Galgo News

Life is hard on the streets

This is a podenca living on the streets of Cordoba. She has had a litter and the pups have now been taken, by whom? She has gained her trust in a lady nearby, and this lady is the only one who can touch the little dog.

She is being sterilised today and needed a foster home for that reason, as she has nowhere to go to recuperate, other than the streets again. She is living in the park and there is a hunter who has a place for podencos, who interested in catching her and keeping her for breeding. His place is not suitable - not difficult to imagine - and it is hoped that, at least by sterilising her, it will deter his interest.

Poor girl! Contact

Noemi Gonzalez
Mail: info@adoptanos.org
Web: www.adoptanos.org

Living with Leishmaniosis

There seem to be many misconceptions about dogs with leishmaniosis, and living with a dog who has tested positive with the disease.

Flora's adoptant, June, took the galga on knowing she has tested very positive. Here she explains what is involved in looking after Flora.

By the way, to see Flora, one would not know she had any disease! She is an absolute picture of good health!

Filaria - what is it?

The third disease which galgos and podencos leaving Spain are tested for is filaria, or heart worm. As this is a far more serious disease than leishmania and ehrlichia, it is rare for a dog testing positive to be accepted into the adoption programme.

The blood test is done on the dogs as part of the vaccination and microchipping programme prior to the dog obtaining its Pets Passport. As well as the passport, the dog also leaves with the results of the blood test, so prospective owners know if there are any further tests to be carried out.

To read more about filaria, visit www.menandpets.com/en_filaria.htm

Leishmaniasis

Before galgos and podencos leave Spain for fostering and adoption abroad, they are blood tested for three diseases, Leishmaniosis, Ehrlichia and Filaria.

For full information about Leishmaniosis, www.leishmaniasis.info which is the canine leishmaniosis website. This website also gives details of the medicinal products needed to treat the disease.

I have asked someone who adopted a galgo with leishmaniosis to write about their experience with it.

Ehrlichia - what is it?

Before galgos and podencos leave Spain for fostering and adoption, they have a blood test for three diseases, Leishmaniosis, Ehrlichiosis and Filaria.

Ehrlichiosis is a tick-borne rickettsial infectious blood disease. The organism is called Ehrlichia, the disease is called Ehrlichiosis.

Brown Dog Tick (must feed a minimum of 2 -3 days to transmit). The tick can come from horse manure and other unknown sources.

Also transmitted from the deer tick, blood transfusion, contaminated needles/instruments, transplacental.

Visit www.workingdog.com/doc0045.htm to learn more.

Let's Make Our Voices Heard for those who suffer in silence

We all try and do our bit to help the plight of the galgos and podencos in Spain. What I'd like to do now is have a MASS letter-writing campaign to the Spanish Prime Minister. Together with Charl, we've put together the following letter.

Please print off a copy of the letter and send it to the Spanish Prime Minister.

Please tell all your friends to do the same, and ask other animal rescue/welfare associations to run this appeal on their websites.

I'm getting a copy of it translated into Spanish too, and I'm checking, as I think there are elections due to be held in Spain on 9th March and it may be that Senor Zapatero is not re-elected.

Also an email address, although I think letters through the post will have more chance of arriving on someone's desk! gabinete@presidencia.gob.es

And the vet's bill keeps growing - 14,000 euros

This is the amount of the vet bill now owed by the Pedro Munoz refuge, in Castilla La Mancha, the heart of the galgo hunting area.

With 3 - 4 galgos on average arriving every day at the doors of the refuge, there is pneumonia to treat, broken feet or legs, bad wounds, some dogs needing hospitalisation. Some of the puppies are in such a bad way when they arrive that they can't be saved.

Not forgetting the Podencos......

Through helping with galgo rescue, I've been introduced to podencos, or Ibizan Hounds. We've fostered one, Jazmin, an absolutely delightful character.

Some of the podencos have had their beautiful pink noses mutilated to make them look like a pig, as with Joy, which apparently is supposed to improve their 'ratting' capabilities!

These dogs also suffer the same degree of indescribable cruelty as the galgos.

You can read about the breed on www.ibizanhoundrescue.com.

In the meantime, meet Violetta, a little character looking for her forever family.

Remember Innocente?

His story was the first one I ran. He had been saved from hanging. I've been trying to find out how he's doing. Here's an update. Good News!

Innocente was taken over to America in the middle of February, by GRIN - Galgo Rescue International Network. He is in a wonderful foster home in Florida and he will be adopted out through a friend of GRIN’s Greyhound group in Florida called Elite Greyhounds.

