Leo, a two-year-old chocolate-brown pointer is one of eight dogs still looking for a temporary (hopefully forever) home before his shelter closes for refurbishment.
There is also a two-year-old mixed Shepherd, Snow, with high-pointed ears and caramel eyes, who is also looking for a family to take care of him.
In the first week of February, the Malta Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (MSPCA) will be closing the doors of its Floriana shelter to undergo refurbishment.
In a video uploaded by social media platform Waggo's, volunteer Mary Cassar Torregiani said all cats and dogs at the shelter need to be relocated for a couple of weeks while refurbishment works take place.
“There is never a good time to refurbish and do work, but now is the time we can get the well-needed works done,” MSPCA fundraising manager Mary Cassar Torregiani told Times of Malta.
She said the work includes removing asbestos in a large area of the shelter, which will improve the facilities and increase the capacity of the site.
The work will take between two to three weeks and all animals residing in the shelter must be relocated and rehomed in the meantime. Cassar Torregiani said out of the 20 resident animals, there are still eight dogs and three cats that need to be rehomed before works begin.
“It is too dangerous to have any animals or volunteers on the site during the refurbishment process,” Cassar Torregiani said, adding that the premises are over 100 years old.
Stormy (left) and the eldest resident Ronnie (right) are also up for fostering.
Rio is one of the three cats that stills need a foster home. Photo: MSPCA
Cassar Torregiani told Times of Malta that people had reached out to help and rehome some of the cats and dogs after the video was published on Waggo's.
“We are lucky that some already had a home lined up for them before we announced the refurbishment works. Some people also reached out to us and will foster some of the animals, with the hope to adopt them later on.”
MSPCA continues to rescue abandoned animals daily.
On Monday, the NGO rescued two dogs - a female German Shepherd in Luqa, and a black Chihuahua tied up on a pole outside the Planning Authority’s office - a stone’s throw away from their premises.
Cassar Torregiani said the two additions were also in need of a temporary home.
“This is the constant situation we are faced with,” she said.
“We do not want to leave any animals abandoned, but we cannot be irresponsible and take on more animals when we know we will be closed for some time.”
Eukanuba Malta is also providing a free bag of kibble to every dog that is fostered.