Akira Animal Sanctuary
have these stunning podencos who have been waiting for months for forever homes. They really would make wonderful companions. Have you room in your home and heart for one? Contact Hayley at Akira if so. Fingers crossed!
Charlie
Category: Profiles
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Akira Animal Sanctuary – lovely podencos needing forever homes
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The Story of Galgo’s Rescue Almeria
In 2015 Sandy and John Cortebeeck sold up in Belgium and moved to Almeria to open a kennels. As with all good intentions, for dog lovers in Spain, the mass abandonment of galgos and podencos takes over everyone’s life. Thank goodness there are people willing to give up almost everything to help these amazing dogs, treated like rubbish by the sub-human Spanish galgueros.Click on this weblink to read the full story.
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Galgo Podenco Platform – what they do
Many years ago the Dutch Galgo Lobby worked to publicise the plight of the galgos and podencos in Spain. The Galgo Podenco Platform is now doing the same. Here’s an extract from their website.‘Galgo Podenco Platform
The galgolobby is a developed lobby in Europe, where these dogs are much exploited for their specific characteristics as sight hounds, including their speed and hunting abilities. Galgos are traditionally used for hare coursing on the countryside and sometimes on enclosed tracks.
A very important development is that the galgo-lobby also represents the podenco: The Great Forgotten. Podencos are mostly used and abused in the Rehalas and Monterias: the driven hunt. The number of podencos greatly exceeds the number of galgos in Spain. These dogs live mostly hidden in dark and filthy barns on one meter chains.’
You can read more about their work on this link.
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The Senior Sighthound Sanctuary US – helping older podencos to a new life
Regular readers will know that 5 months ago my OH and I adopted 2 podencos from Spain, both 8 years old, one of which is blind.
This is an association in the US working to help these older podencos to forever homes and the good life they deserve.The Senior Sighthound Sanctuary provides a safe haven for senior & special needs sighthounds, either at the sanctuary or through a network of forever foster and adoptive families. We also provide education on the special needs of senior sighthounds. The Sanctuary was formed out of a true love and passion for senior sighthounds. These amazing & endearing dogs take a huge piece of our heart & we would move heaven & earth for them. It’s not easy work to take in a senior hound but the love far outweighs any sadness when they pass, for their time with us is far more important than ours is with them.
The founder writes.
‘Recently eight senior podenco girls were pulled from a shelter in Spain, all over the age of 8. It was discovered, once they were out of the shelter, that two of them are pregnant. All of these girls have led hard lives at the hands of hunters, usually being bred over & over again with no vet care whatsoever. These dogs have been reserved for the Sanctuary & I’ve made the commitment to bring them here to the US to be adopted out, where they can forget the miserable lives they previously led.
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From Spain to Wales – 2 happy podencos
Dave Owen lives in Wales, UK, and has 2 adopted podencos. He’s busy writing a story featuring a podenco but, in the meantime, he has sent us this story of his podencos and how he came to adopt them.‘Not long got back from walking the dogs on the beach, Maude loves to chase her ball and when it’s warm enough she enjoys swimming.
Edith on the other hand isn’t keen on water but does have a tentative paddle with Spook her westie friend. We have only recently considered it safe enough for her to be let off her lead because she doesn’t have a focus like Maude and is more interested in the massive rabbit population located in the sand dunes but she’s not allowed in them because of the adders. She does chase the rabbits in the garden but they have escape routes which are always kept open.
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Giving rescue dogs a chance
Not about podencos or Spanish hounds but I thought you might be interested to read this story of a young woman in Romania (where we know the dogs also suffer horrendous cruelty) and her work saving the street dogs.
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Senior Sighthound Sanctuary for Podencos in the USA
This is a very new rescue in the US focussing specifically on homing older podencos mainly. Read the full story on this weblink. -
Louzanimales – saving the animals of Central Portugal
I’ve only visited Portugal on holiday, I’ve never been on a rescue so haven’t visited any refuges or rescue associations.
Recently I learned about a rescue association in Central Portugal, Louzanimales. This weblink will take you to their website.This is the story of Louzanimales.
Louzanimales – Association for the Animals of Lousã – was formed by a group of citizens with the mission to defend the rights of animals and, at the same time, reduce the overpopulation of homeless animals in Lousã through sterilization and the development of initiatives that seek their referral for adoption, when their sociability characteristics allow it.
Louzanimales is a 100% voluntary Association, without its own facilities for welcoming animals. It is a group of citizens who offer their contribution to the animal cause.
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Farewell to Podenca Bebe – the last one standing
After losing my galgo Polar in April, galgo Bracken a just over a week ago, I had to take little Bebe to the vet on Saturday…her body just gave up on her. She was the last of my Spanish rescue hounds…but she had a good life with us.Bebe, 7.5kg Podenca Andaluz, was injured on a Seville road back in 2008. Early days for my Podenco Post blog but a young Spanish volunteer with Refuge Sofia Escuela, Marisa, contacted me to publicise for a foster home for Bebe to convalesce after operation. She had named the Podenca Bebe. My daughter’s name is Marisa and my nickname at school was Bebe, so of course the little Podenca had to come to me! Booked into my excellent French vet to repair her injury, from the state of her teeth Florence assessed her age as between 4-6 – her teeth were not in a good condition.