I fully agree with the suggestion in your editorial Cruelty to Animals (TMID, 16 January) that the people behind the brutal killing of the three tal-fenek dogs should be given “a harsh sentence to act as a deterrent against similar action”, if and when they are caught.

People who are cruel to animals should not get off with fines – they should pay the price for such despicable behaviour by spending time behind bars.

Animals were created to complement man. Some of them, and in particular dogs, were created to live with man, in his home too.

Many people treat animals like brothers and sisters, sometimes like their own children. They spend hundreds of liri every year to feed them and to see to their medical needs. These animals are part of the family.

It is therefore heartbreaking to see animals treated in the way those three tal-fenek dogs were in Gozo earlier this month. I urge the police authorities to do their utmost to bring the perpetrators to book and, once found guilty, they should be given the sentence they deserve.

Paul Fenech

Birkirkara