Marisa’s Story: I’m a volunteer with Sofía El Refugio Escuela, in Seville. Since I was a little child I have had a special love for animals.
Since the moment I’ve been able to help them actively, I started helping at a temporary dogs home and after that I found Sofía, and so I help also as a volunteer in the refuge.
I am always overwhelmed by the generosity of of some of the readers of Galgo News.
A while ago I wrote about Caridad, a Spanish volunteer who looks after over 30 dogs on her own, in one of the poorest of refuges.
Whilst researching the Internet for information about galgos in Spain, I came across the website of this amazing lady. She’s British, married to a Spaniard, with 3 children and adopted animals, all living in a bi-lingual home.
Here’s her story, in her words.
Well what can I say, my name is Charlotte, I write and publish as Carlota, I’m 34 married to Dioni a Spanish man, and I have 3 children, Sofia 5 Sebastian 12 and Neizan 2. We live in a bilingual home, and we have 2 dogs, one a galgo adolescant, one an 8 year old little dog, and 2 cats a bengal and a burmilla. All adopted.
I have always been animal orientated and as a child very aware of the dangers animals faced at the hands of man. At 11 I can remember my Dad always telling me “Charlotte, anything important should be written on paper!” So, thats where I began.
Gemma works with Sonia and Caridad, helping save galgos and podencos and find them permanent homes abroad. This is her story.
Gemma spent the first 27 years of her life being afraid of dogs, until her sister bought a cocker spaniel. So to find her heavily involved with galgo rescue nowadays is a far cry from her youth.
About 5 years ago, at the same time as she adopted her first street puppy, Gordi, she went on the Internet and discovered other people wanting to help the Spanish galgos, refuges and shelters desperately needing help, and rescue associations prepared to transport galgos and podencos out of Spain to permanent homes elsewhere.
Sonia is a volunteer at the Albergue refuge. Her family did not really care about animals, but Sonia always tried to help the street dogs, feeding them.
She discovered the refuge by accident and began helping there. She also discovered, on the Internet, websites of other refuges and realised she was not alone.
When I see pictures like this, I reflect on the dog rescue centres in the UK. I feel very humble when I think what Caridad copes with every day. What do I have to complain about?
I pray that, especially over the Christmas period when people are celebrating, eating too much, and giving presents other people don’t want, someone will give Caridad a gift for her shelter.
This is Villarobledo refuge, northern Spain. Once there were 104 dogs living here! Now there are 32. The cages are not safe, as you can see.
When I joined a galgo rescue mission earlier this year, I met Cristina, an amazing lady and one of the incredible people who work ‘on the ground floor’ in Spain, to try and help galgos. Here is her story.
I don’t think those of us living outside Spain can imagine the work Cristina does and the situations she copes with.
Born in Madrid, of German/Spanish, she qualified with a degree in Marketing and Commercial Management. She works in the import of pharmaceutical raw materials, and her passion is her horses, dogs and cats. She grew up with cats rather than dogs, so used to ‘borrow’ the neighbours’ dogs to walk them.
As time went by, she got to know the ‘underworld’ of the galguerros, and the sad life and mistreatment of their galgos.
Rosa is Spanish and works in Information Technology. She’s one of the unsung heroes who has been helping at the animal shelter of La Bienvenida in Ciudad Real, 200km south of Madrid for over 2 years.
‘My parents taught me to respect and love animals’, she explains, ‘and so I need to do something to change the bad things around me. I can’t change the world, but I can do a little to change the world around me.’
Fostering animals at her home and helping them find a forever home, as well as cleaning at the shelter and taking the dogs for walks, was just the beginning. Then she helped with the injured animals. ‘Finding homes for older dogs and galgos is the most difficult, and I try to find homes out of Spain for them’.
April & Paul Carrier like the sun and they get plenty of it in Rota, near Cadiz, where they have their home, the Alpha Dog Centre. They describe it as a summer camp to some, boot camp to others and a sanctuary to galgos.
I talked to them about their involvement with galgos, and how it all came about.
April starts the story. ‘Our initial contact with galgos was when we received a call from a customer, Hailey, who asked us to board a litter of galgo puppies over the Christmas period of 2001, and then we were asked to board the puppies’ mother till a home could be found for her.’
Hailey told them the story of a refuge in Villamartin, near Jerez, which was where the galga had been when she was rescued. She asked Paul to visit it with her and, accompanied by a couple of local vets and some volunteers, they went to see if at least some of the galgos could be treated, and the lives of the dogs improved.
Nathalie Pollet lives in northern France, and every month she drives thousands of kilometres to transport galgos from Spanish refuges to new homes and a new life in France. It’s amazing how many long-legged canines can sleep comfortably in a Fiesta.
It’s also amazing how school-teacher Nathalie finds the time to go on so many rescues, as not all of them are organised during school holidays.
She’s always been an animal lover, having been a volunteer for many years at a local French refuge, and learned about the plight of the Spanish galgos and the French rescue association L’Europe des Levriers in a television programme.
“When I decided to adopt one of these gentle dogs in June 2006,” she explains, “I completed the ‘Request to Adopt’ form and Atenea was chosen as the one most suited to my lifestyle, having been saved by volunteers in Spain from being gassed.”
