An American Pitbull called Blue has been reunited with its original owner after it was seized from dog breeder Andre Galea’s Msida residence last week, Animal Rights Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said said.

In a Facebook post, Bugeja Said announced that the dog was yesterday reunited with its owner Andrew Buhagiar, having been reported missing weeks earlier. Animal Welfare Officers returned Blue back with Buhagiar after checking its microchip.

Buhagiar said that animals on his farm had escaped during an incident a couple of weeks back, and the reporting had been reported missing to Animal Welfare. Notices on social media had also been issued.

He had taken care of Blue since it was a puppy, with the dog recognizing its owner when it saw him. Buhagiar could not find the dog when he looked for it.

The owner said he felt both happy to be reunited with his dog, and sad to see the state it was in. A video posted by Bugeja Said showed the dog’s dermatitis, with large furless patches near its belly. The condition is caused by stress.

Andre Galea was attacked outside his home by his own bully breed dogs on Monday morning last week. 

Animal Welfare Department seized nine dogs from Galea’s home, after spending more than 24 hours without food or water. Animal Welfare Director Patricia Azzopardi was asked to resign from her role due to delays in retrieving the remaining dogs.

Azzopardi had said that she was not going to put her personnel in danger, blaming it on a lack of staff at the department.