With all the horror stories recently, it’s lovely to receive a heartwarming story of two galgos who found their forever home in the heart of Kathryn and her husband. Here she tells Gracie and Jake’s Story.
I first found out about galgos seven years ago when I was reading about rescue dogs on the internet. I came across the Greyhounds in Need website and read all about the galgos. I had never heard of the galgos and their plight and what I read was heartbreaking. I thought that my husband and I would be able to give a galgo a good home and contacted GIN to say that we were interested.
We had a home check and GIN said that we were suitable. They had some galgos coming across from Spain and they would be in quarantine in the UK and we could visit them.
A few weeks later we went to visit the galgos and they were all lovely. We decided that Gracie (formerly known as Queen) would be the one for us. She was a lot smaller than the rest and was very gentle. We were both worried that we wouldn’t be experienced enough to take on one of the bigger dogs.
Gracie was in a kennel with a very large white male galgo. He was a pitiful sight, with scars on his face and he had lost some of his hair and was very thin. He was also very, very scared but he still let me stroke him. He stood very still like a statue while I stroked him and I thought to myself that this poor boy must have been through hell in Spain. The next time we visited we brought treats, both of them really liked the treats! I stroked the big white dog again and as I moved my hand away, he pushed his head back into my hand. I cried all the way home.
At the next visit, both dogs were looking out of the kennel and when the big white dog saw us, suddenly he smiled a big greyhound grin! As we left that day, we looked back and there he was, looking out of the kennel after us. There was nothing else for it, because I had fallen for him, so we decided that we would give both dogs a home. So Gracie and Jake (formerly Morpheo) came to live with us and it was the best decision we had ever made!
In Spain, Gracie and Jake had ended up in a dog pound in Almendralejo. They were then rescued and brought to the UK by GIN. Gracie was seven and Jake was five. How they had survived for that long in Spain, I will never know. Gracie and Jake settled in well at our home but we soon found out about the terrible psychological damage and physical damage done to Jake. He was terrified of any sudden arm and leg movements, terrified if anyone walked behind him when we were out for walks. We quickly adapted to this and we never took Jake to a crowded place. I didn’t mind any of this, having both of these dogs was wonderful. Both dogs seemed to have no interest in hunting anything, nor did they show any interest in trying to escape from the garden. They both had so much love to give and we had lots of fun with them too.
Unfortunately, Jake’s physical abuse in Spain took its toll and when he was nine he began to suffer badly with arthritis. He had to have a toe amputated and had a major operation on his back for slipped discs. He was so brave and this operation gave us another eighteen months with him. In the last three months of his life Jake struggled with walking and we couldn’t take him out anymore, he struggled just to stand up. One evening Jake collapsed and couldn’t stand up again and we had to make the heart breaking decision of having him put to sleep.
I loved him so much, this angel with a big heart, who could forgive people and had learned to trust again. Jake was a fine dog and had every attribute; he was gentle, loving, loyal and sensitive.
Gracie doesn’t appear to have been overly affected by her life in Spain. She is wary of men but other than that she is a confident girl. What is amazing about Gracie is that she is now fourteen and as fit as a fiddle. She still likes long walks and loves nothing better than to whirl about the field with much younger dogs. She is a little sweetie and is adored by us and likes a lot of fuss and attention. I am hoping that she has a lot more time with us, as I cannot imagine life without her.
I love galgos; they are wonderful, sensitive, gentle beings. If anyone out there is thinking about giving a home to a galgo, then all I can say is that it is something that you will not regret. They are the finest of dogs.
Thank you, Kathryn, for sharing this beautiful story. So sorry that it had a sad ending for you, losing Jake. But he was a lucky galgo to know your love and care throughout most of his life, after leaving Spain.
Comments
13 responses to “The heartwarming story of galgos Gracie & Jake –”
Dear Kathryn,
thank you for sharing the story of your two galgos with us.
I hope you will adopt again.
I have two galgas and I am very happy with them!
For anyone who has never had a galgo: they are gentle, calm dogs (except when they see the squirrel), no doggy smell, easy to keep clean, barely dog hairs in the house… They are really suitable even for a smaller flat. They only need their couch, 1-2 walks a day (does not need to be an hour long…) and 2-3 times a week a good 5 minutes run in the dog park. That’s it.
Really, a breed for any decent adoptive family…
My best choice EVER.
Even if there wouldn’t be so many of them searching for a new home, I would stick with the galgo breed for the rest of my life.
Tunde
ah and I forgot… My galgas would fail the cat test, and are happy to chase squirrels, an occasional hare (if they can… most of the time no chance as they are leashed) and of course they chase the neighbour cat up to the compost heap. But we have 3 cats, my mother 4 and they leave all these cats in peace. Sleep next to the cats with no issues whatsoever (galgos sleep most of the day, just like the cats).
Attention cat lovers… Here is the perfect, calm best pal for your lazy cat!
ADOPT A GALGO!