He is doing great and learning quickly how to live in a home and is even cat safe.

Here's the article on GRIN: http://www.galgorescue.org/content/view/91/55/

Good News for little Noa

You may remember little Noa, a black galga puppy who was knocked down on the road and both front legs were broken.

Luckily she was found and received excellent veterinary treatment, and has now found a forever home in America.

You can read Noa's full story on Baas Galgo.

Galgos Sin Fronteras - meet the President

Sandra Baas, of Baas Galgo, recently interviewed Cristina Garcia Moreno, President of Galgos Sin Fronteras, who has been involved in helping the galgos of Spain for more than 10 years.

This is her story.

My name is Cristina García Moreno. I am president of the association Galgos Sin Fronteras. For more than 10 years I have noticed the hell in which galgos live who were so unlucky to be born in Spain. I have seen the most terrible and unjust situations that one can imagine, against one of the most wonderful races, the galgo.

And another needing help

This galgo was found the other day loose on a motorway, luckily before he was injured or killed.

The refuges are already full to bursting, his rescuer cannot keep him in her apartment as she already has 16 cats and 2 galgos there, so he is living in her car.

If anyone can help please please contact the refuge through the website below.

http://www.veuanimal.org
veuanimal...tel 607 94 21 27

Can you help Cala?

Recently my little Valhund escaped from our courtyard and turned up by a neighbours lake, with her paw in one of the vile steel traps, which had been set to catch a fox.

Luckily for Pepsi, it was only her toes which were caught, and no bones were broken.

This little podenco was not so lucky. Caught in a trap, left for five days before help arrived. Now urgently looking for a foster and forever home.

She is extremely thin, and sadly her leg could not be saved, so she has an amputation at the shoulder front leg, due to the wound being severely infected because it was left open so long.

Catching the galguerros by helicopter

Six people have been detained after a spectacular pursuit, including a helicopter. They got surprised when hunting with galgo’s without permission in the region of Toledo.

Since the end of November the police department of Castilla la Mancha has performing "Operation GALGO".

They are seeking for hunters who hunt with galgo’s without a permit, in order to eliminate this kind of hunting.

During this operation, performed by the SEPRONA (the police department responsible for nature protection) six people were surprised hunting with galgo’s and detained in the provence Toledo.

Azawakh bitch urgently looking for a forever home

I'd never heard of an Azawakh, or 'African greyhound' as my contact called her. So it was interesting to read up on wikipaedia about the breed.

Samia is sadly looking for another home, through no fault of her own. She is 6 years old, a beautiful copper colour, and very slender. She has been with her present owners since they bought her from the breeder when she was 3 years old.

Another appeal for a home - Nata

The trouble with this time of year in half of Spain is that the appeals for help from the Spanish refuges to help rescued galgos is never ending.

Here is another appeal just received.

This galguita is in care.

She was rescued from the refuge where she was on death row with the many other galgos there, most have been rehomed except this one.

Adopting a galgo - Part IV - questionnaires and visits

You will almost certainly be asked to complete questionnaires about your home circumstances, you life style, your other animals, your family etc.

Please don't consider this intrusive...the organisations who ask for this are just doing their job to ensure that the rescued galgo is not being taken from the frying pan and thrown into the fire.

Equally, if someone comes to visit you, please don't feel insulted. It is standard practice.

Joanna Simm explains why.

Adopting a galgo - Part III - Fees

The fees requested for the adoption of a galgo or podenco are another area that can cause discontent among would be adopters.

People may feel, quite justifiably at first, that they are offering to take in an animal who is unwanted who needs a home, who may have problems, medical or psychological, and feel a little 'miffed' that they are also asked to pay a fairly large sum of money.

There are several reasons for the fees that are charged for an adoption.

Adopting a galgo - part II - neutering

Almost all rescue organisations will ask that the galgo or galga you adopt be neutered if it has not already been done prior to the adoption. There is a reason for this, and a very good one too.

The problem in Spain that causes these poor dogs to be so abused and abandoned is caused by over population, over breeding. certain areas of Spain are literally so full of galgos that there is no chance of homes for them.

Why neuter?

Adopting a galgo - questions to ask yourself

For many of us who have heard of the terrible plight of the beautiful Galgo dogs in Spain, adoption is an idea that we have embraced as something we can actually do to help.

Most of us do not have a massive disposable income, so donating significant amounts of money is not possible, and we look for other ways to help.

So, can we offer a home to a galgo? Some questions to consider.

Why make a dog look like a pig?

