SPAIN AND THE ANIMALS

To begin with I sorrowfully can express that the animal culture and compassion in my country, Spain, is at a very low level, more than 70.000 animals are estimated to be sacrificed every year for keeping spectacles where animals encounter a horrible death through torture and cruelty only for amusement of my fellow nationals , Bullfighting "National Feast" is the most appalling and popular one, but there are also many others cruel traditions with animals when celebrating feast days all over Spain.

Probably, some of your countries undergo similar problems with animal mistreatment as we do in Spain.

As an illustrative example of this see note below.*

In this frame of cultural reference,when you move to other kind of animals as dogs and cats you cannot expect better attitudes, but large numbers of abandonment and a general lack of consciousness towards animal welfare , what in most cases is originated more in indifference than in hatred.

THE HOLOCAUST OF SPANISH GALGOS

Generally speaking, the liking for having galgos for "hunting" as entertainment is spreading more and more. Nowadays having in mind the rise of power of purchasing in Spain in the last years, these animals have become a very attractive good in the market.

A pure female for breeding can cost up to 6,000 Euros. Drop-outs, or gypsies, now can afford more than before, and the same happens with peasants in the little villages. Thus possessing more than one galgo is very common.

Most of the galgos remain unregistered,- though it is compulsory by law, besides, their bred is uncontrolled. The current law, however weak it is, is not even enforced in cases of mistreatment (like having the animals in poor habitats or badly kept). We have denounced situations but the police does not care, turn a blind eye and will not even go to the place to verify.

Consequently the results we have are the following:

- After two or three years or even earlier if they do not perform well, or when they are old or ill, the hunters, called "galgueros" will dispose of them using various methods:

1º.- By giving their unwanted galgos to animal protection associations or refuges. Fortunately during the last two years , and following the pressure of the media this is being done more frequently. This is the most civilized way and you can receive the galgos in good conditions unless they have been rejected because of some illness or injury. This is the method reserved for the "luckiest".

2º.- Leaving them in the dog pounds, or "death corridors" as I like to put it. I will not describe here the Hell in there, you can imagine by yourselves how the poor animal spend the last days of his life in this corridor but even so I myself think that it can be not the worst method. They can be saved from there.

3º.- Massive abandonment in metropolitan areas: big cities, towns, roads, motorways or villages. Seldom you are able to catch them almost impossible, they run away when seeing someone approaching. It is not unusual to find them run by cars or severely injured or after the passing of time without any food, they are all skin and bone.

4º.- The cruel methods:

a) hanging (it is a very traditional cheap easy way of getting rid of an animal in Spain). You almost never arrive in time to stop this, so you find the corpse hanging in the air. Fortunately, less cases of those have being reported for the last two years.

b) Leaving them in rubbish dumps tied to old machinery there or tied to trees starving to death.

If it happens that you passed by the dump - which is highly unlikely- you still can arrive in time. Otherwise you find the skeleton of what used to be a beautiful nice galgo.

c) Using them as sparring in dog-fighting (which is not allowed in Spain but takes place in hidden places and there is too much money at stake). We have rescued some full of wounds from this origin.

As an estimate only a third of the approx 20.000 left galgos can be saved, the rest will die a terrible death.

INTRODUCING US.- OUR WORK

Considering all the above and trying to introduce my group. We began and still continue trying to do a practical work in the "real scenario", that means, primary rescue work. So, since a long time now, we have lived directly in our own flesh the tragic fate and the unhappy life of galgos. At the start, we were two of us helping and rescuing dogs from marginal settlements around Madrid; populated by gypsies and scrape dealers, -a kind of Nobody's land,-where the minimum animal care was forgotten or even unknown due to the low cultural standards of their inhabitants. The police even refused to help us when trying to denounce situations and dare not to be involved in the matter.

At the same time, we volunteered also in the refuge "Las Nieves" who did and still does a tremendous work to save any kind of dog in Madrid and Castilla - La Mancha, they helped us taking in many dogs we rescued successfully from the settlement.

We witnessed, at first hand that the worst treatment was inflicted on the Galgos, which were obliged to spend their lives in damp, dirty and tiny holes, only fed with water and stale bread and deprived of seeing daylight or walking. They were only used for the season of hunting -the hare-, some nice females, -when "pure" very expensive in the market - were only used as machines for breeding, to produce as many puppies as possible to have a big choice, the best ones would become a profitable merchandise, the rest would be discarded no matter how healthy they could be. That process still goes on year after year and season after season.