🙂
Thank you Tunde for reading my story and thank you to Beryl for printing it. I agree with everything that you have said, galgos are wonderful and settle in to family life. My two had/have no hunting instinct either. It’s as if they thought, ‘thank goodness I don’t have to bother with that any more’. I know some galgos will always remain keen but that would be no problem. I have a rescue ex racing greyhound now along with Gracie but would definitely adopt a galgo again. It would be difficult to imagine life without a galgo in it. I miss Jake every day, he was a wonderful boy. Gracie is now 14 and still full of life and is really fit and well. So if you are thinking of adopting a galgo, then please do, they are fantastic dogs with so much love to give.
i agree they are sooooooo loving but mine is a keen hunter still and i will go as far as to say always will be got him in jan he is 8 now rescued when he was 7 begining of last yesr but i knew what i was getting and knew how i would have to handle him so this is the big beutiful white boy you was speaking about in a recent post on gal news bless ye 3 of my girls went the same way one last year one the year befor and 1 year and a half befor that my 2 girls where put to sleep but my saluki collapsed and went within 20 seconds that was horrible to see and couldnt do anything about it i had only had her 6 weeks rescued her from the grey kennels i walked at the tiime i knew there was something wrong 11 year old all of her bones in her body showing we had her at the vets the day after we rescued her they seemed to think just very hungry and ye she did eat but not with a great passion so on the thurs day she had gone weak and swaying so took her bk to vets they gave her 2 injections one pain killer and one probable infection that bounced her back to more than good health she was playing with toys for the first time in the 6 weeks i had her all that weekend she was bouncy went out for walk mon morn come bk in she collapsed near my fire place i just stood in shock couldnt work out what was going on that poor girl lifted herself up and slowly walked over to fron door where i was stood and i knew she was going to go again i put my harm out and fell to the floor with her i was crying couldnt hiol bk my husband and my daughter come running into living room husband stright on the phone to vet i was hysterical by this time my daughter bent over and said she gone mam
Jenny, so sorry for the loss of your lovely dogs. It is so heartbreaking. Yes, this was my beautiful white dog. I know all dogs are special but there was something extra special about him, lovely boy that he was. We kept Jake and Gracie on leads for two years before we let them off lead. My ex racing greyhound will never be off lead. Rescue said he was keen and despite him being nearly 10 now and only seeming keen on his dinner and his bed, we don’t want to risk it. He does get on well with all dogs though, even really little ones. I like the look of Salukis, they look like beautiful dogs, so sad that you lost her. I hope you are enjoying having your lovely galgo.
What a wonderful, lovely story about the 2 Galgos.
Gives hope in such a cruel world……………….
Thank you for sending this lovely story, so sorry you lost Jake but you gave him such a lot that he might have never had. I´m sure all he ever wanted was love, and he got it. Bless you. x
What a lovely storie it brought tears to my eyes reading this.
i know it is heartbreaking may i say what you did in taking these 2 when you only went for one is brilliant i would of done the same thing i have seen it happen twice here once at kennels with 2 sisters and a set i heard of from another kennel they where all split the 2 that was left behind finaly got their own home but i will never understand for the life of me why people have the desire to split dogs up the new owners im on about here the rescues dont really like doing it but they say its a home for another grey and a space to take another in what are so desperately waiting and they have to move as quick as they can in the grey rescue as they are bred and bred thats without all the ones that just get put to sleep every day the ones that are abandoned ect it goes on and on there are 2 greys just been rescued with a co ordinator i know their owner died they had been in a house for a week on their own with someone coming in and feeding them and walking them girl 7 and boy 12 isaid if my rey will accept another i would take him and if this new boy accepted my dalmation they had a stressful first night in kennels but settled the next day they are kenneled together thats a bit of comfort so i said i would take them both on foster cause of my financial situation cant split them but i know the girl may get a home but boy wont cause of age so i will be on stand by for him if that happens they seem to have perked up a bit now oh i know my 2 girls will accept i will just have gob full off my keen girl to start with all gob but cant stick up for her self
Jen, do I read this right?! You are taking on two more greyhounds to foster, so they aren’t split up?! You really are an amazing lady – it’s not as though you have won the lottery! And did you see the news, there’s one man won the lottery twice, 6 figures each time!
is there any chance that this lottery winner might adopt some galgos/greyhounds?! I wish some of the rescue people could win the lottery, they definitely deserve it! Thank you for reading about my dogs and for the kind comments. I wish that all the galgos could find a loving home.
hi beryl i have offered the place in my home on foster for them both if the kennel life stresses them out if they cope ok but the girl gets a home then the offer is still there on foster for the boy cause of his age he wont get a home 2 reasons more visits at the vets and people say they dont get enough time with them so jay will keep me posted on situation she may think it is a lot for me to take on with me having a small house and already got 4 and my health the way it is at the mo and i have my grandkids down every day but jay knows i am there if she really needs a bk up
ye that would be a dream come true if only