by Lori Kalef, SPCA International Staff
Those were the words being chanted on the weekend of June 9th, when our friends at SOS Galgos took to the streets of Barcelona for a 3-kilometer march in protest against the cruelty inflicted upon the Spanish Greyhounds.
The 3rd annual demonstration began the previous day in Strasbourg, France with two other French Greyhound rescues: CREL (Club de reconnaissance et entraide des levriers) and Le Relais des Vips Off Courses, in efforts to educate the public, gain greater worldwide attention and to increase pressure on the government to create laws that will protect these majestic creatures. Currently, it is estimated that more than 60,000 dogs a year are barbarically slaughtered and disposed of post hunting season when the Spanish hunters have deemed them useless.
Buried in trash bags alive, hung by trees and thrown into ditches and wells, the Spanish Greyhounds, known as “Galgos” are treated by the hunting culture as a tool rather than a living being.
In the last couple of years, SPCAI has been working with SOS Galgos who are tirelessly working around the clock for the dignity of the “Galgo” and we are making great strides. This past March marked an especially memorable time in history for the Spanish Greyhounds. SPCA International and SOS Galgos, along with other animal protection organizations in Europe, met with the Spanish Congress of Deputies in Madrid to lobby on behalf of all the voiceless Greyhounds. Two solid hours were dedicated to nothing but the welfare of the hunting dogs in Spain in hopes of one day passing laws forbidding this cruel practice.
The day following the demonstrations, SOS Galgos along with friends from Galgos Sin Fronteras, another astounding Spanish Greyhound rescue, submitted a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture in Madrid demanding some of the proposals that were discussed at Congress in March.
Photos courtesy of Gloria Comellas.
