A man who was filmed physically abusing his dog last summer has yet to be charged.

Duncan Caruana kicked and hit his pitbull puppy on his balcony at his residence in Ħamrun last July.

The incident was captured on video and both Animal Welfare and police arrived on site to retrieve the dog.

It was noted at the time that the pitbull had its ears cropped, an illegal practice in Malta.

If found guilty, the abuser will face charges that vary between €2,500 and €6,500 with the possibility of up to three years in prison.

However, despite the physical evidence at hand, Caruana has yet to be charged for the incident, well-informed sources have told Lovin Malta.

Similarly, an Msida dog owner has yet to face charges for involuntary homicide after two of his dogs escaped from their concrete roof cubicles and descended to the maisonette where they mauled and killed a 95-year-old woman and her chihuahua.

The incident happened last September.

While not much has been achieved by way of the courtroom, Animal Welfare Commissioner Alison Bezzina recently spoke out in favour of imbuing the Director of Animal Welfare with the power to ban owners of confiscated pets from owning anymore pets.

“I believe that once the director decides to confiscate animals, he/she should be given the right to ban the person from owning more animals until the court decides otherwise or confirms the decision,” she said.

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