Photo of Guillermo Couto, professor at the Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine, examines Cesca the greyhound on Oct. 11, while another greyhound, Aro, looks on.
Last year I posted about a survey being carried out by Ohio State University into diseases in galgos. I contributed my experience with my galga Karmel and pemphigus foliaceous. Here’s a story by Sarah Pfledderer about Dr Guillermo Couto, whose department carried out the research.
Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen of Greyhound Action Denmark is another tireless campaigner for improving the life of animals. I asked her to tell me how she got involved with helping the greyhounds and galgos.
‘There is not much I can tell you about the galgos adopted throughout Scandinavia. I know people who have adopted galgos and who treat them very well and that the galgos who have found homes here are well looked after. The reason that I can´t say more about that is simply because my involvement with the galgos is more a question of helping them where they are situated in Spain and alerting other people to their plight. I concentrate more on the plight of the racing greyhounds as does my small organisation.
This is a beautiful story of Fermin Perez, the Honorary President of Scooby Medina, and his 6 galgos. Don’t forget there are 600 dogs at Scooby Medina, please help them if you can.
One idea is Virtual Adoption, a bit like sponsoring an animal.
Through my passion for greyhounds and Spanish galgos, I have learnt about other more unusual breeds of sighthounds, where I have been asked if I can help find new homes. Last year it was the Azawakh, this year it is the Sloughi.
Caroline Mathews of Sloughi Rescue in the UK explains how she got involved with the breed.
‘My first rescue Sloughi, Oscar, came to me from a shelter in the UK in 1999. I didnt know about Sloughis at that time and thought that I had a rather unique and beautiful looking Lurcher. A couple of years later I was introduced to the breed and a true love affair was started.
Leticia is another of the unsung heroes of Spain, giving of her time and her emotions to help the galgos and podencos. Sandra Baas of BaasGalgo interview her.
‘Hello everybody. My name is Leticia and I have been working for the last few years as a volunteer to help animal associations, and for the last two as a rescuer of galgos from the street. It all started when I was 14 years old, everything I saw in the street with 4 paws I took home to my parents, who watche me and asked ‘why do you see them all!’
This is when my concerns about the animal situation in Spain began.
Meet Pablo, one of the volunteers with Scooby Medina. Pablo lives in Valladolid, where he is a police officer. In his spare time, his hobby is to train dogs will all kinds of behaviour problems.
Last year he adopted a black Scooby-Cocker Spaniel with a foot problem. Most recently he and his girlfriend adopted the Scooby-Setter Isabella.
Pablo also helps find foster homes for some of the Scooby puppies, giving them the opportunity to start their lives in a ‘real home’.
Here is the story of Beatriz Marlasca, another Spanish volunteer who has opened a shop especially for galgos and greyhounds. Sandra Baas of Baas Galgo interviewed her.riz
My name is Beatriz. For many years, I have worked in the animal protection. Like everyone, doing field work, cleaning, and making desparasitation, cures, using my skills as a Technical Assistant and Veterinary Assistant
I was always aware of the thousands of animals which were abandoned to their fate or directly delivered to a shelter by their owners, because they bother … the puppy had grown and had no longer so much grace, did not know what to do with the holidays and when I reported that there were dog hotels, they were not willing to bear that expenses, sons, husbands, wives with allergies … they were just a few of the many excuses for leaving your dog or cat.
Maria Jose Canalda is a volunteer helping various animal rescue groups, including galgos.
Sandra Baas of BaasGalgo spoke to her. Click here to read her fascinating story, click on the nion Jack flag, top right hand corner, to read it in English.
Mo Swatek founded the organisation Pro-Galgo in 1999 and, with the help of her colleagues, has placed in the last 10 years more than 1,300 greyhounds and podencos in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and elsewhere. But very few dogs are adopted in Spain.
She was born in Switzerland and has lived a little more than 50 years next to a greyhound or galgo or other sighthound. She wanted to help the galgos after hearing about them being hung and persuaded her Spanish husband to move to Spain so she could work to help the hounds.
Sandra Baas of Baas Galgo spoke to her:
Virginie Labat lives in Bayonne on the French/Spanish border, and speaks Spanish as well as her native French. It makes her ideal for working to help the galgos. She explains why she got involved:
‘A couple of years ago, I saw on TV a programme about the Spanish galgos. It showed the conditions in which they were kept by the galgueros and also the horrendous mutilations and death inflicted on them.
At that time I didn’t have a computer, so I couldn’t check the story on any websites, but then, in December 2006, my brother gave me his computer, and I was able to read about the galgos.
And I could not believe that this went on just a 30 minute drive from my home!
