Ten puppies abandoned with the clear intent of killing them. They were found the other evening in the countryside of Abbasanta , near the Losa nuraghe. All of them were squeezed into a large sack tied with rope so they wouldn't have a chance to escape an unspeakable death. But fate had other plans for them, and someone heard their cries and raised the alarm. Since Tuesday, they have been in the custody of the Ghilarza kennel.
“They were brought to us by the local health authority veterinarian, who intervened after the report. We assume there are two litters; some are very small, others are larger and could be about a month and a half old. The puppies were at the bottom of the bag. All soaking wet, as soon as they arrived at the shelter we dried them, kept them warm, and fed them . They slept in an insulated kennel, today we separated them into two separate kennels, fortunately they are all fine,” says Flavia Carta, president of the I miei amici – Zampe Sarde association , which manages the shelter. Unfortunately, it's a film we've seen many, many times. “The situation is getting worse every year. The number of abandoned animals continues to increase, and with them the acts of cruelty. The situation is really deteriorating, people are seriously unwell, and after Covid everything has gotten worse . There's no patience left, and the cruelty is out there,” continues Carta.
Ghilarza hasn't seen such large abandoned litters in a long time, but abandonments have been numerous even in 2025, around fifty . Among them was a litter abandoned near Sant'Agostino, found by a passing policeman who rescued the puppies, saving them from certain death. But there are many stories of abandonment, even of dogs accustomed to living indoors. What's the solution? Flavia Carta has no doubts: "Political intervention is needed regarding mandatory sterilizations . Our shelter operates on a volunteer basis, but many others do it for business. If sterilizations aren't done, this problem will continue. Personally, when we received a grant for sterilizations, I asked some local breeders to sterilize them, and I offered to take the dogs to the vet myself, but they said no. It's clear that these new abandoned puppies also come from the countryside."
The other side of the coin is represented by those who care about the fate of their four-legged friends and choose to adopt. Between Sardinia and the Italian mainland, around fifty have been adopted at the Ghilarza shelter since 2025. Among the many, Robin found a home. "We discovered that the owner, who lived in a shelter far from here, had died, and someone must have taken the dog and abandoned him in this area. Now he's been adopted. Giacomino is also a typical dog who was used to living indoors and was also abandoned. So was Toby, but like them, so were many others," concludes Flavia Carta.
