Laila

 THANK YOU, SUPPORTERS! BECAUSE OF YOU WE COULD PROVIDE OUR EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FUND FOR LAILA!

Laila sat in the kill station hopeless  and all alone until Silvia Bordetas Gil of Galgo Connection Spain saw her and knew she could not turn away. Laila, a senior Podenca with a huge hernia hanging off her belly, alone, abandoned and sad waiting for help, waiting and waiting, until she was rescued!

GRIN heard about her dilemma and her need and has provided our Emergency Assistance Fund for her emergency surgery and spay. We know she now has hope and that in a short time Laila will be well and in time she will find a loving home.  She is now eating well, and wagging her tail! If you have a heart for seniors this is one for you!

 Thank you GRIN supporters, your generous donations have helped this sweet Podenca have a decent life and a happy future.

Larios Galgo Walk

Our Friend Vera Thorenaar Redderimg of Galgos en Familia Malaga, sends us these shots of some of her friends and some of her rescued Galgos on Calle Marques de Larios in Malaga Spain. This street is  a famous pedestrian avenue and main shopping  and walking area in the center of Malaga. What a better place than this to bring the beautiful Galgos who have been rescued and adopted in Spain for the public to see them as household pets. Things are changing in Spain slowly, and more and more small groups of Galgo lovers  are banding together to spread the word that Galgos make great companions! A monthly walk has been organized and we are so happy that positive events like this are taking hold. Keep up the good work friends!

Fiesta de los Galgos 4th Annual in Southern Spain

 G.R.I.N. would like to thank our supporters here in the U.S. who sent us collars and leashes for their table to raise funds. The donations went to help pay down her existing vet bill for the dogs she is now caring for and has been put to use already!  Thank You.

July 2, 2011.  News from Southern Spain from Char del Rio of 112CarlotasGalgos.

The 4th Fiesta de Galgos was “new to Fuengirola this year” a different turn and a different idea.  After 2 weeks of cloudy weather the 2 July was hit with 40º heat which made it incredibly hard for one and all to be without shade.

Opening at 10am, it was a slow start for one and all. A trainer we had booked Miguel was due to show his class at noon however came early with his students, the idea being he would do a demonstration of a class and then the visitors would be invited in to join in.  The heat beat that and sadly Miguel and his class decided to leave. With few people in the morning, he had other committments throughout the day. Greatful for their time, i was sorry to see them leave. However 2 members of his class returned and it was great to get to know them more. I thank them for their return and support for the galgos! 

As the day progressed we were joined by several protection societies and the numbers began to grow. The agility course in the tennis court was handmade by Dioni, it was fantastic, but the heat beat us and it couldnt be used.  It was wonderful to see Estibilitz who helped and brought her beloved IRU adopted some months ago, and Morena with her family Maria del Mar & Bartolmo.

I was proud to meet people from Malaga who support the galgos and who made time in their day for the fiesta. Being beaten by the heat everyone began to enjoy their drinks and tapas spending most of the afternoon relaxing in the shade accompanied by their dogs and getting to know people. My thanks to all who came since everyone bought something from the stand, and this went towards paying some of the enormous vet bill we have! After paying the food, the drinks, the bouncy castle we made a profit of 100€, this went straight to the vet! 

As time pased by we decided to bring some games up to the shade and have some fun there.  We brought just a few agility tools and had fun. Everyone who attended got a bag of chuches (doggie treats) and then we moved onto the dog with the waggiest tail.. to which again everyone was given a 112 carlota galgos rossette and we had 1st prize, 2nd and third. Everyone went home with something. our 2 guests from the class also went home with a special gift in thanks.

My deepest thanks go to all who supported by coming and spending the day with us, there are many who supported by offering items for the stand, THANKYOU SO MUCH!

Fuengirola Television came and last night went live, it was great to see everyone on the television, and the report mentioned the reasons why we rescue and the drastic abandonment of galgos. I felt proud that the Televsion came and thank them for their time.

Thanks to all for their support. Would you believe sunday it rained some!!! Next year The 5ª Fiesta de galgos will move to Autumn to beat the sun!

See ya in Fiesta!

In Galgo Affection, always, and deepest thanks to one and all for their support.

Personal thanks will be on my Blog to all who supported.

In Memory of Beloved PeTunya

 

PeTunya was an Irish Greyhound who had lived the hell racing in Spain. She was rescued by Scooby Shelter and lived the good life in Colorado. Here is what her Judy Greenfield and Will  say about this brave little girl. Run Free PeTunya.

