It’s easy to overlook that the popular holiday desinations of Ibiza and the Canary Islands are also part of Spain. Whilst Ibiza is quite close to the mainland, the Canary Islands are down in the Atlantic off the coast of West Africa. Life on these islands is hard for the animals – many used by tourists – whilst hundreds of others are used for hunting. Luckily there are rescue associations picking up the pieces, but the only hope of a life for an animal outside an animal shelter or refuge is to be adopted on mainland Europe.

This is the story of Mami, a Podenco Canario, whose mouth was taped up before she was dumped in the mountains on Gran Canaria, abandoned to a slow and painful death.

“Mami´s life began as an innocent podenco puppy, born in southern Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain), who quickly ended up as a tool for a ruthless hunter. Evenings were spent being part of each rabbit hunt, daytime being chained up together with a huge number of other Podencos in a small cage, with little or no food at all.

We don’t know the exact reason why the hunter decided to end her life, but the truth is that Canary Island hunters never really need a reason. They treat their Podencos without any respect for life and they do whatever they please when they feel they no longer need the dog anymore.

Mami and another dog both had their mouths bound with a razor sharp piece of rope so that they would not be able to eat – and then dumped in the warm and dusty mountains to die; it’s a common method for Canary island hunters who don’t want to directly kill their dogs. So they make sure the dog cannot eat by either taping or binding the dog’s mouth and then let them out in nature.

As luck would have it, a woman saw a group of hunters pass by, and two dogs running away from the group. She decided to alert a dog rescue and adoption agency which later on found the two dogs up in the mountain, thin, scared and gagged to die from starvation and dehydration; both dogs were taken back to the shelter to recover from their ordeal. 8 months later I came along and adopted one, named Mami.

Podencos rarely get adopted, simply because in Gran Canaria, these dogs are seen as hunting dogs only. And pretty much the only way for a rescued Canario to get adopted is by someone living outside of the canary islands.

My Name is Peter, and I am from Sweden, and currently based in the United Kingdom. I have a sister living in the Canary Islands (veterinary) – and around summer time 2011 she and I started talking about me wanting to get a dog, and she asked me to consider adopting a dog. My mindset from the beginning was to buy a puppy, but quickly feel in love with the pictures of Mami and decided to adopt her.

During my stay in Gran Canaria, I came across a lot of diffirent reactions from the islanders. Since almost no one have a Podenco as their Pets, they were mostly curious. But several of them asked: “Can you really have a Podenco at home?”. My answer to that question is a resounding: YES.

While the Podenco is a dog with high energy and a mind that needs to be stimulated – nothing in a Podenco makes it less suitable for living in an apartment than any other dog. The key is to make sure it gets exercise by taking it out for long walks, and to play with it. Buy some dog sticks or treats, and let it track it down when you are taking a walk. Be creative at home and come up with fun stimulating toys that the Podenco can use when it is on its own when you are away. Like any other dog, as long as you exercise off all that energy, you´ll be just fine.

I would however NOT get a Podenco (or any other dog for that matter) if you have a very small apartment. A misconception many people have about Podencos is that they do not believe that a Podenco is capable of loving and caring – that it is simply a hunting dog. That could not be further from the truth, as almost ALL Podenco owners I talk to say that it is probably their most loving and caring dog. I feel the same. I never seen or been with a dog that gives so much love and care and that love getting it all back as well.

I 100% recommend adopting a Podenco. You will never regret that decision! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me! ”

Follow Peter’s blog here.