The dogs from the Msida pit bull attack and other dogs which were kept in the property have been removed and are being kept by the Ministry for now, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Animal Rights and Consumer Protection Anton Refalo told The Malta Independent.

On Monday, 95 year old Inez Galea, died after allegedly being attacked by two pit bulls that belonged to her nephew. The two pit bulls were kept in a yard had managed to enter the woman’s ground floor tenement on Antonio Sciortino Street in Msida. Her pet Chihuahua dog was also mauled to death.

This newsroom asked Refalo what will happen to the dogs and whether they would be put down, to which he explained that the dogs are part of the evidence of the case and form part of the Magisterial Inquiry.

“Naturally they are evidence, so the dogs cannot be put down now and we will follow what is ordered by the magisterial; for now we are keeping the dogs.”

Refalo commented that Galea’s death is unfortunate and tragic, sending his condolences to the family. He said that since the magisterial inquiry is on-going, the Ministry will compile evidence once the inquiry publishes a report.

He said that he could not go into more detail due to ongoing investigations.

The dogs were owned by Galea’s nephew; Andre Galea who lives in an apartment above hers and on social media describes himself as a dog breeder who specialises in pit bulls, American bulldogs and American Staffordshire Terriers.

It has been reported that neighbours had made numerous complaints and reports to animal welfare regarding the way the dogs were kept. It has been reported that animal welfare inspectors had visited the property a number of times and reported that the dogs were kept in good conditions.

The newsroom asked whether the Ministry are considering to make it illegal to stop breeding certain type of dogs such as pit bulls, to which Refalo explained that from all the work which the ministry and numerous other entities do, it is “a clear sign that the government takes animal rights seriously.”

“I have faith in our office which works under this sector, and we work alongside the law, do our investigations and look for the right opinions. We also have the Animal Commissioner Denise Montebello above us and I always look for his opinion before we move forward.”