I write this letter to fully clear my name after my dogs were impounded and killed by animal welfare workers, who entered my private property in Xemxija without a court warrant.

The absolute truth of the illegal raid is as follows. I was easily contactable on my mobile phone, but I received no calls from animal welfare workers, or whoever is responsible. I deny categorically that animal welfare officers sent “five letters to my household”. This is actually a cover up for the series of blunders committed on that day, 26 August, which I will never forget.

A person with criminal intent set free my dog Achilles by removing the latch connecting the stainless steel chain to the 2½-inch collar to the ground. He later called the police with the malicious plan of having my dogs taken away because he did not like them.

The animal welfare workers also came along, breaking several laws within a very short time. One of them trespassed onto my balcony, he shot my Mastiff named “Stone”, with three darts full of anaesthetic. (Stone was a very friendly dog. He actually used to come and sleep on my bed at night and put his head under the sheet asking to be cuddled).

Then the animal welfare officers ripped the cloth sheets and removed wooden planks, which used to create shade, in an attempt to make it appear that the dogs had no shelter. In reality, the dogs had full access to my home from outside the balcony. Contrary to what the animal welfare people said, the dog had a huge bowl with Royal Canin dog food mixed with my restaurant’s food to make it tastier. (When I arrived, the bowl was still there. Stone had been taken away. He had no time to eat it). Note that the animal welfare people said that Stone was not fed. They couldn’t explain how Stone, this Mastiff, weighed almost 51 kilos. Common sense alone says that starving dogs don’t weigh that much. (I had Stone for 11 years. Wouldn’t a dog die if left without food and water for 11 years? For sure, the things they said don’t reconcile with reality).

They then closed the balcony door to give the impression that the dog had no access to the house. They gave away their crime at this moment. Listen to this one: When they closed the door they actually left my third dog, a mixed breed, inside. In the panic to cover up the killing of Stone, by closing the balcony door they forgot the third dog. Aren’t these people supposed to save animals? How did this escape them? Maybe they were too panicky about locking the balcony door to fabricate allegations about the owner?

They later rounded up the other dog easily, a very fine rare breed known as the American Mastiff. (Note that people do not spend €6,900 on a dog and leave it without water. The two situations don’t reconcile). After he was contained, by police too, several people noticed police officers cuddling and stroking the dog. Achilles had an extremely friendly disposition. He then happily rode on the animal welfare van, from where he was taken to his death. He always used to like riding in cars, because it meant we were going for a walk or to a bar after that. Dogs get conditioned to these kind of stimuli. He was smiling in the van. (A trait dogs developed after several hundreds years in contact with humans) Achilles was taken to an animal welfare centre (note the term…?). He was then injected with a lethal substance.

Achilles and Stone were both killed in less than two hours after the incident. I drove fast that day after receiving a phone call that unknown men were on my personal property. By the time I arrived they were gone. I drove to the animal centre where the dogs were supposed to be kept, but the dogs were dead. The vet did not allow me to see the cadavers, and I still wish to see them because I can hardly believe Stone and Achilles are dead. My friends and family have told me that I have to accept it.

“Dear Achilles, you were my pride and joy. And I hope you did not suffer when you were injected that day. Most of all you showed your temperament beautifully when uniformed people took you into a van and shoved you off to your death. You remained calm and stable, I know you, Achilles. You showed them that you were a friendly dog till the very end. And for this, I am proud of you. I am sorry that some human beings can be so cruel. Rest in peace, Achilles, because I won’t.

“I am going to take care of you till the very end. For this reason I shall be instituting legal action against whoever contributed to your death. If justice prevails, I am prepared to give part of the money I win to the true animal welfare groups in England. Because there they don’t kill innocent dogs. The other part of the money would go to fixing the shelter which the animal welfare workers broke in my balcony. It is symbolic.”

The weakest allegation by the animal welfare personnel was that the animals were kept in “squalid conditions”. The casual observer can see from the photos on the newspapers that the dog was well looked after. You can easily see that his coat is shiny and vibrant. He was given Royal Canin Premium dog food, he was washed regularly at a pet groomer, he had “Advantix” flea protection against fleas and sandfly, and he was given a dental bone regularly. He also was taken to a vet to have his weight checked. Skin balm was put on his elbows for the fur to grow evenly all over his body. He was also given calcium tablets and de-worming tablets on the vet’s advice. Prevention is better than cure. So much for the fallacious allegation of Achilles not being well cared for

Animal Welfare officers… you can’t even approximate the fine way I keep my dogs. In any case, you do have a tendency to kill them by mistake. So you might want to check your own shortcomings.

