Galgo Espanol, The Forgotten Greyhound

By OmarCurrosSimon - Own work

Creature of flight

Long legs blur the light

Toil to catch the hare

No compassion found there

Hope for the days ahead

Love and a warm bed
                   By Alice Brown

By OmarCurrosSimon - Own work

Consumed as we are with our greyhounds and their previous worlds, it’s hard to imagine there is another animal that lives a life of abhorrent neglect.  The Spanish Greyhound, or Galgo, a cousin to our dogs, lives in a country that uses its skills, disregards its beauty, and when deemed too old or too slow, discards it.  These beautiful and talented dogs live a horrible existence until they are rescued by compassionate groups in Spain and because they are not considered pet material, must be rehomed outside of the country.

By M. Teixeira/Design Madeleine - Collection Privee

At greyhound reunions, I have come upon Galgo Rescue Groups and have marveled at how lovely these dogs are.  Very similar to our Greyhounds, but more petite, they exude a joyful spirit.  They are now available not only from these Galgo rescues, but also on some regular greyhound rescue sites.  Although cousins to the greyhound, they do have some differences.  

The original galgo dogs were believed to be descended from dogs of ancient Celtic tribes.  These Celts migrated across Europe and down into the Iberian Peninsula which houses Spain and Portugal. Their dogs were developed for hunting the hare in rough, wild and mountainous countryside.  The name, Galgo, is derived from “Canis Gallicus” meaning “Celtic Dog” or perhaps “Dog from Gaul”.  

Beautiful Galgo at GIG

Although originally brought to Spain by noble persons and held in high esteem, the years of haphazard breeding by the lower classes resulted in them being looked upon as a “trash dog”.  Bred for hunting and coursing, these elegant sighthounds display varied colorations, coat, and size.  Their height ranges from 23 inches to 27 inches at the shoulder and weight, from 50 to 70 pounds.  Their coats can be smooth or wire-haired.

Hanging around at GIG

Today, Galgos are still used to hunt hares in the Spanish countryside.  They continue to be bred carelessly by their handlers called “galgueros”  They spend much of their lives in “damp, dirty, tiny holes or windowless shacks” and are fed bread and water.  Denied light and affection, these sweet dogs continue to be second class animals in Spain and are not owned as pets.  At the end of the hunting season each year, the ones deemed worthless are destroyed in inhumane ways or abandoned to the streets.  Some are sent to “killing stations called perraras”.  Luckily, there are a few caring shelters that rescue these dogs and try to rehome them outside of Spain.  The number of dogs either abandoned or killed at the end of each hunting season can reach 100,000.

By Tux-Man - Own work

The temperament of the Galgo is very similar to that of the Greyhound.  They are calm, quiet, gentle, and love to sleep.  They have a tendency toward shyness  due to their lack of socialization in their prior life.  However, they bond strongly with their adopting families and display joyful personalities.  Like greyhounds, they are fast and agile and must be leashed in open areas.  Unlike greyhounds, they can jump fences so a higher fence is necessary.

As I researched these dogs, I came across some stunning photographs on the internet.  One of my resources was proof.nationalgeographic.com.  On it was an article called Restoring Dignity to Spain’s Mistreated Hunting Dogs by Janna Dotschkal in which she interviewed Martin Usborne who has photographed many of these dogs. Check this out when you can.

By OmarCurrosSimon - Own work

It remains a mystery to me how in this day and age people can still treat animals in such a cruel and uncaring manner.  You would think that they had no understanding of the Golden Rule which should apply to animals even more so due to their dependance on us.  Hopefully, just as in the case of our greyhounds,  reading and speaking about this issue may bring a new enlightenment where there was none.

Resources:

longhairedwhippet.com

foreverhomegreyhounds.org

examiner.com

       Article by Melissa Stoneburner, 10/2/12

proof.nationalgeographic.com

       Restoring Dignity to Spain’s Mistreated Hunting Dogs

                                      Article by Janna Dotschkal

vetstreet.com

en.wikipedia.org,   Galgo Espanol

Photographs:

en.wikipedia.org,   Galgo Espanol