In 2007 I joined a French galgo and podenco rescue association, L’Europe des Levriers and travelled with them over several years on rescues into Spain to bring hounds back to France for rehoming. from about 2010 some members of the team broke away and formed their own rescue associations in other parts of France. And this has continued, so many rescue associations bringing galgos and podencos into France that it is becoming more and more difficult to home them.
Here Odile Brochet, President of Levriers sans Frontieres, expresses her opinion. This is an English translation, kindly supplied from Danielle Hart, who bravely translated my galgo and podenco books into French.
Basically, she’s saying that she’s tired of all the people screaming that they should save a galgo whenever she has a sad story about one, especially a traumatized one. That people say LSF HAS to get them out of there, but once they’re in France in a foster family, everybody forgets about them. People only seem to want beautiful galgos who don’t have problems, but they expect LSF do get the traumatized ones out of the Spanish shelters though. She says that the broken ones, the ones who have been in shelters for months if not years surely deserve to be saved the most, but at the rate it’s going if people don’t adopt them, LSF will have to leave them in the shelters.
Comments
2 responses to “Levriers sans Frontieres – the difficulty in homing galgos”
Yes I totally agree with this lady. Lots of people want a ‘perfect’ dog, delivered in a little box with a bow on top. My galgo was traumatised, huge dog, lots of scars, physical and otherwise. I had no experience of dealing with a traumatised dog but basically he responded to gentleness, care, love and understanding. He never fully overcame his traumas, what dog would when battered and starved for five years but he was such a loving, gentle boy. People have no right to have a go at the rescues, when they have no intention of adopting a less than ‘perfect’ dog.
Yes it seems the world just wants perfect everything. Once I retire to France in 2018 I will help Odile (if she would like my help) and also take a “broken” galgo. Yes my husband and I will also want 2 galgo puppies but I will have more time to devote to them.
However they are not broken just had a hard life and can be helped with love and kindness.