Moxie May, a podenca with a wonderful forever home

For a change, a lovely story about Moxie May, told by her forever Mom Meryl Marsh.

‘I am from the U.S. and live most of the year in Belgium because my boyfriend works here. Last spring I started researching adoption agencies on the internet and learned that there are several in Belgium that place dogs from Spain, this lead to me learning about what a sad, desperate situation many dogs face in Spain. Before that, I had no idea.

Every country has it’s issues with animal cruelty, but I was really shocked to learn how bad Spain is with the hunting practices and such. This was also the first time I had ever seen a Podenco. I fell in love with their athletic build and of course the big ears. I was searching for a dog that would be a running companion for me and maybe provide a little protection when I am out by myself on a trail (although Moxie ended up being a relatively small podenco.)

Then I contacted Arca Noah Espana (arcanoah.eu) to enquire about the adoption of a podenco. They told me the story of Moxie, which broke my heart.

She was discovered in a barn in the end of January 2009 only days old and starving. The mother of the litter had hung herself on her chain and nobody (the owner) had bothered to check on her. I’m not sure how many pups there were originally, but I know several died of starvation and they were being eaten by rats. One little one had to be put down because his legs had been so badly chewed by the rats. Moxie and 2 others were taken that day and against the odds a day later another pup was found alive who had fallen through the floor boards, so there were 4 survivors in all.

Arca Noah took them and hand raised them with bottles and placed them for adoption. I think 2 of the litter went to England and Moxie came to Belgium. I have had her for exactly 1 year now.

It blows my mind to read how these dogs are perceived in Spain as not being able to be pets and only useful for hunting. She is really a very affectionate, sensitive dog. She is also a clown with a wonderful sense of humor and energy for days. I try to run with her at least 5 days a week for about 40 minutes on top of throwing the tennis ball endlessly on the beach 2-3 times a day to get her enough exercise. We also have a Jack Russell who she gets along with very well. They are best buddies.

I would say, that her energy levels are not for the lazy person by any means, but she still is a puppy at less than 1.5 years old. But the 2 things she needs are exercise and love.

She is smart, easily trainable now, although it was tough at the beginning and sometimes she just has too much energy to listen. She is very vocal and is always making little yelps, moans and lots of barking! She loves to play, hunt for hidden toys, play with puzzles and chew chew chew! She also loves the water since I started taking her to a lake when she was still a pup and now that we live on the coast in Oostende, every day she plays in the water.

She really needs to bond with her humans too, she loves to snuggle, especially under the covers and has such a sweet demeanor. When she wants something she walks up and rests her chin on my leg and just stairs at me till she gets a pet.

The more I read about the breed, the more I see her hunting instincts alive and well. She is a wonderful retriever and I am amazed how well she can see and hear, especially compared to our Jack. I love watching her run full speed as it really is a thing of beauty.

I have really fallen in love with this breed. I think she is a medium, short-hair podenco andaluz. She is 45 cm to the top of her shoulders and about 10 kilos. I wish I could take them all, but two dogs is already a handful, especially since we take them back to the U.S. in the summer for 3 months. The podencos are unknown in the U.S. Neither my vet nor my dog trainer had heard of them. Usually people identify her with the Pharaoh hound.

Well that is the story of Moxie Mae. Thank you for taking an interest.’

NB How I wish every podenco could have such a fabulous life. Please consider adopting one of these adorable dogs, if you have space in your heart and your home.