Category: Advice
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Meet blind podenco Bocelli – new member of our family
Last week I introduced you to our new family member Podenca Andaluz Rosely. This week blind Podenco Bocelli has joined our family. We’ve both lived with dogs all our lives but for both of us, a blind dog is a new experience. He was apparently rescued from life on a chain in a horrible place in Lorca, southern Spain. It’s not a good area for Spanish hounds. Here’s a bit about his character.Meet handsome Bo. He is as good as blind, weights approx 25kg and is 7 years old (as of July 2021). Bo wants to lay in his bed all day until it’s dinner time then suddenly he’s bouncing around and barking like a 6 month old puppy. His energy level is generally fairly low but he loves to potter around outside. At mealtimes he gets excited. He is good with other dogs.
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Muzzle a podenco? Never!
I have been involved with podenco and galgo rescue for 14 years. I’ve travelled regularly into Spain with a French rescue association to bring Spanish rescued galgos and podencos back to France for foster and adoption. I have NEVER met a podenco which needed to wear a muzzle!I was horrified to see this photo, especially on a senior dog. Yet it should not be a surprise since the podenco seems to be with a greyhound from a UK retired racing greyhound rescue, some of whom believe every greyhound/galgo should be muzzled.
Since moving back to the UK in January 2021 I have met many greyhounds who are companion dogs and not one of them wore a muzzle. Naturally all were on leads when walked in public but their adopters had never felt the need to use a muzzle. To me, it creates the image that the dog is dangerous!
Have any of my readers felt the need to muzzle their adopted Spanish dog?
I’ve had an email from a reader to say dogs have to be muzzled on ferries. However, when we have travelled our dogs on ferries they are not muzzled as they travel in cages, as do the dogs on official pet transport. If the dog is loose in the vehicle, then they could be muzzled, perhaps?
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Poignant thoughts from a Vet on euthanasia
This is a story from a vet in South Africa. Not about galgos but but probably there are many more vets around the world and in Spain who feel the same as her, putting down healthy galgos in perreras.
‘I have been writing this post in my head for nearly 3 years and until today I’ve never been brave enough to post it. But recently some people doing similar work and facing much the same reality have used social media to speak up about a topic that for so long has not been discussed. Their bravery has given me the courage to finally share my thoughts and experiences about something that I’ve needed to for so long.
Today I euthanased 5 dogs. This is not an uncommon task for a vet to perform and getting into the profession you are well aware of the fact that this is something you will have to do in your chosen career. However, the dogs I put down today were not sick, they were not injured, they were not old and they were not unhealthy in any way. They were not untamed and they were not aggressive. They were perfect, healthy and normal dogs. There was no reason for them to lose their lives today other than that they were failed by humans because of the current overpopulation crisis of domestic animals particularly dogs that so few people are prepared to accept and try to understand.
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Dog poisons growing in your garden
Many common garden plants are actually poisonous to dogs. Click on this link to read the full article.