My home is sometimes used as an overnight stop for one of the French galgo rescue associations, and I have been privileged - is that the right word? - to see quite a number of galgos, of all colours, and podencos running free in our enclosed courtyard, whilst on their way to be fostered or go straight to their adopting family.

Another handsome chap looking for his new family

I am fostering Colate. He is a magnificent chocolate- coloured galgo, with amber eyes. He thought he had found his forever family, but has come back to me because their home situation changed.

He was brought out of Spain by L'Europe des Levriers as a pitifully thin dog, covered in scars. After 4 months of feeding up, he is now extremely handsome. His scars have covered and his coat gleams.

He's about four years old, extremely affectionate and loving - considering the background he probably came from - and gets on with all my other dogs, including my lurcher, who is the Alpha dog.

Colate is not an aggressive dog - in fact he's pretty typical of the galgo breed - loves long walks, curling up at my feet or in front of the wood burner, car rides, and playing ball.

Four dogs looking for forever homes

Rescued from the horrors of Spain. Yor, Brenda, Adonis and Sara were brought out of Spain by Amigos de los Galgos and are now being fostered by volunteer Joanna Simm in the Aude, southern France

If you can offer them forever homes, please get in touch with Joanna, who can explain what to do.

For the latest news on afghan Lord Byron...

Visit the website of the people who are currently looking after him. This is the English version.

http://hasiandashaenglish.blogspot.com/

And here is the piece about Lord Byron from January.

Centro Canino - reply from the Lady Mayoress

For those of you supporters who wrote to the Lady Mayoress of Palma to protest about the closure of the centre, and who had their email returned, I have received the following reply.

Loosely translated from Spanish, it says,

'The council are not into "sacrificing animals if they can help it". The centre was opened in 2000, and licenced for 10 dogs. It now has more like 44. and local neighbours have complained.

Over a long period of time they have discussed this with the centre,

And another casualty...

This little dog has been picked up by a lady who has just had a baby eight days ago, someone appears to have attempted to gouge his eye out.... the mind boggles????

She already has a few dogs and cannot keep this one so if anyone can offer foster care or a permanent home, please contact her on the email below.

belcebu10@hotmail.com

She's in Burgos, northern Spain.

Latest News on Centro Canina Refuge, Majorca

Many of the email addresses did not work because they have been so
inundated by emails that either they have suspended the email address or
blocked them.

The association has managed to obtain a court injunction stopping the
removal of animals from the refuge.

The judge is still to rule if the association can keep the animals or
not.

We are in touch with the association and they appreciate the support you
have all given.

Thank you.

Saludos
Paul Agius
Presidente de ADANA
www.adana-estepona.com
0034 699 026 129

Centro Canino, Palma

Latest news is that the closure and withdrawal of animals is still going ahead.

Keep up to date with the story on the English language website for Centro Canino.

Also, emails to the Mayor have now been blocked, but you can still send your letter of protest through the post. Check links on main story for postal address details.

Dogs on death row in Cadiz

Latest news. Quick action by volunteers and rescue associations, already overflowing withg abandoned galgos, has resulted in the dogs being saved from being put down in the municipal dog pound.

Nana - just a little dog

Cristina de Luna is trying to find a permanent home for this little dog.

She is called NANA, she's a crossed galga, very small.

She's around 45 cm high and weights 10 kg., and is only 10 months old.

The photos show her in her foster home, but now her foster mum is very ill, and a refuge is the only other place open to her.

She cries the whole day and is very depressed because she doesn't understand what happened.

If there is anyone looking for a small dog, this little girl is perfect.

Death Day TODAY - There's Still Time

PLEASE HELP US and "NO" we don't need your Money!!

We run a dog rescue shelter in Mallorca, a small island off of Spain. > We are a member of WSPA and the RSPCA.

TODAY Palma Council plan to close us down. We've fought with them for years, but there's every chance that on

VALENTINES DAY FEBRUARY 14TH, they're going to send the Police into us & confiscate all of our resident dogs, cats, donkeys and horses.

In Spain? Join the March

Charlotte has just sent me this poster, and manifestation (.pdf). Apologies it is in Spanish. I'm desperately looking for someone to translate it into English for me, as she hasn't time at the moment.

But basically it's a protest against hunting with galgos and supporting animal welfare and the passing a new laws, everything we are fighting for, the national law will protect galgos, podencos and other Spanish hunting dogs.

If anyone can send me an English translation, I'll be really grateful.

Plea from Nuria - gypsies with galgos

Nuria, from Amigos de los Galgos, tells the story.

