The story of Galgo Rescue International Network by Abby who founded the Association in 2006.
I adopted my first ex-racing greyhound in the United States in 1997. I was unaware of the situation with the Spanish galgos until a friend introduced me to their plight in the early 2000s. By that time I had several retired racers and was involved in greyhound rescue, but there was something about the galgos and the extreme nature of their struggle that motivated me to become involved. I began working to gather medical and practical supplies to take to Scooby for my first trip in October 2005. I am a veterinary emergency and critical care nurse, and engaged three of my coworkers to join me in my first trip to Scooby.
The experience was nothing short of life altering. I fell in love every time I opened a kennel door. I met the most amazing animals – not just halgos, but podencos, mastins, mixes, etc. I met the most inspiring people. We worked HARD every day for a week, starting early in the mornings and staying late into the evenings. I met one of the greatest loves of my life, a galgo I named Inigo Montoya. He followed me everywhere – he even waited outside the surgery room while we worked. He returned home with me and gave me 8 amazing years – and introduced hundreds of people to the galgos. He was the perfect ambassadog – ridiculously social, sweet, and just different-looking enough to catch people’s eye. He was nothing less than my soulmate.
I don’t know how to explain why Scooby moved my heart so much. I think Fermin says it best when he explains to people that they have contracted Scooby Fever. The people at Scooby work so hard for the animals – you fall in love with their passion. The animals are beyond extraordinary. Galgos have this amazing resilience – even the ones who have been traumatized. They have a sense of camaraderie – perhaps because they are raised together instead of being kept in separate cages. They have a sense of
humor – and some of them have a wicked sense of humor. You can see the laughter in their eyes. They are ballerinas and gazelles. They have springs in their feet. They are… magical. But it’s not just the galgos. I have adopted three Spanish mixed-breed dogs, all fairly small, and each of them was just as enchanting. I can only conclude that there is something in the water. Or the air. I have loved so many of these passionate Spanish dogs – more than I can count.
After my first trip to Scooby, I formed Galgo Rescue International Network (GRIN) with some like-minded greyhound rescue friends, Bev McInis and Judy Greenfield. Over the next several years, I travelled to Scooby approximately every six months to work in the veterinary clinic at the shelter. I went with, or met at Scooby, different people each trip, for the most part. GRIN has brought over 100 dogs from Scooby and a handful of other shelters in Spain. We have transported galgos, podencos, and mixed breed dogs and found homes for them in the US and Canada. We also raise funds for grants to shelters, purchase and donate supplies, gather practical and medical supply donations for the shelters, etc. Our board has worked with several shelters in Spain, though Scooby has always been my personal focus, because it has my heart.
My trips to Spain were curtailed due to several severe injuries I sustained in a car accident and a separate accident at work. I underwent nearly two dozen surgeries over several years, and developed severe spinal problems and arthritis, so traveling became almost impossible for me. Life always hands us changes – many we don’t want – and several things, including the failing health of both of my parents, put my focus at home for quite some time. Life also hands us joyful changes, and I found and married a
man who is as dog crazy as I am.
In 2021, my father passed away. Within a year, my mother also passed away. My husband lost his brother, and then last October, his best friend passed away. We had been becoming more active with GRIN again, and these losses were motivators. Like an electrical shock reminding us that we don’t have forever – and there are dogs who need help NOW. Steve, my husband, travelled to Scooby for the first time last November. Predictably, he contracted Scooby Fever. I returned to Scooby for the first time in 13
years just in July 2023.
GRIN’s aims are:
To provide financial assistance and supplies
To provide veterinary or practical assistance (visiting volunteers)
To fund special projects as they present themselves
To return to the US with a small number of dogs for adoption each year
Local people living near to the Scooby shelter are often puzzled as to why international volunteers come to Scooby. You come from the other side of the world. What would you say to the locals to answer their puzzlement?
I am not sure how to explain to local citizens why people all over the world travel to Medina del Campo to volunteer at Scooby. Some of it, most certainly, is the pure joy that galgos bring to those of us who know them. Some of it is righteous fury – knowing what happens to all these dogs during and after the hunting season ignites a fire in us. The failure of the Spanish Government to provide protection to the hunting class of dogs earlier this year has only stoked that flame. Some of it is the fact that Scooby is a sanctuary for ALL animals – cats, dogs, farm animals – each life is valued. And some of it most certainly
lies in an admiration of the people, Fermin, Nieves, and the staff and volunteers, who continue to pour their energy and hope into it. I think we are all looking for that thing that seems right and pure and motivating, aren’t we? Scooby is that place for me – and for so many others.
What struck you most when you visited Scooby this year?
I think what struck me the most when I visited Scooby this year were the patios – the last time I visited, they were still all very large yards. I was also glad to see the clinic – it had been under construction when I last visited. I love the fencing around the compound as well.
There were also things that were exactly as I remember them – like the mural of the mastins on the main building wall. I think seeing that was how I knew I was home.
Who are your pets? Tell us a little bit about them.
My pets. Oh my. I have many, including four galgos, several mixed breed dogs, and several cats. Four of my dogs are Scooby dogs – MayMay, Zoey Bruja, and Oberyn are Scooby galgos, and Tyrion is a little black lab mix from Scooby.
What are your three wishes for the animals in Spain?
1. That the people of Spain, including the Government, would recognize that ALL animals are sentient
beings that deserve to live cruelty-free lives.
2. That all animals have homes that provide food, water, shelter, protection from harm, and the ability to
live happily.
3. That hunting, bull fighting, and other abuses of animals for human entertainment come to an end.
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