Link to the Directory. Most of them are overflowing with galgos and podencos and other Spanish hunting dogs. If you can adopt a dog, DON’T adopt from a breeder or from a perrera. You’re putting money in the pocket of the breeder aqnd the perrera dog could be sick.
ADOPT A DOG FROM A RESCUE ASSOCIATION!
It’s a nightmare for Jane and Alan Brian at Pepis Refuge in Pedrera, between Malaga and Seville – abandoned and injured and starving galgos and podencos in the olive groves around the refuge. there’s no letup. Jane tells the story. ‘We’ve got an abandoned podenco up the lane from the refuge which they have been feeding for 2 weeks in an effort to catch him, although there’s no room for him because the refuge is full! Last week when we went up the track to feed the Podenco, he was not there…but this lad was…a bag of bones and too weak to put up any resistance. Could we leave him there as we dont have any space left to keep him and an extra mouth to feed on an already overstretched budget….A big fat NO…A small meat dinner and a soft place to lay in the warm sun…and he rested.
Now extra blankets and a warm coat and four more meat dinners, he was settled down for the night.
Now see him on the 2nd photo below, one week on! We’ve named him Callum.’
As well as Callum, look what else they found tied to the refuge gates this week!
Another National Geographic Video highlighting the maltreatment and abuse of galgos in Spain. Whilst the larger associations are mentioned, there are many which don’t get such exposure and yet also have many rescued galgos ready for adoption, like Pepis Dog Refuge where unwanted galgos are often left tied at the refuge gates or thrown over the fence which causes injury.
From Anne Marie Payne. ‘To those of you that don’t know Grace and her story, She is a 10yr old galga who after wandering around in the campo for 3 months was finally caught by Lydia Jay who took her to the hospital for assessment. She was extremely dehydrated, malnourished, covered in tics and fleas. and full of worms. Last Chance Animal Rescue stepped in at this point, took her under their wing and put her in foster with me. Once her blood tests were done which revealed she had Leishmaniosis, and also we were not happy with her breathing we took her down to Curro who did a complete examination, Her teeth were in an awful state and, she had a large ulcer on her gum. But the biggest shock after doing x-rays was that she had lung cancer which had spread to other parts of her body. I couldn’t hold it back and cried.
La Linea shelter near Gibralter in Southern Spain was founded in 2005 and, as with all the refuges and shelters in Spain, is overflowing with abandoned and dumped dogs, including many galgo puppies. Here are 2 videos of the galgo puppies in their care.
Galgo Friends was founded in 2009 to support the work of Loli Canteros and her team at the privately run shelter CIUDAD ANIMAL, Pedro Munoz, in the town of Cuidad Real which is about 160 kilometres southeast of Madrid, in the region of Castille La Mancha. The help extends through donations, performing extensive renovation and construction work at the shelter by club members, the acquisition of sponsorships for the shelter (project “200 for Ciudad animal) to the acquisition of dogs (mainly Galgos), which the association finds forster homes and adoptants in Germany.
Another German associatiion Far From Fear was founded in 2001 with the aim of finding families there to live a life ‘far from fear’. They now have a 2017 calendar for sale, limited to the first 100 orders.
I recently spent a week at Pepi’s Dog Refuge where I took the money raised from my Fun Dog Show to help pay some of the vet bills. The weather was baking hot, temperatures over 40 degrees, so the dogs spent a lot of time sleeping in the cool of their kennels. The roofing is special material which keeps out the rain but also keeps out the sun, provided by Anpana association in Italy.
On the day I arrived, we visited the vet. A podenco puppy had been found injured on the road in the village and xrays had been taken of his broken leg. The vet asked Pepi’s to take him. His leg was in a splint as in some cases with young bone, the injury can heal itself, new bone can grow. The pup was named Vero, he’s an adorable little chap and no doubt when he has recovered, he will soon find a forever home.
Another young podenca bitch is quite an escape artist and able to climb out of her kennel to spend her days in the corridor run! She too arrived with a broken leg which has healed perfectly.Saturday was an interesting day!
Hunting with podencos starts Saturday evening and finishes Sunday lunchtime. During that time there were several hunters, each with 4 or 5 dogs mostly podencos, hunting rabbit amongst the olive groves. There was great concern on Saturday evening when one walked on land in front of the refuge greatly upsetting the pepi’s dogs. Behind the house he fired off his gun, narrowly missing the corner! Hunting is prohibited within 150 metres of property. When the hunter saw us all he scarpered, leaving behind the dead rabbit. Alan Brian called the Guardia (gamekeeper) who said he would have a word with the hunter. As Alan said, it’s likely the hunter could be a relative of his! Also, as elsewhere in Spain, if they complained to the Guardia Civil, it is very possible they would find their refuge dogs poisoned or stolen. Hunters are very vindictive.
Sunday morning saw another hunter approach the house, 2 dead rabbits hanging from his belt. With him was his Podenco, Braco (brown & white pointer) and a small rough-haired dog of dachshund type. He is the local butcher in Pedrera and told us he had found the little dog and kept it. Sadly later in the day there was a young podenco running around, obviously lost and left behind by his hunter. We left water out for him but he had disappeared the following day.
I also saw a couple of vehicles ‘training’ the galgos …goodness knows how far the poor dogs were being made to run in the searing heat! In the Pedrera area they are used for coursing, not hunting. Jane remarked that no doubt one or two of them at least would be dumped at the refuge gates during the winter.
Sadly when I left on Tuesday morning, Pepi was having trouble breathing and was taken to the vet for oxygen. She was rescued from the piggery opposite the refuge and, even with a heart problem, lived with Brians for 16 years. She will be greatly missed by Jane and Alan but her legacy lives on in all the Pepi’s dogs rescued and rehomed.
Pepi’ Dog Refuge survives solely on donations and fundraisers. Money is currently needed for microchipping and castration of some dogs in preparation for travelling for adoption. If you can help in any way, please do. Without Pepi’s Dog Refuge, the dogs of Pedrera area would face a terrible life.
Introducing Vero and some of the other current Pepi’s incumbents, every one waiting for their forever home.
Please support Jane Brian and Alan in the incredible work they do in the midst of galguero and podenquero hunting olive grove areas…..,.without donations to support them, all the dogs they have saved since 2005 when they opened their doors to the hounds, most of the hundreds of dogs would have died agonising deaths.
Tribute song by Val Petterson – Senor Galguero, your dogs make marvellous pets
