Leticia is another of the unsung heroes of Spain, giving of her time and her emotions to help the galgos and podencos. Sandra Baas of BaasGalgo interview her.
‘Hello everybody. My name is Leticia and I have been working for the last few years as a volunteer to help animal associations, and for the last two as a rescuer of galgos from the street. It all started when I was 14 years old, everything I saw in the street with 4 paws I took home to my parents, who watche me and asked ‘why do you see them all!’
This is when my concerns about the animal situation in Spain began.
Galgos first appeared in my life in 2004 when I became a foster home for injured dogs with broken legs, or after their sterilization operation. They would spend a long time in my house and when they were adopted it was very had to say goodbye …. these thin dogs full of emotion and love, with their big eyes, their funny forms of sleeping and, above all, their wonderful character. It made me fall in love with them passionately and that is why I now dedicate my efforts to help this breed.
For nearly two years I worked in a shelter for abandoned galgos, caring and volunteering and socializing the newcomers of the street, who were quite frithened. By the end of the year a large group of galgos arrived at the shelter, some of them suffering an incubation process with pneumonia complications, showing breathing problems. It was very difficult to treat, the veterinarian visited often, the volunteers went each day to give both preventative and curative antibiotic treatment. Almost all the animals were in the quarantine area and it was a terrible week of cold wet weather, which did not help at all for our work and for the recovery of the dogs. But Thanks to the veterinary treatment, were were able to save most of them.
Baas Galgo helped a lot with medication, vaccines and antibiotics, and Dutch and Belgian organisations sent a huge lorry load with blankets, dog coats and food, as well as galgo organisations which sent antibiotics for this particular problem.
One of the last cases of rescue recently was on 17th December when we tried to catch a little podenca, and I received a call that a galgo was injured on an exit from the highway a few miles from my home. We raced to the car with the newly rescued podenquita under my arm1 When I arrived at the scene of the accident, I saw a gold colour galgo on the ground, injured and trying to get up, but could not………….it was incredible that when I approached him to life him from the ground, he moved his tail! I took him to the veterinary clinic, and thanks to Baas Galgo who donated 50% of the cost of the surgery, we were able to operate a total fracture of the femus on 20 December. He made a really good recovery and 6 weeks later he was adopted and went to his forever family.
I want to thank all the organizations for their help, when I needed their support, and send a very special hug to people like me who are fighting every day for the animals. And especially for my family, ‘Mommy’ and my boyfriend.
Thank you for helping me with this difficult work.
Thank you, Sandra, for giving me this opportunity.
Leticia M.’
If you would like to help Sandra Baas raise funds to help people like Leticia pay for expensive veterinary care for injured galgos, she has some beautiful products for sale on her website, or you could Sponsor a Dog.