"My dogs are like my children. They are family to me," says Rebecca Geres, 25, the face behind the 'Spot a Stray Dog' Facebook page. She tells her story to Neil Camilleri

Rebecca, who is currently reading for a degree in Dog Behaviour, Psychology and Training, is dedicating her life to saving strays and reuniting lost dogs with their owners. She takes her role very seriously. "I left my full-time job as a vet nurse to do this, and I sold my brand new car," she states, matter-of-factly.

An avid dog lover, Rebecca came to the interview in the new Ta' Qali Dog Park accompanied by her beloved dogs; a Doberman called Macho and a Bull Terrier called Bully. She treats her own pets as if they were her children but her love of dogs has taken her a step further.

'Spot a stray dog' was a natural progression for me. I had been posting and sharing stray and lost dog statuses on Facebook for a long time. The next step was to create my own Facebook pace, which has been a huge success, even if it has only been up and running for less than two weeks. In that time I have managed to re-home five dogs and a kitten and reunited seven lost dogs with their owners. The page has already reached 4,000 likes on Facebook."

Rebecca now wakes up early every day to check if any new stray dog alerts have come in. "I will go to the location pointed out to me by concerned dog lovers and pick up these strays. I take them home, or to my partner's sister's home, wash them, groom them and check their eyes, ears and teeth. Then I call for a vet to check them. If they have a microchip I will try to get them back to their owners, if not, or if the owners refuse to take them back, I start working on finding them a new home."

Some dogs are abandoned, some others just lost

Not all dogs she picks up are genuine strays. Sometimes they are "latchkey dogs" that are let out by their owners. On other occasions, she deals with runaway dogs. "One time I rescued a German Shepherd puppy that had been tied with a two-metre chain, which it managed to pull out of the wall. I called the owner, who thought that the dog was still tied up. Little did she know that I had her dog, with the chain still attached."

This is, however, not always the case. Some of the rescued dogs would have been abandoned by their owners. People give up their dogs for a myriad of reasons or excuses; because of their young children, problems with their neighbours, not enough space or not enough time on their hands.

She has also seen dogs being abandoned or being given up after break-ups or for medical reasons. "Abandoning a dog because it has sandfly is absolute nonsense since with the proper medical care they can live pretty normal lives. Besides, the disease is not contagious."

Abandoning dogs might scar them for life

Rebecca's dog behaviour background has by now kicked in. "Abandoning dogs puts them through a big trauma. Dogs are very loyal - the most loyal animal there is - and become very attached to their owners. Old dogs suffer the worst when they are abandoned because they do not understand what is happening. Young dogs might live with the effects of abandonment for all of their lives."

Dogs are extremely sensitive. "There is also a study that shows that dogs being taken to a sanctuary would sense that something is wrong from 600 metres away. They can also sense a change in their owner's behaviour and would realise that they are no longer wanted. They are very sensitive creatures. Even if they are rehomed, they might carry that trauma with them for all of their lives."

One of the worst things people can do is getting a particular breed of dog because of its aesthetics. "You have to do your research. You should not get a dog only because of their looks. You should think of what that particular breed needs in terms of, exercise, space, the attention they need, if they are protective or if they bark a lot. The dog should fit in with your lifestyle."

I would never give my dogs away

Giving her dogs up would never be an option for Rebecca - she would do anything for dogs. She even had to move home after having problems with some neighbours, which proved difficult because there are not many places where one can keep two large dogs.

But she tries not to be too judgemental. Her aim is not to counter these excuses given by people who give up or abandon their dogs but to give these animals a second or third chance. She has gone to extraordinary lengths to do this, leaving her job and selling her car. The one she uses now has had the rear seats removed to be able to fit in the dogs she saves and other things like food, kennels and medicine.

Rebecca says she is often surprised by the good behaviour shown by rescue dogs. "My own dogs give me a hard time when it's time for a bath, but these rescue dogs do not even flinch in the tub. It's like they appreciate what I am doing for them. In other cases it might be because they are used to getting drenched in the rain," she says, noting that one of the dogs she picked up was abandoned just an hour before last Friday's massive storm hit.

Trying to find the best match

After having the rescued dogs checked by a vet, Dr Gareth Grech, Rebecca tries to find new owners through Facebook. When looking for a new home for one of the dogs she rescued, no less than 18 people responded to the appeal, but this is not as simple process of first come first served. "I always try to find the best match for the dog. It does not make sense to give away a very energetic dog to someone who is always at work and cannot exercise them properly."

Rebecca is very satisfied not only by the good number of calls from would be adoptive families but also by the extensive support from the public. "People might call me about a stray dog and give me directions. Others might wait there until I arrive or pick up the dogs themselves before handing them over to me. Many others show me massive support on Facebook."

Here to stay

Generous supporters have also opened two accounts for 'Spot a stray dog' - one at Borg Cardona in Balzan and the other at 'Bon-a-pet-treat' in Zebbug. The money raised helps Rebecca purchase much needed supplies from the same pet stores.

She is also being given wide media coverage and has had at least two TV interviews. (One of her dogs, Bully, also seems to be well accustomed to the cameras and kept shoving his face in front of our camera - hogging the limelight - throughout the interview!)

"I have two main aims; to get the laws in Malta changed, especially when it comes to animal cruelty, and for the police to have a special squad just for animals. This is something that was very successful in other countries and that we lack here in Malta."

Rebecca has also struck up a good relationship with the Animal Welfare Directorate, which has a somewhat different remit. The AWD picks up injured animals but not healthy strays. That is where Ms Geres comes in. "I had a meeting with Animal Welfare last week and they were quited impressed. They told me I'm some kind of saint!"

So will she keep this up, we asked? "I am here to stay," was her prompt reply.