Overall, still, I wish to thank the animal welfare department for another of their errors. They did not notice my third dog in the house. She had gone into the house since the balcony door was open. They frightened her when they fired those three shots. When I arrived she was still trembling, shaking beside the sofa she usually sat on. I never saw her tremble like that. Although they didn’t plan to leave her alive, I’m so relieved that her life was not taken.

Next, about the animal welfare department and that it was heavily (correctly) criticised in the press. Surely journalists have to do their job and report facts. Surely, if Mario Spiteri sends his deputies to trespass on private property and putting down fine mastiffs, he really can’t complain if reporters write the truth. The real way to gain creditability is to lead one’s team with ethical considerations. And naturally to avoid sending an armed employee shooting chemical into an innocent fawn Mastiff on private property. This Dr Spiteri seems to have a lot fun allowing his employee to shoot anaesthetic at my mastiff, or dogs of other people. (He is still keen on the weapon). As I am well read on the subject, I would like to point out the following. A dog (or person) goes through a lot of anxiety and some physical pain when anaesthetic is injected into his body. So it is obviously unethical to inject anaesthetic without a valid reason. Maybe the reason that Dr Spiteri doesn’t mind doing this is because he really doesn’t care about how the dog feels but more about seeing his anaesthetic weapon in use. Anyone reading this article and who had an operation can tell you how nauseating and disorientating anaesthetic can be, even when given in accurate doses by highly trained specialist anaesthetists.

But then comes the “ladder climbing” employee (not a vet) of Dr Spiteri who likes a little excitement and shot the mastiff with excess anaesthetic, and locked him in a cage!! It is quite strange how these people portray themselves as animal carers. One must remember the huge number of strays in our streets they do nothing about. Furthermore, they lack the kennels to keep large dogs, which is part of the reason why they killed Achilles. There was no kennel or sanctuary where to keep him, Dr Spiteri explained. Thank you for that. How about leaving him in my property where he was.

Dr Spiteri really surpassed himself when he suggested compulsory spaying/neutering of the mastiff breeds. I mean, this really shows how insensitive he is towards dogs. Would you like it if someone castrated you such that you can’t have children? Is he aware of how the poor dog feels? But then the most flabbergasting comment. He wishes to ban mastiff breeds. (??) Doesn’t he care about the relationship that exists between owners and their pets? It is spectacularly silly to ban/hate a breed because of the skin colour or type. A dog’s behaviour depends on how he is brought up by the owner, not by his coat colour or bone structure. One would expect him to know this. It is elementary. It is surprising that an animal welfare head, actually hates the mastiff breeds to the extent that he wants them banned. It is shocking. I thought he cared about animals.

From a young age I had been taught that “every cloud has its silver lining”. Genuine thanks go to the people from the other animal rescue centres who called to express their solidarity over the killing of my fine dogs. They also called, on the phone, when I donated the mattresses and sheets for the well being of dogs that aren’t mine. Heartfelt thanks also go to those who identified police officers petting the friendly dog before he was killed. Appreciation to all those on the Internet who wrote “that it is illegal to trespass on someone else’s property and kill his dogs”. You know who you are, and you are many. Still, I treasure every one of those comments. An old proverb states “the only thing left for evil to pursue, is for good men to do nothing”. Many people rallied to my support because it is obvious it is not right to kill dogs. Everyday I meet people in the street and they tell me they are shocked about what happened. They tell me to sue the animal welfare department, which I shall be doing shortly.

About the depiction of the incident by the press. The journalists reported it factually, except for the breed’s name because the animal welfare people misled them. For those two hours it was the law of the jungle with workmen using violence on my balcony to take my dog, in full view of others. Also how smart are they at their job if they can’t take the dog away without hurting him? I have seen experienced dog handlers control any type of dog.

About Achilles, who was taken away alive, tail wagging, note that it is illegal to take a perfectly healthy dog to a vet and have it put down on a whim. I know several vets who would immediately warn that they would call the police. How is it that “animal welfare did it in full view of the police?” This is a perversion of the laws they are supposed to uphold. They actually broke them themselves.

For Achilles, and the good moments you gave us. We’ll miss you dearly. You were courageous, noble, and true. Perhaps it would be good if certain humans learn these traits you had, instead of killing you. The world would certainly be a better place.

What happened on that dark day doesn’t make any sense. But in a spiritual way I trust that your sad loss will lead to a situation, where (unethical) individuals within authorities “are obliged” to follow procedures. In that case, the life of another dog would have been spared. That is the only consolation I have from this nightmare.

The information above is truthful, precise and factual.

In the name of justice and fairness, I write this.

Keith Caruana

XEMXIJA