. But, here, the problem is that people are becoming pet sitters without the proper understanding of the needs of different animals and breeds. They think that just because they have a dog they can look after any dog. This is not the case.

“Many are also taking in more dogs than they can properly look after and cater for,” said Galea.

Sitters charge about €15 per dog per night with no restrictions on how many animals they take in.

Another case was that of Louie, the young Golden Retriever that died while at a pet sitter. It later resulted it had eaten wood and metal and had a perforated stomach.

Louie’s owner, Natasha Cachia, is also calling for the urgent regulation of pet sitters.

She believes that when a pet dies at a sitter, a system needs to be in place to ensure an immediate autopsy and transportation and preservation for all sizes of dogs.

She had to struggle to get an autopsy done on Louie, she said, otherwise she would not have found out that it had died of a stomach perforation after ingesting wood and metal.

'Lack of basic knowledge'

The situation, she believes, also shows a lack of basic knowledge about dogs’ behaviours. For example, the lack to exercise could lead to the need to chew.

Cachia and her five-year-old son are both suffering the loss of Louie, which was only one year and four months old when it died unexpectedly at the pet sitter on September 9 while they were on holiday.

The previous December, she had left Louie at the same sitter, a reputable person whose service came with recommendations and who has a strong following on Facebook.

She chose a pet sitter, as opposed to a boarding facility, because she wanted a home environment for her dog.

The problem is that people are becoming pet sitters without the proper understanding of the needs of different animals and breeds- Althea Galea, MSPCA

On the day she dropped Louie off, she learnt that the sitter had a full-time job. Three days later, the sitter called her and told her she had returned home to find Louie dead.

The necropsy report, seen by Times of Malta, showed that Louie had blood stains on the right side of the mouth and a “0.5cm long piece of wood/brown grassy material found under tongue”.

Inside the stomach there were “wood fibres with a few larger pieces of wood and a piece of sharp metal wire”.

The stomach has a large perforation of “around 5cm”.

A 0.5cm long piece of wood or brown grassy material found under Louie's tongue.

Cachia and her son were devastated.

“I could not protect it, the one time it needed me most. For five days, I had to put on a mask for my boy and be a parent as well and leave the despair and crying for the night. 

“Louie was gentle in every way. He was preparing for training as a therapy dog. No owner should live with the grief of being a continent away from their family member, having fun, while he passed away horribly and on his own. His loss is a deep wound which will take long to heal,” she said.

Animal Welfare Commissioner Alison Bezzina has long been calling for the regulation of pet sitters.

Legal notice 'in final stages'

As the law stands, anyone can claim to be a pet sitter. The law regulates pet boarding facilities but not services offered in homes. Often, sitters do not allow pet owners to enter their homes, claiming privacy.

Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said announced that a legal notice regulating pet sitters is in its final stages.

Bezzina said sitters would need time to regularise their position once the law is enacted. She suggests that, until then, CCTV cameras could be installed at a low level so as not to impinge on privacy but would capture the animals’ movements, with footage used only in the case of an accident.