Caroline very kindly went through my list of galgo and podenco associations and sorted it out into countries and weeded out the ones which were duplicated. I’m working through making all the Internet links, which means visiting each website briefly. And I have to say I am not impressed by the number of lost galgos posted on some of the French and Spanish websites! The number of galgos needing homes is overwhelming – thanks to the lack of breeding control in Spain – and the number being adopted is also huge. To such an extent that, for quite a while, I have been concerned that some associations are not rigid enough in their requirements on a home check, and do not emphasise enough to adoptants that they cannot let the dogs run free….not for months in most cases and in some cases, never! I won’t mention which associations, but I have to admit to being surprised at one or two advertising lost galgos!
Galgos lost – in Spain!
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3 responses to “Galgos lost – in Spain!”
i personally myself have never let any of my greys run free anywhere never will i know some do have good call bk but still would never let mine go free it only takes sighting of something something to freak them out it then can cause heart break its not worth it every will have different views on this subject but i know what one me and my hounds are safe with
Unfortunately in Europe there are not enough dog parks.
Many dogs have an accident because they want to run but either you let them free somewhere or they can not run at all. I know that for example Budapest has too few and too small dog parks. It is a problem for many dog owners (in Budapest there is not a single galgo as far as I know. The other sighthound owners let their dogs off leash here and there… hoping that everything will be all right).
Canadian towns and cities have dog parks, some of them are at least large enough for the dogs to go and play.
That said, I heard about a lady galgo owner in Vienna (Austria), whom first a galga was given. She walked her new galga without a leash. My friends met her on the street and asked how she can do that, if she is not afraid that her galga would run away and get killed. No, they were told, this galga was so obedient and followed her. She could be walked without a leash, on a busy street,so the owner told my friends.
Yes, and then one day the galga saw something fascinating on the other side of the street, ran and got killed by a car.
Guess what… This lady owner now has a big black galgo now. He is on the lead when being walked, but… in Vienna the fencing of the dog park is not high enough and this galgo has a real hunting instinct… My friends are now worried, that the dog could simply spring out of the dog park…
I can not comprehend, why cities spare on the height of the fencing when it comes to dog parks.
Here in Ontario I have already seen several dog parks with relatively low fence. It can be dangerous…
Anyway, what shocked me was that the owner of that black male galgo in Vienna was NOT worried about her galgo, that he could spring over the fencing and run over to the nearby busy street and get killed.
People are often way too optimistic regarding that certain things can not happen to them or to their dogs.
I also know someone else, also in Vienna, who goes to some island there, where many people take their dogs for a walk and she lets the sighthounds hunt around a little bit and have fun. They disappear for half an hour? No worries…
I also think that it is not entirely legal, but who cares?
But she has money and she takes care of her dogs well otherwise… so she gets the next dog without problems.
Because there are too many galgos and the alternative would be to let the dog die in Spain.
I totally agree Jen; mine are never allowed off their lead except in the safety of their own garden! I remember all too clearly a greyhound which was rehomed (not through my own branch) whose owner took him to training classes where he was taught recall etc. His first outing, his owner let him and his companion off their leads where this boy immediately took off across the common land and was hit and killed by a car!
I would be devastated if any of my greys or my galgo were lost or even injured through running free. Lazy owners let their dogs off lead to exercise, responsible owners walk and walk and walk!!!