A dog was yesterday morning found crucified and hung upside down on a door of an abandoned house in Mosta.

The macabre discovery was made by a priest who was on his way to church. He immediately notified the police who went on site to start their investigations.

It is yet another case of animal cruelty that has been reported this year. A dog called Star died weeks after being discovered buried while a dog called Gaia died hours after being recovered from a skip where it had been dumped.