'We are horrified, just we have received 17 galgos. There was a rescue mission in a gypsies field, where 8 galgos were found, 2 puppies, and one was near death from hunger, he was only bones.

6 galgos were taken to the refuge also by the hunter.

If we won´t take them in the Pedro Munoz refuge, they will be put to a horrible torture until death. So we are obliged to avoid that so could happen.

There is a high bill due to the vet, we owe too much money there, and for the food.

Hello to Hallo - who needs help

Although he's not a galgo, I'm including the story of Hallo, as he has been saved by a friend of Marisa's.

Marisa continues his story.

Hallo is a really difficult case in Spain. He was found by a friend of mine in the centre of Seville last Halloween, jumping above the cars in a really big avenue.

She got him into the car and went home. Hallo was really frightened. The days passed and Hallo never lost the fear.

Meet Marisa - another saviour of Spanish hunting dogs

Marisa's Story: I'm a volunteer with Sofía El Refugio Escuela, in Seville. Since I was a little child I have had a special love for animals.

Since the moment I've been able to help them actively, I started helping at a temporary dogs home and after that I found Sofía, and so I help also as a volunteer in the refuge.

Sacrificial Lambs - 14 February is no day of love for them

14th February - Valentine's Day for many.

But a day to die for 30 galgos in Cadiz. Here are just some of them.

Sacrificial lambs - their crime, being born a galgo in Spain.

Time is running out, I've emailed as many help associations as possible to try and find someone who could take them and house them.

Charlotte tells the tale, in her own words.

Spice Night Success

Joanna Simm, a galgo/greyhound enthusiast in the Aude, raised the manificent sum of 1,466 euros with her Spice Night.

She writes, 'My curry night on Saturday raised much more than I had ever hoped for....enough for me to give 733 euros to L'Europe des Levriers and the same amount again to Nuria Blanca at Amigos de los Galgos for Loli at Pedro Munoz refuge, who are desparate for help at the moment.

My friend sandi has worked to help Nuria for some years now and asked if there was enough money raised, could I help...and I hope everyone agerees that 1,466 plus was a great amount! It was hard work though..I never want to cook curry for 60 people ever again! Its worth it for the Galgos though.'

Any one else planning a fundraising event?

Good News about Noel and Pruna

I'm pleased to be able to tell you all that Noel, the dog rescued from hanging to death, and the little 3-legged podenco Pruna have both now found forever homes with families in France, as have Sari and Jazmin.

Marking a milestone in France

This weekend, L’Europe des Levriers has carried out another urgent rescue of galgos from Spain for rehoming in France, as the number of dogs abandoned by the galguerros intensifies at the end of their hunting season.

This rescue comes only 3 weeks after their last one, which also marked a milestone. For the first time in France, 2 associations which fight for improvement for the life of the Spanish galgos organised a rescue together.

Blandine Nowak, President of L’Appel des Levriers, a new association in Landaise, and Beatrice Monnet, President of L’Europe des Levriers, travelled to Spain with their teams to rescue 25 galgos, marking a turning point in the fight against the barbarism of the Spanish hunters.

Another petition to sign

There's a 50% chance of it making a difference.

This link is to ask for your signature for one of the worst cases of abuse which came out on the TV - you may have seen it - it's where a man was seen beating his dog with a stick, filmed and denounced.

However the case is closed and these signatures will help to get the case re-opened and justice can hopefully happen.

Please take a mo to sign it and then pass it on.

www.tenerifeenlinea.com/firmas.php

Linda's story

This little lady is a Pointer, a walking skeleton, malnourished, abused, and incapable of moving.

Luckily she is now with the Kimba refuge, recovering from her ordeal.

Her lord and master overlooked the fact that she has an identification chip so, for once, Spanish law can go after him!

A Kimba volunteer continues her story.

Walk with Adana in Estepona

Feeling fit? Fancy walking to raise funds for ADANA?

This is an organised walk, starting in Estepona on Sunday 16th March, and finishing in Sevill on Saturday, 22nd March. Everyone will travel back to Estepona by car on Sunday, 23.

You can walk for the week, or part of the week.

Overnight accommodation is arranged, and the approximate cost is 60 euros per person.

Book by 15th February.

Introducing Paloma

This is the story of Paloma, another victim of the barbarism to galgos.

She was run over on 28th January.

Just another case of the thousands seen daily by those who work the galgo plight.

Named Paloma for her white coat, like a dove fallen from the sky with broken wings.

Charlotte tells her story.