Mary-Anne

Educational Booklet - Visit by Mada

We were very pleased to welcome Mada and her husband Rafa to the GIN office in Wraysbury last month. Mada runs the RECAL  refuge in Almendralejo and  although we have worked with her for many years now taking galgos she has been able to rescue, we had never met.

We are able to offer financial help to Mada to enable her  rescued galgos to be tested, treated if necessary, and transported to Pep’s kennels in Barcelona.   Pep continues their preparation for homing by carrying out sterilisations etc.

The majority of galgos we take from Mada are homed in France and Switzerland, thanks to the adoption groups we work with in these   countries. However, we bring a few galgos to the UK and it was lovely for Mada and Rafa to meet Mary-Anne again.

Mary-Anne, originally from RECAL, came to the UK in 2009 and has been adopted by Geraldine and Tom. Geraldine is a volunteer and helps us in the GIN office. Mary-Anne comes to work with her and looks forward to meeting Lurchy and usually manages to make herself comfortable in his bed  - he gets his own back by pinching her biscuits when she is not looking!

As well as rescuing galgos in her local area Mada organises exhibitions and events to raise awareness of the plight of the galgos and also to  encourage people to regard them more as pets and offer them a home.

She is very keen to help us with our Educational booklet and has already enlisted interest and support from other refuges and schools in and around  the Extremadura region of Spain.

Mada came to the UK to meet us to discuss the booklet which is aimed at young schoolchildren, in an attempt to instil in them an understanding of the needs of all animals as sentient beings and also a realisation of the dire plight of Spanish galgos. The experience of many animal welfare groups teaches us that it is to the rising generation that we must turn if any lasting good is to be achieved.

We are all excited about the launch of this booklet and are very grateful to Mada for the work she has already done in Spain to help get this project off the ground and also for her enthusiasm and ideas for the future.

Mada, Martin and Geoffrey at GIN, Wraysbury	Rafa, Mada, Geraldine and Mary-Anne