We are a charity concerned with the plight of greyhounds everywhere, especially the Spanish-bred greyhounds, the galgos.
Galgos are used by hunters in Spain to hunt hare. The dogs are kept in poor conditions, with little human care or affection, and often starved, injured and abused. At the end of the hunting season in February, it’s estimated that as many as 60,000 galgos that have reached the end of their ‘useful life’ are discarded – abandoned or killed in appalling ways. The ‘lucky’ ones get dumped on the doorsteps of rescue shelters.
Overbreeding means that hunters will easily replace them, repeating this cycle year in and year out. Rescue shelters do what they can to rescue abandoned dogs for treatment and rehoming – but they are abysmally undersupported and underfunded. The Spanish authorities do not recognise the problem. Animal welfare laws currently do not protect them as they are classified as working animals, and people have historically not considered galgos as companion animals (although this is slowly changing).
How do we help?
We are the leading greyhound rescue charity working in Spain with unique knowledge of the conditions there. We have rescued and found homes for several thousand galgos with the help of many Spanish volunteers who carry out primary rescue work and homing groups and individuals in Europe who promote adoption in their own countries. We strongly believe that education is key to securing a better future for the galgos, so supporting education projects in Spain to change the attitudes and opinions of the next generation is a fundamental aspect of the work we do.
We facilitate the invaluable work carried out by the rescue shelters in Spain by funding:
- Veterinary care and treatment
- Boarding and transport costs
- Special projects e.g. new kennelling blocks, heating, security, lighting etc.
- Education facilities
- Educational teaching and learning materials
We also send regular ‘care’ packages to shelters in Spain, including donations from our supporters of blankets, coats etc.
Helping greyhounds in the UK
While we concentrate most of our endeavours working in Spain for the galgos, we also:
- Fund transport costs enabling some English and Irish greyhounds to be rehomed
- Support rehomed galgos and their families in the UK in special circumstances
- Fund veterinary care and treatment for greyhounds and galgos in UK rescue centres
Your donations make a huge difference to the lives of the galgos and the rescue shelters that continue to battle for the lives of these dogs working under extreme financial and antisocial pressures.
You can make a difference. Every penny counts.
Thank you for helping us, to help them. Please donate here.
More reading:
How We Started – Ibiza, the first galgo rescued from Spain