HISTORY: Amigos de los Galgos is an association for animal protection  born in 1998, firstly formed by a group of people living in the North of Madrid, in the neighbourhood of slums populated with gypsies and scrap dealers. We began going  there to give routine as well as medical care to so many roaming neglected dogs and cats that wandered  among rubbish dumps or scrap heaps in extremely poor conditions: starving, full of ticks, mutilated, injured, etc. The spectacle there  was desolating. Some had even less chance : The Galgos.

Gypsies and scrape merchants settled there, were both fascinated to use galgos for hunting rabbits or hares. Whereas dogs there could roam free at their ease, so that we could approach them , though not easily, for vaccinations, healing and even love them, we discovered that galgos were not at our reach and endured an indescribable cruelty in their daily life. They were locked in unhealthy and dungeon like cement holes tied with short leashes in hiding places to avoid being stolen. In this manner life of galgos passed by. Only taken outdoors for “working” (chasing ) or undergoing intensive trials, being deprived of food during some days so as to get better performance at hunting. In the cold rainy winter, since they were Kept in humidity, distemper developed very easily causing heavy death toll especially among puppies. Occasionally we noticed galgos missing and after desperate searching some were found dead shot in a nearby dump.

In that atmosphere our sensibility towards galgos woke up. We realized that they were the worst abused creatures among all those unfortunate animals we met. Shortly afterwards, media were spreading shameful images and news of galgos hanging and ill-treatment in many other ways. Some of us working as volunteers in a refuge in Toledo, typical hunting area, also witnessed dreadful cases, by the appalling state in which galgos were left overnight at the refuge’s gate.

In 1999, we  contacted associations abroad devoted to galgo welfare in Spain and willing to help the most unhappy among the unhappy.

We want to stand out the affectionate side that these divine creatures -despite all their suffering- offer us, against the merciless use that unscrupulous people make of them ,as racers, for the prosperous racing industry or ,as eternal hunters, forcing them to pursue the prey to exhaustion, only to “reward” them with the abandonment or death. If you look deeply in their eyes  you can never forget the gratitude they show, as well as its extreme tenderness, elegance and delicacy which are the special features of the galgos.

THE DRAMA OF SPAIN :Cruelty and animal abuse are deeply rooted in the culture of this country, supreme seat of the savage and atrocious “Fiesta Nacional”, which enjoys the consent even the attendance of government dignitaries. In this cultural background, you cannot expect other behaviour that brutality towards animals practiced only for amusement of populace, as in the past, showing no respect for the dignity and rights of animals as sentient beings. To inflict violence on animals for fun is underlying in a great part of  Spanish rough common people. An horrifying example of this are village festivities events, closely related to animal torture ,year after year, even now in the very XXI century. Regretfully, official institutions authorize all these barbaric scenes and even promote them.

Whereas, we, sensitive people feel powerless and indignant and live our everyday life filled with bitterness as we are harassed everywhere with animal cruelty scenes, as in a nightmare, most people remain impassive and say :“They are only animals to our service“. In this framework, where animal torture is embedded in Spanish socio-cultural activities, takes place the tragedy of galgos being these  one of the main victims.

The media, anxious for crude and morbid stories show us some pictures of brutality against galgos disclosing the tragedy to the general public -pictures which are most disgusting and you can hardly put up with –there is immediate reaction of refusal by spectators, but its is all, and no official action follows to stop these shameful events.