被活埋的小狗幸运得救

They found Star by chance, just in time. These animal welfare officers in Malta had been dealing with a separate case of an abandoned dog when they heard whimpering under the ground. They followed the noise, saw the tip of Star's nose and started digging, taking this picture as they rescued her.

“When I went down to the soil and started digging, I saw, they still have her nose, then I completed digging soil, they cut out, then we found out that her mouth was tied up with a lace, even her feet were tied up, so he wanted to make sure that the dog wouldn't escape.”

Star had been bound, buried and shot, but was alive.

“You couldn't believe as soon as we took her out, then the pig head up, she was even moving her tail like she was happy again.”

These are some of the 40 pellets removed from Star's head and neck.

“So were you confident you could save her?”

“No, not at that time, definitely not. That type of wound, no, no, there were so many pellets and shot at point blank definitely. No.”

“How could somebody do this?”

“Probably a sick mind.”

This horrific story emerged just as Malta is reviewing its animal welfare laws, the maximum jail sentence for cruelty will remain at 1 year, but tougher fines are now proposed.

“This one from Australia.”

Officials here have received hundreds of emails from around the world expressing shock at this case and offering Star a home.

“She managed to get everyone on board on one united friends to go for animal welfare. Now is the moment that the Malta's law gets a bit harsher and tougher with culprits who are not so nice with animals.”

This weekend there'll be a march through the streets of Malta in support of tougher sentences, and it's been prompted by Star's case.

Now despite offers coming in from around the world, it was decided that Star should stay here in Malta, a family is lined up to adopt her. She needs 3 or 4 more weeks’ medical treatments here at the hospital and then she'll go to her new home.

Her survival and recovery is amazing, her story is one that will resonate in Malta for a long time to come.

Peter Lane, Sky News.