I’d never heard of an Azawakh, or ‘African greyhound’ as my contact called her. So it was interesting to read up on wikipaedia about the breed.
Samia is sadly looking for another home, through no fault of her own. She is 6 years old, a beautiful copper colour, and very slender. She has been with her present owners since they bought her from the breeder when she was 3 years old.
The trouble with this time of year in half of Spain is that the appeals for help from the Spanish refuges to help rescued galgos is never ending.
Here is another appeal just received.
This galguita is in care.
She was rescued from the refuge where she was on death row with the many other galgos there, most have been rehomed except this one.
You will almost certainly be asked to complete questionnaires about your home circumstances, you life style, your other animals, your family etc.
Please don’t consider this intrusive…the organisations who ask for this are just doing their job to ensure that the rescued galgo is not being taken from the frying pan and thrown into the fire.
Equally, if someone comes to visit you, please don’t feel insulted. It is standard practice.
Joanna Simm explains why.
The fees requested for the adoption of a galgo or podenco are another area that can cause discontent among would be adopters.
People may feel, quite justifiably at first, that they are offering to take in an animal who is unwanted who needs a home, who may have problems, medical or psychological, and feel a little ‘miffed’ that they are also asked to pay a fairly large sum of money.
There are several reasons for the fees that are charged for an adoption.
Almost all rescue organisations will ask that the galgo or galga you adopt be neutered if it has not already been done prior to the adoption. There is a reason for this, and a very good one too.
The problem in Spain that causes these poor dogs to be so abused and abandoned is caused by over population, over breeding. certain areas of Spain are literally so full of galgos that there is no chance of homes for them.
Why neuter?
For many of us who have heard of the terrible plight of the beautiful Galgo dogs in Spain, adoption is an idea that we have embraced as something we can actually do to help.
Most of us do not have a massive disposable income, so donating significant amounts of money is not possible, and we look for other ways to help.
So, can we offer a home to a galgo? Some questions to consider.
My home is sometimes used as an overnight stop for one of the French galgo rescue associations, and I have been privileged – is that the right word? – to see quite a number of galgos, of all colours, and podencos running free in our enclosed courtyard, whilst on their way to be fostered or go straight to their adopting family.
I am fostering Colate. He is a magnificent chocolate- coloured galgo, with amber eyes. He thought he had found his forever family, but has come back to me because their home situation changed.
He was brought out of Spain by L’Europe des Levriers as a pitifully thin dog, covered in scars. After 4 months of feeding up, he is now extremely handsome. His scars have covered and his coat gleams.
He’s about four years old, extremely affectionate and loving – considering the background he probably came from – and gets on with all my other dogs, including my lurcher, who is the Alpha dog.
Colate is not an aggressive dog – in fact he’s pretty typical of the galgo breed – loves long walks, curling up at my feet or in front of the wood burner, car rides, and playing ball.
Rescued from the horrors of Spain. Yor, Brenda, Adonis and Sara were brought out of Spain by Amigos de los Galgos and are now being fostered by volunteer Joanna Simm in the Aude, southern France
If you can offer them forever homes, please get in touch with Joanna, who can explain what to do.
Visit the website of the people who are currently looking after him. This is the English version.
http://hasiandashaenglish.blogspot.com/
And here is the piece about Lord Byron from January.