It was in this atmosphere, when we became sympathetic with their suffering and undertook our commitment to protect the Galgos, thus becoming "Amigos de los Galgos". At that time 1997, we felt practically alone in our especial worry towards this sweet and beautiful bred, but soon after, horrible images appeared in the media about the tradition of "hanging galgos ". Later on, we happen to contact Greyhounds in Need who had worked very hard in Mallorca race track when it closed down- .They began helping us by sending medical stuff and other ancillary material.

Soon later we contacted other European associations born out of GIN, as Greyhound in Nood , Belgium who came to visit us and hosted them. Because we wanted to show them the conditions of galgos within the gypsies, we directed them to one of our fields of action where they were shocked and appalled. Then in our effort to help galgos we showed them around some refuges especially our mother refuge "Las Nieves" near Madrid, asking them to rehoming the galgos in Belgium. Currently, they work closely together.

Now we carry on our work by our own, saving as many lives of galgos as we can afford and cope with, from different origins: dog pounds, strayed or directly from the hunters who deliver us their galgos in a civilized way, but at last they DO REJECT THEM.

We keep our "temporarily adoptive sons and daughters galgos "in a private boarding kennel you have to pay for. We provide them with the veterinary care: vaccinations, blood testing, sterilization, and treatment of illness when needed.

Try to get them clean all the time. Put coats in winter .etc... Often they are not confident and frightened of people, so Socializing work is very important for us: having a walk together, speaking nice things, caressing and kissing them, even sometimes singing songs of hope. This is being done everyday while they are with us, about 2 or 3 months.

Then when we consider they are ready for adoption we give them to the adoptive family or organization abroad that will search the appropriate family.

Besides we help refuges in need as the occasion arrives. Now we give some support to a refuge in La Mancha, Herencia, D. Quixote´s country.

It is run by only one heroic woman, the female Quixote "Rosario", with more than 140 dogs, among them lots of discarded galgos from the area, some saved from horrifying situations and without sympathy by her fellow citizens.

OUR SUPPORTERS

Up to now it has been the French organization Levriers en Detresse who have rehomed beautifully most of our beloved galgos.

Greyhounds in Need from England has helped us financially under the scheme this organization has set up some years ago for helping Spanish Galgos, either through dedicated groups, individuals or refuges all over Spain.

Greyhound Rescue Holland also has rehomed some of our galgos in Holland.

Lately, under the auspices of the recently created project of twining different chapters of Greyhound Pets of America with Spanish Associations and refuges, many Spanish animal protection groups will be able to receive some help from the related GPA group in the States. Amigos de los Galgos is twined with Central Texas chapter.

NECESSARY MEASURES

This is an endless tragedy that only can be avoided by political decision.

To stop cruelty against galgos in Spain, we would need essentially to adopt these measures urgently:

- a practical control of galgos population in Spain: by enforcing the rule of registering which is now compulsory in most parts of the country: microhip.

-To promote sterilization campaigns by government.

- to educate general people against any kind of animal torture.

- To encourage people to adopt a Galgo as a perfect companion to share our lives with.

-The Federation of Hunters in Spain should have to take part in solving this problem since they have a good coverage among its members "galgueros".

The offenders are a risk for her neighbours and for all the fellow men.

ACTIONS NEEDED

Since this cruel attitude towards animals sometimes has its roots in ignorance and low moral standards I fully agree with Tolstoi " There is only a little step between the killing of animals to the killing of human beings ". So, it is most urgently needed that our community of animal defenders react energetically against the mistreatment in whatever way it should be inflicted.

1º.- That the Treaties of the European Constitution include Animal Rights a Welfare as matter of legislation.

1º.-A strict LAW OF ANIMAL PROTECTION at European level, not a mere statement of good will -as it is now the Law in Spain-, banning all traditions entailing abuse and outrage of animals.

2º.- What is most important IMPLEMENTATION OF MEASURES AND INSTRUMENTS TO ENFORCE THE LAW.

3º.- Active PROSECUTION OF MISTREATMENT.

4º.- PRIMARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS TO EDUCATE YOUNG GENERATIONS IN THE RESPECT OF ANIMALS AS SUBJECTS OF RIGHTS AND DIGNITY.

5º.- BAN on all ENTERTAINMENT ENTAILING ANIMAL SUFFERING OR CRUELTY.

6º.- CONTROL OF DOGS AND CATS POPULATION . Educate people how to keep pets psychologically and physically healthy.

Note: Extract from the Madrid press.

Translation:

"Beaten by shooting dogs and cats" "Authorities have given license to shoot dogs and cats in the street, in a town near Madrid".

It has been denounced to Environmental Authorities.