Malta's Animal Welfare Commissioner estimates that half of the dogs in Malta are not micro chipped, something she said makes life incredibly difficult for Animal Welfare staff particularly when a dog gets lost.

Fleur Abela, who was appointed to the post of Animal Welfare Commissioner around three months ago, told The Malta Independent in an interview that the lack of micro-chipping is a huge problem.

"If 25 dogs are found abandoned over the weekend, only five of them are chipped and registered," Abela lamented.

She commented that she recently had to deal with four separate cases where a dog was found lost by activists and posted on social media, and the owner came forward but the dog wasn't chipped or registered.

"You then ask why they're not chipped and they'll tell you it's because they didn't have time or because the dog doesn't usually escape," Abela lamented. "If you haven't chipped the dog, you're already breaking the law and you are liable to a €300 fine," she added.

"If you were irresponsible and let the dog roam, escape, or abandoned him without a chip - now face the music and go through the adoption process like everyone else. If you're saying that the dog is yours, show me proof - pictures, its name," she said.

She said that in cases where the dog is visibly frightened by the owner being there, she is not comfortable returning the dog. When the dog is visibly happy, it is chipped, the owner is told to pay the registration and the dog can go back with them, she said.

"That obligation has to be there... at the moment the amount of dogs which are unchipped is incredible.  It's a very big problem," she said, as she noted that some pet owners chip their pet but then don't register them.

Abela said that a chip only costs €25 to €30 while the emergency vet service costs at least €70 - if the animal is chipped, that money is refunded - so it would ultimately be more expensive to not chip the animal in the long-run.

Asked about the animal hospital, which remains shuttered after three years, Abela noted that before she came into the role, there wasn't even an emergency vet service - let alone an animal hospital.

"We were in a situation where as a pet owner, if your animal was in a crisis overnight, on a Sunday, or on a public holiday - may God be with you, because you didn't know what was going to happen to the animal," she said.

As of 26 January, an emergency vet service opened which allows pet owners to have somewhere to go to after hours should a crisis occur. "This is a step forward," Abela said.

On the opening of a hospital, though, Abela said that she is putting pressure behind the scenes for this to happen.

"We have been missing a hospital for three years," she noted. "It's a great misfortune because if you are a pet owner you should have a hospital to resort to should you need it, but without an operator ready to take it over, the hospital cannot open. Now me and some activists are putting pressure for the hospital to be finished quickly," she continued.

She said that there are discussions ongoing and noted that the government had committed in the Budget that the hospital will open in 2026.

"If we get to the end of my first term and we're still as we are today, then I will make public pressure - but I need to allow time because I recognise that these things cannot happen from one day to the next," she said.

She said that she is informed that there is an operator in place to take over the hospital, but equipment needs to be purchased.  "The project is on the minds of those who are leading the process," she said.

She also noted that an expression of interest for more clinics to join the emergency vet service closed in early February and said that having more clinics would be another step compared to what the situation was two months ago.

Abela also said that she had made an effort to get in touch with as many animal shelters as possible within her first 100 days, and said that there are plans for shelters to get visibility through the Commission.

There are ideas on how these shelters can be assisted as well:  Abela said that she is exploring ways to assist them in dealing with medical issues of animals they care for through means such as the Good Causes Fund, and there are other ideas on how these organisations can be subsidised more - something which Abela said she felt was lacking at the moment.