Slow recovery for dog found shot and buried alive

'Star', a dog that survived being shot in the head and buried alive in Malta is making a slow recovery. The female mixed-breed was found on Thursday in Birżebbuġa on the way to Għar Ħasan. Welfare officers went to a field nearby to investigate a report of three ill-treated dogs. There they heard the sound of muffled whimpering that led them to a wooden plank held in place by part of a tree trunk.



When they lifted the plank they came across the nose of a buried dog poking out of the soil. As they dug out the dog they found it had been shot in the head, its snout had been tied shut and all four legs were bound together. Star, named by welfare officers, was then taken to the animal hospital where over 40 lead pellets were removed from her head during an operation.





The horrific story has touched the hearts of people around the world. A woman from Canada contacted the Animal Welfare Department to send Star a personalised blanket and the Amsterdam Fire Brigade wrote in to ask how she was doing, said Janice Chetcuti from the department.


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Some people even suggested setting up a trust fund that could be used as a reward to catch the perpetrator, she said. Ms Chetcuti also said she had received over 20 requests to adopt Star. Meanwhile, she added, Star was slowly recovering at the Ta’ Qali animal hospital but was still quiet and looked depressed. The case is being investigated by the police.