The site of two dogs tied up amid piles of rubbish and an abandoned truck has upset English tourist Linda Forster.

But more upsetting is the news their condition meets minimum standards and Government is powerless to intervene.

Ms Forster came across two Rottweilers chained up on disused property in Quarry Lane, Khyber Pass this week.

?I believe they are left there 24 hours a day to protect God knows what amongst faeces, filth and rubbish,? she said.

?I passed one day when one of the dogs had caught his chain on something, leaving the dog with three or four feet of walking space.

?How it managed to get shade that day I will never know.?

She reported this to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) who visited the dogs immediately.

?They informed me later these poor dogs met the minimum requirements by law to keep an animal ? food, water and shelter.

?How can any law say it is acceptable to chain up a dog for its whole life with no interaction with anyone except strangers who walk by?

?I visited these dogs again and they looked so pathetic ? they didn?t bark, they just stared at me, their spirits broken. These animals are existing in such depravation. It?s criminal.?

She fears their suffering and misery will only get worse as temperatures rise.

One animal worker told that some dogs spend their whole lives chained up.

?There was one in Hamilton Parish which spent 11 years on a chain. It was born on that chain and it died on that chain.

?In Bermuda, people care about animals as long as they can walk on two legs and sign a cheque.?

Government Vet Jonathan Nisbett said countless dogs were kept chained up across Bermuda.

Dr. Nisbett said a law stating the maximum hours a dog could be chained up would help reduce suffering but debates would rage on the length of time to be allowed.

He said when such owners were found they were questioned on their habits and asked if they would consider relinquishing unloved animals for adoption.

?When we challenge owners they say they like their dogs ? their son or daughter plays with them and they like the colours. We don?t have the authority to remove them.?

However, he said, not all dogs were as badly off as it seemed.

?We came across a recent case where a caller said the dog was tied up when he went to work and still tied up when they came home.?

However, in that case, the owner admitted that but said he worked the same hours and that was the only time it was tied up ? at other times it was being walked or spending time with the family.