Galgo News

Humo and Ebano - the story continues

from Joanna Simm

When I said I would foster Galgos, those wonderful dogs so badly abused in Spain, I didn't really expect that my first fosters would be babies!

I collected them from Deux Sèvres, where I'been to the L'Europe des Levriers fund raising lunch - not exactly a 10 minute drive down the road, as I live near Carcasonne in Southern France! I knew that if any of the newly rescued dogs had no homes arranged, I would be bringing them home with me, but it was quite a surprise when I was handed these two lovely babies...

Ah, the patter of tiny paws! It's been a while since I had such little ones around the house, and I wondered how long it would take them to settle in after such a traumatic start to life, and the long journey out of Spain.

A couple of the lucky ones

We've always preferred to adopt adult dogs, the thought of cleaning up after puppies doesn't enter into my scheme of things.

So when I learnt there were two puppies arriving for an overnight stay on the next rescue from Spain, I had to ring round friends to find out what to do. Almost like being a new parent panicking about how to look after the baby.

Two dog cages and copious towels duly arrived chez nous, along with, not two puppies, but five! Ha! Bit like when I went into hospital to have one baby, and two arrived at the same time.

Gorgeous Gordon

Gordon is a very handsome, pure white galgo, found wandering the streets of Badajoz with another galga, both miserable and very thin.

He was rescued and delivered, by van, to the home of Cristina, a volunteer with a rescue centre south of Madrid. She remembers his sad, honey coloured eyes as he came out of the van. This lovely lady fostered him for five months, restoring him to full health and teaching him his manners. He apparently would not tolerate cats at that time, hard to believe now as we watch him curled up with our rescued kitten.

After a false start with another adoptant...

A Word from Anne Finch

in the beginning there was darkness but now there is more light... but we still have a long way to go

I applaud Beryl’s new venture here in France to create an English language website with continuing news of the galgo situation in Spain. Awareness of the plight of the galgos of Spain and their rescue, has come a very long way in the last 10 years, thanks to all of you.

Here’s how it began…It was the plight of the imported Irish greyhounds which in 1991 drove me to go to Spain to investigate and try to improve their conditions at the tracks in Mallorca, Valencia and Barcelona.

I had to spread the word abroad urgently as, due to the UK’s animal import laws, I desperately needed some sympathisers in mainland Europe to take in the discarded greys for adoption…a cumbersome task before the days of the internet.

Scuttle's story

Otherwise known as Candy. She was nicknamed Scuttle because when she first arrived at April and Paul Carrier's home at Rota, in Spain, her spine was deformed and curved, which made her move in a peculiar way. She had to mince with her back legs and looked like she needed to poop all the time.

She was found wandering on a motorway in Sevilla, and had jumped straight into the open door of a car being driven by a Spanish couple who, luckily, had been able to stop and rescue her from almost certain death on the busy road - it was no accident she was there....she had been left there to die.

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.

Kool Karmel

Overlooked by many prospective adopters, Karmel spent months in the refuge in Cuiddad Real hoping she would eventually catch someone's eye.

Only 3 years old, she had probably been used as a breeding machine. She joined our family in July 2007, and the first thing she took over was the sofa.

Gentle, affectionate and very elegant, she is typical of her breed. She's a bit of a magpie, collecting an assortment of items on her bed, including my husband's shoes and T-shirts and a doormouse doorstop - she's particularly fond of Dora, who is now beginning to look very grubby.

She has quite a stylish wardrobe of coats, depending on whether it is raining outside or cold inside at night, and hates having to walk on wet grass! She's very much the 'lady' of the canine tribe, and wins the hearts of everyone who meets her.

Karmel's dog coats came from www.weathertogs.co.uk who have a superb range of greyhound and whippet dog coats

Adorable Flora

Flora is a beautiful 18 month old galga who, after roaming the streets of Spain for eight weeks, was eventually caught and taken to a refuge south of Madrid.

She was very emaciated and ill with Leishmaniasis, which is a disease caused by sandflies, which infects the blood. She had several blood tests and treatment was put in place.

Once the tests revealed her health was improving, she was put up for adoption but, because of her nervous disposition, Leishmaniasis and her colour (she is black with white paws) she was often overlooked. But as soon as we saw her photo we knew that she was going to become ours.

She came from Madrid along with several other galgos who were going to new homes. We signed her adoption papers and took her home to meet Zak, our two-year old rescue dog, three cats, 18 hens and three ducks. She settled in very well and soon discovered what being young is and that life can be full of playtime.