GREYHound PETS OF AMERICA

TENNESSEE CHAPTER

The gentle greyhound is found around the world and, undeservingly, lives a perilous life. 

In Spain, the greyhound is called a GALGO.  Rather than racing, the galgo is bred for hunting or coursing hares.  In most cases, the galgo's life is short. At the end of the dog's first hunting season, most are killed rather than to be fed another year. 

There are a few refuges in Spain working to place these gentle dogs as pets in other parts of Europe and the US.  The largest refuge in Spain is called Scooby.

Visit scoobymedina.com for more information on this group.

BELOW ARE PICTURES OF DAVID AND LINDA ROGERS' TRIP TO SCOOBY IN SPAIN TO BRING BACK OUR SPANISH GALGOS

Operation Scooby

Medina Del Campo, Spain

February 15-22, 2004

David and Linda Rogers

(It was a dark and stormy night…Snoopy, Peanuts Cartoon)

  Actually, it was a gray and foggy day when our group; two vets, two vet technicans and 3 kennel workers, arrive at the airport in Madrid, Spain.  We were so excited and couldn't wait to actually see the Galgos and meet Fermin, the founder and director of Scooby.

  Fermin, who is a schoolteacher, sacrifices his free time to the operation of Scooby.  Without Fermin, there would be no Scooby.  His devotion to the rescue of the Galgos is the backbone of this rescue and his enduring devotion and hands-on approach is what makes it successful.  At the end of hunting season, many Galgos are brutally killed.  Some are hung, some are thrown down wells, and some are just simply turned loose to starve to death.  The lucky ones make it to Scooby.  At the end of hunting season there are sometimes over 700 dogs at Scooby although when we arrived there were about 300 Galgos.

  David and I drove the very tiny rental car (and all the luggage) the 2-hour drive to Medina Del Campo and the rest of the group took the train.  After checking into the hotel in Medina we all drove over to Scooby.

  My first impression from outside was there was so much room…. lots of land for the Galgos and several fenced in areas and buildings. 

  The group scrambled out of the car and made our way through the fence into the building and met Hans.  Hans is just the best. He is from Holland but lives at Scooby several months a year and works as a volunteer.  He is the most dedicated, hard-working person I have ever met… his mantra is "Don't Worry, be Happy."  He showed us the ropes of the day-to-day routine and boosted our spirits when they plummeted.

  I'll never forget him running in one rainy morning with a dying Galgo in his arms, yelling at the dog to hang on…hang on!  The Galgo had somehow lain outside all night in the rain and had hypothermia.  The vet and techs did all they could, but the sweet little dog died.  It was a terrible, depressing morning.  And Hans, along with the rest of us, was just overcome with the loss. But later, as he was cleaning out the dog run, I heard him quietly singing…"When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling bad…. I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad."  Did I mention that Hans was just the best?

  There was such order in this chaos!  The Galgos are taken care of in such a loving and kind way.  Fermin has designed the layout of the buildings to accommodate the needs of these endearing animals and they have the most beautiful floors of Spanish tile, which were donated or given at a low price.  What I would give to have those beautiful floors in my home in Nashville!

  The tiles are perfect for the dogs that cannot always make it outside to relieve themselves, which happens often.  Every morning we would go through the kennel area and scoop and scrub poop and then spray down the area with a water hose.  The Galgos are provided with plastic dog beds and small blankets and pads are sometimes placed in the beds for a little more comfort.  The Galgos would get fresh water and would be fed a menu of raw chicken, bread and carrots ground up for "ease of consumption"!  At times when fresh chicken could not be located, they were given kibble.

  It was a great thing to see these hungry dogs eat, but it was also stressful to me, because even at Scooby, it is the survival of the fittest and the less dominate Galgos would hang back until the alpha dogs had their fill.  I would try to sneak food off into the corner for the less dominate Galgos, but Hans would laugh at me and tell me not to worry about it.  He said that once the alphas had eaten, the other Galgos would have their fill.  I think I believed him.

  Every morning, after I had scooped as much poop as I could possibly stand, I would hurry over to the room that had been set aside for the Galgos to be taken after their surgery.  They would be laid on a pad on the floor and I would cover them with a blanket and watch closely so I could ease the trachea tube out when they began to come out of the anesthesia.  I would run the trach tube next door to surgery so they could use it on the next dog.

  The joy I had in comforting these beautiful Galgos during this time was just absolutely overwhelming.  Some of them were so very sweet and literally would work their way into your lap for extra hugs and kisses and others were so wary of humans that they would try to scrunch as far away from you as they could get.  It was a mixture of extreme reactions from the dogs and extreme emotions from those of us who were there to help ease their suffering and treat them so they could be adopted into loving homes.

  We actually had a Galgo brought in that had been hung and left for dead by her owner.  She was discovered by a kind soul who brought her to Scooby.  The vet had to sew her neck back together since it had been severed down to the trachea.  But, when we left Scooby, this sweet little Galgo seemed to be flourishing. 

  One day ran into another and before we were anywhere near ready to leave, our time was up.  My body and mind are back in Nashville, Tennessee, but I truly left my heart at the Scooby camp in Medina.

The Lucky Ones....