Dear friends,
It is hard to believe that this year will be our 3rd Scooby North America Auction. Actually, we are having 2 auctions this year. One in June and another in December. In the past two years, with your help we have raised enough money to help install a much-needed tile floor in the Hospital and Surgery Center and build numerous brick shelters in the paddocks at the Scooby Animal Refuge in Medina del Campo, Spain.
Spain, how proud and arrogant are your Royal House, your politicians! You turn your eyes away from the facts of life in your country. You acclaim your historic churches, cities, olympic villages. And yet you ignore the struggles for life which go on along your streets, in the countryside, stories which the world reads, pictures it sees on the Internet. You leave it to the volunteers who care, who pick up the detritus discarded by your hunters, ignored by those who close their eyes and walk by. Here is one such case, Loli tells it in her own words….
‘Abandoned galgos and puppies
The galgueros deny they hang dogs, they say it never happens now. I have seen with my own eyes that this is not true. And here is yet more proof that they lie. This is Julia;
‘Human cruelty has no limits and is clearly reflected in our little Julia. It does not take much imagination to feel the pain she has suffered, yet the hunters deny once again they do this, so cruel and heartless.
Story just received, illustrates some of the problems facing the volunteers who struggle to help the abandoned dogs of Spain.
‘For the last year we have been arranging car boot sales every Sunday in a place called El Marquesado, and successfully got an income for the animals that need help in our area. It has been very hard workload on all our volunteers, but they have done the job without complaining. This car boot sale has been held on what we thought was wasteland as this was an unfenced, abandoned area. We were unable to find out if anyone owned it.
Representatives of Sofia El Refugio Escuela in Seville took part in the manifestation there on 25th March 2011. They took along with them Luz, victim of horrendous abuse at the hands of a galguero, who is now in foster receiving the love and care he needs to rebuild his life and his health. Here’s her story, in their words.
‘What we cannot express is the rage, even hatred for the man who did this. All this poor dog could see was blood and death. Pulled by a 4 x 4 transforming nature into a death camp. Galguero, what a terrible word.
Latest guest of Galgos del Sol. Tina says ‘Marie was caught on the streets of Torre Pacheco. This is a town full of abandoned galgos where I am trying to catch Lorenzo. When I got the call i thought it might have been him they caught! It was Antonio who called me to see if we could take her so I said yes. She is injured, extremely underweight which you can’t appreciate in the photos and frightened. She will go to the vets at 5.30pm. We already know NO microchip. (UPDATE 30/03/2011 – she has not been vaccinated as she is too thin, blood test done and sent for analysis)
If anyone can donate to vet fees, visit GdS website. To donate food, click on the Bettys Original logo on the right of the homepage.
I don’t know how the volunteers and associations in Spain keep their stamina and emotions, I am getting more emails in this year than ever since Galgo News started in 2007 and I am sickened by the sheer volume of galgos in perreras, abandoned in the street, hung from trees, kicked and stoned, abandoned to be injured on motorways……..it is simply unbelievable that the authorities in Spain remain blinkered about how this affects the international perception of Spain.
Here are some more stories……….help if you can.
This beautiful galga is Risa, about 14 months old, taken to the Jerez killing station by her galguero in December 2010, to be euthanaised along with dozens of other dogs. She was rescued on Christmas Eve with 3 other galgos, one just 5 months old, by 112carlotagalgos. She is now in foster at my home in Western France, looking for her forever home.
She has her EU passport, is microchipped, vaccinated, sterilized, negative for Mediterranean diseases, and the results are awaited for her rabies antibodies blood test for possible adoption in Britain – although she is clear for adoption elsewhere in Europe now.
Every day more horror stories come in from Spain, abandoned, injured and starving galgos – and the hunters still deny it goes on! Three appeals for help, if anyone can squeeze any of these dogs into a shelter or foster home, please contact the people direct.
1. Galgo rescued by the Association AYANDENA in Seville, the greyhound is more dead than alive, with horrendous injuries to his hind leg, flesh is missing down to the bone. He urgently needs care, need help with veterinary costs. Irene Alcayde de Lamo
