Dogs under the care of the Animal Welfare Directorate will no longer get their regular walks and face being locked up 24/7, an AW volunteer has claimed in a shocking new post.

“Do not call 1717 is you care about animals’ wellbeing,” volunteer Kaśka Niczyporuk said in a new post, revealing new directions she claims new AW Director Joseph John Vella gave to staff.

“Yesterday, we were told that we are not allowed to walk the dogs on our usual path. Instead, we were offered a path which is not safe for dogs nor for us volunteers,” she continued. “It is confirmed that even new pens are currently being built further down from current ones and there will be no new walk path designated. It is confirmed that dogs won’t get their walks at all.”

She then shared a quote allegedly sent by the director to one of AW’s volunteers:

“There are Agrihub employees and clients who are petrified of dogs. Dogs, mostly Staffordshire or amstaff crosses amongst other muscular dogs were and are still being walked around on a diurnal basis, unmuzzled, possibly not to frustrate the dogs with the consequence that Agrihub employees and visitors are left incensed.”

​Agrihub is the the Agricultural Research and Innovation Hub, within the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights.

Niczyporuk said she believes AW should be working to stop animal cruelty, and not increase it.