Join the Campaign – Send this Letter – Help the Galgos

Joan Barrett is mounting a campaign to try and persuade politicians to act to improve the plight of the galgos. I hope you will all support her in this. This is what she has sent me.

Dear Animal Lover,

I have composed the attached letter and sent it to the Spanish Embassy as well as the members of European Parliament. I would very much appreciate it if you would read the letter and also send it to them, signed, if you agree with me. Thanks.

Joan Barrett

Here are some addresses that you can send the letter to:

This is the most important addess to contact

Spanish Embassy – London
39 Chesham Place,
London,
SW1X 8SB

David Cameron
House of Commons,
London,
SW1A 0AA
camerond@parliament.uk

Ivan Lewis MP
381 Bury New Road
Prestwich
Manchester
M25 1AW
ivanlewis@burysouth.fsnet.co.uk
0161 773 5500

Nick Clegg
House of Commons,
London,
SW1A 0AA
nickclegg@sheffieldhallam.org.uk

Torre Pacheco Council
Ayuntamiento,
Calle Ancieto Leon 1,
30700 Torre Pacheco
Murcia
Spain

Spanish Consulate General
63 North Castle Street
Edinburgh
Midlothian
EH2 3LJ
cog.edimburgo@mae.es

Gordon Brown
10 Downing Street,
London,
SW1A 2AA
http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page821

Androulla Vassiliou
European Commission,
DG Health and Consumers,
B-1049,
Brussels,
Belgium

Also, there is a video on YouTube highlighting the issue. Just go on to YouTube and type in ‘Greyhounds in Spain being abused’ and it is the first video on the list.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I want to bring to your attention a very sad situation in Spain which is of great concern to me and to many of my friends. This involves considerable cruelty to animals and in particular to dogs. Although there are laws to prevent such cruelty they are rarely, if ever enforced and there is a rather large gap in the law that regards greyhound racing dogs as “working dogs” which are therefore not covered by the law. After the rabbit-hunting season is over they either get thrown out, dumped on the motorway or are hanged. This is a deplorable state of affaires and a very poor advertisement for Spain (a country many enjoy visiting and where many people purchase properties). More information on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUHVmaUcbSs

Fortunately, there are some sanctuaries set up, but are struggling to look after around 300 dogs at a time with no funding. They are run by the generosity of people living in Spain. Also, a body needs to be set up to check the conditions of pet shops, as many of them keep animals in very poor conditions.

Unfortunately there is another source of cruelty to dogs involving the many expatriates who are temporary residents. Some of these people dump dogs when they return to their home countries or leave them outside animal sanctuaries. There should be serious penalties for such offences and they should be enforced. There is a great deal of anger about this situation both among my Spanish friends and the many expats who, while having an admiration for Spain and its culture, are none the less very distressed by this situation.

In the coming months, this situation will be brought to public attention in numerous ways that are intended to exert pressure for change. It would be most helpful and at the same time positive for Spain’s image (especially in 2010 when Spain’s position in the EU will be front and foremost) if your office took a lead in this matter and gave support to moves to correct this situation.

Yours Faithfully,