New Shelter for Galgos en Familia

I will be braving the shave on the evening of 14th April 2021 in an effort to raise funds to help Galgos en Familia's dream of a new shelter become a reality.

I have supported this phenomenal rescue since launching Project Galgo in 2020 and soon after, adopted my own beautiful Galgo boy Pirata. 

For those of you who don't know, Galgos and Podencos are among the most persecuted of breeds and suffer unimaginable torture at the hands of their masters, 'Galgueros.' Every year, they are not just culled, but tortured to death in the most horrifying of ways. And we are not just talking about a few, or even a few hundred, but well over 50,000.  

The reasoning of the Galgueros is that by torturing and killing the dogs they wash away the dishonour the dogs displayed that brought shame to their masters. In reality, the practice is simply an exercise in sadism that involves burning the dogs with acid, dragging them behind cars, tying to train tracks, sacrificing them to fighting dogs, skinning or burying them alive (sometimes under rocks). Galgos have been found with their eyes torn out or bottled to death. Very often decomposing Galgos are found down 60 foot wells, having been thrown down by their ‘master.’ Some are literally thrown into the garbage. There are also the Galgos tied up with chains, or who have their limbs intentionally broken, so they cannot return 'home.' One Galgo had been found and someone had gone at it with a pin hammer on the back of its head. Another group of Galgos had been ‘waterboarded’ with petrol. A Galgo puppy of only a few months sadly lost her fight – her body was totally poisoned. Her name was Bruma.

Galgos en Familia is a non profit organization in Malaga-Spain, who rescue hunting dogs, galgos, podencos and other breeds from horrific lives they have endured with hunters.

Approximately 275 dogs are rescued and adopted through this amazing rescue per year which means that they continuously renew with new rescues. Their current shelter holds approximately 35 dogs and they also use about 20  local foster homes to accommodate the vast number of dogs needing help. At times they have up to 90 dogs including 10 to 15 in the Male Galgos Project who are placed in dog residencies. 
At the moment they rent a place for 800€ per month. The place is almost perfect. Has 9000m2 but it is "almost" because of the huge problem of flooding in heavy rainfall. In 2016 disaster hit and they had to rescue all their dogs with boats. They were in the water up to their necks and if we would have arrived there later they would have drowned.
So now every time the predictions are heavy rains, as a necessary precaution, they must take the dogs out to foster homes and dog residencies just in case and that is a real nightmare for the volunteers and the dogs.
So it is now time to buy their own land in a non flooding area which they have found.
It is just perfect - flat, fenced, water and electricity and close in proximity so that our needed volunteers can still be involved.
Once they have the land, they can start work on the kennels.
It is their dream, after so many years, to have a safe shelter for our beloved rescue dogs.
But they need your help to be able to purchase it and make it happen,
We hope you join us in this endeavor. Thank you for your support!

Please please support this worthy cause - united we can achieve so much - be a part of this fundraiser, be a part of history, be a voice for the Galgo.