I’ve been writing and publicising about the podencos for several years, since I started helping a French rescue association bring galgos and podencos from Spain to France for rehoming. I’ve fostered many and helped rehome them too, plus adopted one of my own, seen here with my galgos.
In general the galgos get more publicity because of the huge numbers abandoned every year, especially hung in the olive groves. But life in Spain for the podencos was and still is no different, just not in quite such huge numbers. And life for the podencos on the Spanish islands got and gets very little publicity atall. Which is why I have worked to help them too.
The podencos used to be called ‘The Great Forgotten’ but in the last couple of years there has been an ‘explosion’ of interest in podencos, mostly through publicity on facebook.
Ruby is 3-4 years old. We believe she has-been wandering the streets for two years before she was coaxed to trust anyone. She is sleeping in someone’s garage at night and being fed but she is left to her own devices during the day. She has had a litter of puppies Which have now all been caught, we only found out When she was sterilized and they came out of hiding.
She has-been vaccinated, treated for heart worm and has blood tested clear of anything else. She was also very thin but is now gaining weight. She is very nervous around new people but is getting better and she appears to be fine with other dogs and ignore the cats.
The PEPA helpline please call 0034 650304746 for more info or email p.e.p.a.animalcharity@gmail.com
Adaana have been asked to take thes two podencos but they don’t have room. Can anyone else help?
Two photos of other podencos in need, which we would like to help, but for whom we’ve got no place in this moment. I send you their photos just in case with promotion they achieve to get a definitive family, a foster home, or godparents.
The brown and white one is a female who is going to eat to a private property which has no fence. The place is in a dangerous area because it has highways and roads very near. She’s got a big wound in one of her back legs but it doesn’t look very infected and bones seem to be ok (she walks placing it down correctly).
Podencos abound in Malaga province and now the hunters are getting rid. There are 16 in Malaga perrera this week, all young ones.
And I am told some of the ‘rescuers’ have created problems in the Valencia perrera – some of the podencos we donated to rescue last year are still in kennels till permission is given for them to be adopted.
These are some of the podencos in Malaga perrera this week. Pray for them.
Bev Farmer of Podenco Friends tells the story of JASIRA
‘I see so many Podencos in so many terrible situations. I see them by the roadside badly injured, having been hit by a car and left to die. I see them wandering the countryside, emaciated and very often with broken limbs. I see them with their spirits all but destroyed from having been incarcerated in a perrera.
After this amount of exposure to such horrific sights, it’s hard not to begin to accept this as the norm here in Spain. Most of our rescued podencos require a lot of care to bring them back to good health, both physically and mentally.
But now I have seen something which shook even me to the core. I have seen some terrible sights but this has to be one of the worst.
These are the pictures of Pepis Dog Refuge on Christmas Day 2013, the day after we left after our visit to Jane and Alan and all their beautiful dogs.
‘Jane Brian 25 December 20:11
This has never happened before on Christmas Day, complete devastation, very strong winds and torrential rain. After moving the dogs in the house from the ground floor to the upper floor for safety, which as you can see was fast filling with sewage water, to the upper floor.
As the forecast is for more storms tomorrow, we went up to the caravan and found the shed had been completely devastated, with all the expensive electronic equipment which ran our limited solar electricity and all Alan’s electric tools in thick mud and water. The solar we did have has now been destroyed and the solar panels were blown into the olive tree.
So, Mallorca. Destination of the hen and stag parties, along with Ibiza! None of these young chavs have any idea of what life is like on the island for the animals – how many dogs and cats are abandoned to fend for themselves. Have a look at the reality – SOS Animal Mallorca. Beautiful dogs, life stretches out for them in the refuge. No podencos, but I just felt I had to publicise yet again that life on the Spanish islands is hard.
Some years ago I received a photo of a little podenca puppy held by the scruff of the neck, feet off the ground, in a perrera for killing! I circulated the photo and details to contacts and ‘angela’ as she became known, was rescued and went into foster with Angela Stacey. Sadly Angela pod developed the killer disease parvo virus and died but she touched the hearts of so many people that Angela and her daughter Marie formed Little Pod Association.
They have been doing amazing work rescuing and fostering and organising adoptions for dozens of podencos especially in the Murcia area. On this page you can see some of the fabulous podencos in their care, waiting for forever homes. Please contact them as they rely on donations to carry on their work. And please consider LPA if you have room for a podenco in your heart and home.
