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‘Truly a godsend’: Maltese police officers save terrified pup from abandoned ditch
'I believe police officers and rescue workers are truly a special breed of human.'

Kim Vella

A very grateful dog owner shared a heartfelt thank you to The Malta Police Force after a group of officers saved her dog, Delilah, over the weekend.

Jacqueline Backman's nightmare started on Saturday morning when she and Delilah took off on their routine morning walk. At one point, Jacqueline “decided to take her off her leash for a moment so she could ‘do her business’ in peace.” 

That’s when things took a turn for the worse...

"At that moment, the ‘bomba’ sounded (8:00 am). My dog lost her mind and bolted away. Just as I thought I was able to recall her, a series of ‘bombi’ were released, and frankly, there was no calling her back. She ran and jumped approximately eight metres off a wall into a ditch," Jacqueline continued.

Upon approaching that same wall, Jackey realised that Delilah was not, in fact, unconscious, and “somehow had ran and was hiding."

Thankfully Constable Farrugia 420, was in the area and pulled over to help immediately. After a failed call to animal welfare, who said "they don't have a ladder", Constable Farrugia called the Valletta team, eager to help Jackey and her pup. 

Thanks to Constable Farrugia and the Valletta team, Delilah was located and is now recovering well with minor injuries. 

"I cannot tell you how grateful I am that these officers were willing, in my opinion, to go above and beyond the call of duty," Jackey wrote in her message.  

"I often hear people complain about various services, including police services and frankly, I have always been of the mind that the work you do is mostly taken for granted and greatly unappreciated. I believe police officers and rescue workers are truly a special breed of human," Jackey went on to thank the Police Force and all their hard work.  

Thank you for looking out for us and our four-legged friends! 

The Malta Police Force/ Facebook  

4th July 2022


Kim Vella
Written by
Kim Vella
A highly curious explorer always looking to find her next adventure. Kim loves sharing her experiences and what's happening on the Maltese Islands. When not writing, you’ll probably find her playing around with some clay or somewhere surrounded by trees. She's always up for listening to people's stories about anything to do with nature, a passion project or issue you feel needs tending to.

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