The unbearable ordeal of the Galgos in Spain.

Article updated today.

A few months ago, we reported the horrific discovery made by the Spanish Guardia Civile: a mass grave filled with dozens of dead dogs most likely in indescribable conditions of cruelty and suffering. We then asked ourselves the question of whether horror has limits and whether human cruelty is not directly inspired by the devil himself.

Beyond this terrible discovery, we again wish to highlight the fate of these dogs who live a real martyrdom. The reality is all the sadder that despite the work of all the militant organizations in favor of animal rights, press articles and reports, the situation has not changed.

Reminder of the facts of the time: the discovery just made by the Nature Protection Service of the Spanish Civil Guard is a new illustration of this.

The facts reported by the authorities took place in Cuenca, a municipality in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha.

They discovered a mass grave in which there were dozens of dead hunting dogs. The first observations made it possible to establish that the dogs were thrown intentionally. The different stages of decomposition of the dogs suggest that this place has been used by hunters for several years. Authorities report that “ animal corpses were found locked in plastic bags. Obviously, the dogs were thrown from the top of the chasm, and left at the bottom of the pit from which they cannot come out, where they died of hunger and thirst, when they were not killed by the fall. or beaten to death first. »

To fully understand the ordeal suffered by these dogs known as Galgos, we must understand their "usefulness". In Spain, hare hunting with greyhounds is an ancient tradition, and every hunter breeds his greyhounds to use them. They are, in fact, no more important than a hunting tool.

The Galgos France association, which collects injured animals in order to find them a place to live with dignity, explains to us the journey of a Galgo in Spain: "At the end of each hunting season in Spain, there are thousands of these sweet and magnificent dogs who are, like every year, sacrificed, abandoned, killed by slow hanging (according to the method of the pianist), burned alive, mutilated, and worse still.
The luckiest are taken in by the shelters, which have to deal with a massive influx of dogs, often requiring care, and thereby generating substantial costs. The others will end up dying in a corner, or picked up by the Civil Guard and taken to the "perreras", unsanitary pounds where they will be gassed after 14 days, the legal waiting period, without any treatment (sometimes with broken limbs) and without any chance of being offered for adoption.
The mistreatment that accompanies abandonment is linked to pride, for a dog that has hunted badly dishonors its owner, and this affront must be washed away with blood, resulting in a slow and painful death .

You should know that the legislation in force in Spain on animal rights would not be applied to the owners of Galgos. The "contempted" pride of the hunter whose dog(s) did not hunt up to the owner's requirements, would authorize the latter to punish his dog(s) by torturing them and imposing their death he chooses, the Galgo however undergoing his fate and sometimes even returning to his master, amputated, blinded...

The status of this dog is almost zero in Spain. He therefore does not benefit from any protection like other pets.

Every year, thousands of these dogs are abandoned, tortured, mutilated and killed by their masters, with complete impunity.

Obviously, the disastrous discovery of the Civil Guard is one of these dumps in which the hunters come to get rid of their dogs without being seen or worried. Judging by the number of corpses and the choice of a very difficult to access area, it's a safe bet that the place was notorious within the hunting community.

One would like such horrors to be heavily punished, but one cannot help but doubt it. We know the weight that traditions can have, even if they are synonymous with so much stupidity and barbarism. These practices are known to everyone and nevertheless, they still exist today.

However, Carolina Rey, spokesperson for the Spanish animal defense association Hogar de Paz (Home of Peace), said she would file a complaint and prosecute the perpetrators of these despicable acts.

This article is an opportunity for the team of this newspaper on the one hand, to warmly thank all the people working within the associations in order to provide care and assistance to their dogs and on the other hand, to denounce such cruelty. failing to understand it.