THE PLIGHT OF SPANISH HUNTING DOGS
We often get asked why Extraordinary Galgos & Podencos (EGP) has chosen to specifically help spanish hounds while they are already dogs in need here in Canada. While the question is a very valid one, it is derived from lack of knowledge with regard to the on-going crisis is Spain for hundreds of years, making these dogs some of the most mistreated and abused dogs in the world.
Spanish hunters (also known as galgueros) reproduce the Galgos and Podencos at alarming rates in order to practice open field hunting without guns, an ancestral tradition in the country, or even to participate in racing championships and dog fightings. Of course, while persuing a certain fortune or fame within their communities, the dogs who do not perform well, correspond to their specific genetic criteria or most likely, get injured, are quickly discarted. Those who have the misfortune to lose the races and thus humiliate their owner are victims of punishment at the level of the shame they inflicted on their master in order to cleanse him of the latter.
And finally, those who remain will for their part be kept in deplorable conditions: unsanitary sheds, chained without possibility of moving, extremes of heat and cold, prolonged fasting, violent fights for a piece of bread, etc. Every year, mainly at the end of January, when the hunting season ends, history is repeated in the rural areas of Spain, where hunters get rid of about one third of their dogs, representing some 100,000 dogs abandoned or killed in horrible ways every year.
Nobody knows the real extent of the situation. If the rituals of cruel killings seem to have diminished in recent years, the inhumane abandonments have certainly seemed to have increased. The dogs are found wandering in the countryside famished or some are attached to the fence of the shelters and, in states of extreme gauntness and severely injured or mutilated. They are considered to be the lucky ones because once they have been collected, they can count on the work of volunteers in shelters or host families as well as generous donors. Thanks to all these people, families all over the world, including in Canada, now have the chance to adopt wonderful dogs and make a difference, one dog at a time.
Throughout Spanish territory, galgos are considered hunting tools and remain invisible to most of the society. Many are those who condemn these "traditions" yet the federation of hunters remains extremely powerful since it is widely composed of both politically and economically influential individuals. Despite frequent demonstrations and petitions, real change remains difficult to achieve and time and resource consuming. Meanwhile, there are thousands of Spanish hounds roaming the streets or filling up shelters while waiting for a real home. International adoption is often the only chance these dogs will have at dignity and love.