Galgo News

Auction Bids needed Urgently

The Galgo Rescue International Network is proud to announce our latest fundraisung venture for the Spanish galgos.

Carpe Canem is hosting an online auction which begins at 7am PDT/10am EDT on Wednesday, May 14 and ends at 7pm PDT/10pm EDT on Tuesday, May 20.

ALL the proceeds (after shipping expenses) will go directly to two Spanish galgo rescue organizations, DDEVIDA (Defensa de los Derechos de la Vida Animal) in Utrera (Sevilla) and Asociación de Socorro Animal Amigos de Milord in Palencia.

Please check it out at www.carpecanem.com/auction/ - it's packed with awesome items to bid on.

Help the Chip Appeal

Last November Tete and her volunteers, arrived at the shelter of Arconaturalinares, to find the fence cut open and many dogs running free outside the premises.

On entering they found the storage room broken into with all the medication, bedding, iodine and even the dog food stolen.

Much worse however, was the disappearance of the two galgas that had arrived just 36 hours earlier.

So has started their Chip Appeal to try and ensure all dogs arriving at the centre are microchipped.

Organising a dog walk in France

If you would like to organise a fundraising dog walk, don’t be put off by the paperwork! You know what the French are like, bless them. I think I put the cat among the pigeons when I decided to organise my walk for the International Day of the Dog.

If we had just been people walking, or riding bikes, or horses, they had forms to cover that! It was also the fact that I didn’t know how many dogs would be present. But I sorted through the paperwork and the bureaucracy and then, relaxing afterwards with a welcome glass of wine, I realised that some of the demands made were actually quite sensible.

Photographs from the galgo walk

Dogs and owners get ready for the off

Here is a collection of photographs from the walk marking the International Day of the Dog which took place in the village of Celles-sur-Belle in southern Deux-Sevres.

Great day for the Galgo Walk

The sun shone brightly on the village of Celles-sur-Belle in southern Deux-Sevres on Sunday, the 3rd International Day of the Dog.

Over 50 walkers, and more than 70 dogs assembled in the car park opposite the Abbaye Royale, to enjoy a 5 km ramble along tracks lined with bluebells and primroses (click thumbnail right for larger image).

Many people had brought a picnic lunch, and a raffle was held in the afternoon.

Over 900 euros was raised for the funds of L'Europe des Levriers, which paid for the rehabilitation and vets fees for 6 galgos at Alpha Dog World with April and Paul Carrier. The day was judged a great success, with demands to repeat it again next year.

Related article: A gaggle of Galgos comes to town

Photographs from the galgo walk

International Day of the Dog - 27th April

I think I've covered everything! Permission from the Maire in Celles-sur-Belle for the dog walk. Permission from the Prefecture in Niort for the dog walk! Gendarmes (police), sapeur pompiers (paramedic firemen) and a local vet all standing by! There's more to organising a fund-raising dog walk in France than ever there was in the UK!

With over 40 people walking over 60 dogs, all we want is the sunshine. Should be a great day.

More on the San Anton refuge

Further to the appeal on behalf of the San Anton Refuge, the secretary of the fundraising association has sent the following.

"Thank you for the donation from your friend. We plan to re-decorate our small office, to make sure that in future this will be our room for medical treatments only, next to supplies we keep there like medicines and food.

So if you can mention that we wish to raise support and money for this decoration (like tiles for the floor, which will be more easy to clean and a table for treatments) that would be wonderful.

Don't forget

...to buy your cards and raise money for the galgos.

Offer only applies for the month of April: Arts et Cartes

Buy Greetings cards to help the Galgos

Sandi Leach is a volunteer with Amigos de los Galgos, and has the following idea to raise funds.

At www.arts-et-cartes.com you’ll find original, fun, francophile greeting cards. During April, for any order via Galgonews we will donate 50 cents per card to the Spanish refuges.

To make sure that the galgos benefit from your order please add (galgos) after your name when giving your details for delivery.

Buy safely and securely online at www.arts-et-cartes.com and help save the Spanish galgos.

Please support her initiative.

Walk for the Dogs

27th April, 2008

International Day of the Dog www.internationaldayofthedog.org.uk It's the 3rd one this year, started by the English dog listener Jan Fennell. It's to celebrate man's relationshilp with this amazing animal who, no matter what one does to it, a dog is still loyal and full of love.

We are having a dog walk iaround the delightful village of Celles-sur-Belle, between Niort and Melle in Western France. Rosettes will be awarded to all dogs taking part, kindly sponsored by Allez Francais.

Why not organise an event yourself, and let me know, even if the funds go to your local SPA.

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.

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?

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.

A Cry for Help from Pedro Munoz Refuge

Too many dogs; too little money; too few helpers, rock bottom morale.

In an earlier post I reported on the Pedro Munoz refuge at Cuidad Real, 200 kms south of Madrid.

A refuge half built, before the Mayor pulled the plug on the funding.

Over 100 dogs, only three volunteers, and bills piling up which they haven’t the funds to pay.

They're desperate for help.

Coats for Galgos

Nights in the Spanish winter can be bitterly cold. And if you are a galgo with a skeletal frame and very little hair, it can be hell.

So one of the ways people can help to improve quality of life is to make dog coats. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a Zandra Rhodes or Mary Quant, even those who are not a dab hand with a sewing machine can make these stylish dog coats.

I’ve been sent the following from a supporter in France. So go on, give it a try!

Spice Night in the Aude - for one evening only

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 9th 2008
Auberge du Balestie, Malegoude, Ariège.
8pm
Tickets 20 euros including wine, 15 euros excluding wine
Tombola/raffle

(The Auberge is situated off the main road between Fanjeaux and Mirepoix. It is well signposted from the road. For further directions please contact Joanna on the number given below).

