A Dalmatian that was left out on a roof while its owners were allegedly overseas has been confiscated by Animal Welfare after it was found malnourished and kept in inappropriate conditions. 

The dog, which is being kept by the Association for Abandoned Animals in a sanctuary, was found "starving alive with every bone in her body showing, and so weak that she could barely walk like a normal dog”, the Association of Abandoned Animals said. 

“She has pressure sores all over her body, from laying on hard ground. This dog knew only a life of hell and neglect.”

The AAA said that the dog had been left on a rooftop with no food and inappropriate shelter by its owners who went away on holiday. 

It was picked up by Animal Welfare after a passer-by noticed the dog’s condition and called to report it. There are plans to prosecute the dalmatian’s former owners for neglect. 

The AAA added that they would be keeping the dog’s original name, Wincey, despite the fact that she did not respond nor react to her name. 

The NGO said that they hope the courts would deliver justice for the emaciated animal and said it was disappointed with sentences meted out in similar cases recently. 

It became illegal to leave dogs chained up outside in 2018. Animal welfare inspectors have previously told Times of Malta that dogs chained to balconies during the summer often die or become seriously sick when they spend hours outside exposed to the sun.

Last October, Animal Welfare confiscated 45 dogs living in squalid conditions from a man who had been previously fined and barred from keeping dogs by the court.

The dogs, which were mostly of the breed Cavalier King Charles spaniels, were also taken in by the AAA after being rescued. 

The spaniels had been found cramped in cages covered in urine and faeces and were late found to be in horrifying condition, with some suffering broken jaws, punctured eyes, rotten teeth and suffering from severe infections.