It can be hard to get a good curry in the depths of the French countryside...and we will do our best to supply some! All tastes catered for, from mild to hot hot hot!! There will also be a selection of vegetarian dishes. Please come along and lend your support...and have a good evening too!

Only 8,000 euros needed to finish the work

All that's needed for the volunteers to complete the construction of the new refuge at Pedro Munoz, Ciudad Real.

Ciudad Real is a city 200 km south of Madrid. I visited the La Bienvenida refuge there in July 2007, to bring out 4 galgos for rehoming in France. I’ve now discovered the town has a second animal refuge, this one in the Pedro Munoz area.

Construction was begun with the support of the Mayor, but it’s only half built because the funding ran out.

Togs for Dogs

Weathertogs, who make stylish high quality dog coats, with an especially well-designed range for greyhounds/galgos, recently donated a quanity for use in the rescue centres in Northern Spain, where the nights can be very cold for thin-skinned galgos.

Based in Suffolk, UK, the challenge was to get the coats transported at minimum cost!

Responding to a posting on AngloInfo, John Chambers offered to collect them whilst visiting family in Essex, and brought them back to France. A dog lover himself, he said he was very happy just to help.

The coats should soon be winging their way southwards. Thanks to Wendy Amon, proprietor of Weathertogs, for her extremely generous donation.

Any more tales of donations, email me direct.

Magical Magnets to help Galgos

In November, Operation Scooby were notified of an appalling situation in El Cuervo, in Sevilla, where there were almost 200 dogs all together, males, females, big, small.

Lots of dogs all together, pregnant bitches about to give birth, dogs with recent wounds, terrible skin problems, dogs on short chains, emaciated.

You can read the whole story and the latest updates on the Operation Scooby website.

To help fund the rescue, care and rehabilitation of the dogs saved from this hell, a couple of galgo lovers have designed and produced some fridge magnets to sell. They have covered the production and postage costs themselves, so 100% of the profit goes to help the Scooby team.

The magnets are currently on sale via the following UK dog rescue websites:

http://www.dogpages.org.uk/forums/

http://www.sighthoundsonline.org.uk/forums/

http://www.rykat.org/forums/

Why not purchase some and pop them in your family and friends' Christmas stockings.

And the donations keep coming....

Donations are still coming in from people who couldn't attend the L'Europe des Levriers pre Christmas lunch on 2nd December, so the total amount now raised is over 1650 euros. Wonderful. Thank you everyone.

Thank you for the euros!

The fundraising pre-Christmas lunch organised on 2nd December by the Deux-Sevres (79) group of l'Europe des Levriers' raised 1615 euros and more donations are still coming in. This is a Thank You from the EDL president to everyone who helped

FUND RAISING
I enjoyed very much to be with you at my first fund raising. Thank you for your help and be sure that this money will be well used. We raised 1615 euros : this amount will save approximately 10 galgos !!! Thank you for them. They deserve it so much ! Béatrice from L'europe des Lévriers

8th December, walk in Spain

Here's an idea for fundraising, if there are any readers in the Estepona area of Spain on this date, it's not too late to join in.

There is a two day walk from the ADANA Perrera to the (Crestelina) Casares Refugio and back.

We will start the walk on Saturday 8th December at 11:00 from the Adana perrera and walk approximately 15 kms to the Casares Crestellina refugio with at least 10 dogs.

We will sleep overnight at the refugio, and then the next day we will walk back to the perrera. Each walker must bring his/her own sleeping bag, food and drink for the entire two day journey.

We will have a support vehicle to carry all the walkers' equipment for most of the way. Unfortunately for the last 2kms of the way, each walker must carry his/her own stuff from the vehicle to the refugio. This is a mini adventure, and adults and children are invited to participate. The walk will be mostly in footpaths but a small section will be on theroad. Each walker must take AT LEAST one ADANA dog. You can bring your own dog, AS it can socialise with ADANA dogs.

Please contact Paul on (0034) 699 026 129 to reserve your place on this mini adventure.

Saludos Paul Agius, Webmaster de ADANA www.adana-estepona.com

Hitting the target at the Levriers luncheon

There were a few special guests at the first Poitou area fundraising event today. Eight of them had made the journey from Madrid in the last 24 hours and five of them were only 10 weeks old.

Joanna Simm had driven up from the Aude on Saturday, and David and Fran from the Dordogne braved the weather to stopover in their caravan, complete with their 2 dogs.

There's always a hiccup, of course, and in heating up the soup on the Baby Belling, the power fused twice, but kind host Steve Blake, armed with torch, sorted it all out! Barman Alan was busy, hardly having chance to grab a plateful of lunch - but then, he did volunteer to collect the ticket money too.

Join us on International Day of the Dog

Come walk with us on the 3rd International Day of the Dog (IDOD), Sunday 27th April 2008. The IDOD was the brainwave of Dog Listener Jan Fennell, who wanted to celebrate the canine species and acknowledge the wonderful relationship which can exist between man or woman and his 4-legged companion.

So what we want is as many people as possible to do something on this day, whether it is organising a dog walk with friends, or the local dog training club - in order to raise funds for your favourite canine charity.

Christmas lunch takes shape

Popped along to the venue for the lunch on Sunday. I've not been before, and I was very impressed. It's a clubhouse, stone walls and wooden beams, with a stylish wooden bar, and an assortment of furniture.

Unfortunately the snooker table was well taped over with plywood - it's got to serve as the table for the food!