PeTunya began life in Ireland and was sold in Spain to race. She was rescued by Scooby Medina shelter in 2006 when the Barcelona race track closed. She was friends with Prisa, our galga, at the shelter and arrived as a foster dog. We had no thoughts about keeping her but you guessed the rest. She blossomed over the five years she was with us, from a dog terrified of life, to a dog who loved food and affection and hiking and her family. Tunya had many greyt experiences with us and felt secure and comfortable at last. We grieve for our beautiful black and white girl and are so glad we decided to adopt her and offer her the best 5 years of her life.

The attached photo was taken last summer, while hiking in the Colorado mountains.  Tunya learned to love hiking.  She was in her element, exploring the outdoors.  In this photo, the snowfields behind her look like angel wings which I thought was fitting for our wonderful PeTunya. We are so glad that Scooby rescued PeTunya, that Fate and GRIN led her to us and that she chose us to adopt her!  Her body and psyche were so scarred, injured and neglected by her years as a racer in Spain.  It was so rewarding to take care of her medical and physical needs and to provide her with the enjoyable things in life like high quality food and treats, affection, brushing, walks and hikes and the security and comfort that all dogs crave.  

We miss you Tunya, our faithful hound.

G.R.I.N. STILL WORKING HARD FOR THE GALGOS!

Hello fellow supporters. Although our website took a few months to revamp, we are now happy to update you on our efforts since January.   We want you all to know that we have been hard at work as always and the following are some of the highlights since January.  Thank you so so much for your continued support so that many galgos and podencos lives are changed for the better!

1) Solvang Greyhound Gathering -  Solvang CA, February 2011. Telma Shaw did a Power Point Presentation on her Fall trip to Spain. It was very well received and a few exciting things are in the works because of it..updates to follow. Donations collected  went to help  several galgos who were in dire need. Thanks everyone who supported the event!

Dog Days Event - April 1, 2011 San Luis Obispo -  Laura White our newest volunteer  who came to Solvang just to hear about the galgos, coordinated this event in her home town and  set up a booth  in order to raise money so she can buy fleece to continue making coats for our galgos! Thank you Laura, Marci Jones and friends!!

3) Rocky and Marlo two Galgos come to the U.S.  April 20, 2011 - Thanks to Silva  Bordetas Gil of Galgo Connection Spain and Greyt Friends of GA who helped us bring these two Jerez Galgos to the U.S.  A great  team effort was accomplished and now Marlo is in Denver with Greyhound mom Kay Roberts of Colorado Greyhound Adoption. Rocky is in foster care with Greyt Friends for the time being. Both dogs doing fantastic!

4) Our Shelter Aid Funds and various donations went out to the following shelters Jan thru May 1) Galgo Connection Spain 2) Galgos en Familia 3) 112CarlotasGalos 4) Galgos del Sol 5) San Anton Shelter

5) EAF (Emergency Assitance Fund) helped 1) Scooby Medina shetler and the hundreds of dogs they received from Sevilla  and 2) Gran Familia with a special case of a hung galga. Julia is doing well now.

6) Hundreds of coats were sents to 1)San Anton shelter through  coat maker Barbara Bowen and to other shelters made by Nancy Nelson and Laura White. Many dogs stayed warm thanks to our hard working seamstresses! Coats, collars and leashes also sent to various smaller shelters through friends in Spain.

7) Scores of galgos were helped by receiving medical attention with the funding that was sent to the various associations and many galgos are now in forever homes  in Europe thanks to the help they received from our supporters!  Thank You so much..

Stay tuned for updates on Fundraisers in the future, our on-line auction later this summer and other exciting rescue stories from our friends in Spain.

Luna a Galga Helps Save Lives in the U.S.!

The following was sent by Mary Ann Moore about her Spanish Greyhound Luna. Thank you Mary Ann for article.

Luna, a Galga, was brought to Scooby Medina Shelter in Medina del Campo, along with  littermates shortly after they turned 6 weeks old.  Thanks to the tender loving care of Jacinta Kabel, Cathy Ingle, Diane Ward and of course Fermin Perez, she survived and made the long trip overseas to the USA.  She came to live with me in November of 2009, just as she turned 6 months old, and she has been a complete joy to me and all who have met her, living happily with her Greyhound companions. Now Luna has begun to give back to the canine community by becoming a blood donor. She was accepted into the program operated by the St. Louis Animal Blood Bank (SLABB) that supplies much needed blood to 4 area emergency clinics.  With her first donation, she supplied blood that will potentially save the lives of two dogs in need. The program asks that the owner commit to having the dog donate a maximum of every 3 months for a 2 year period. The actual draw is relatively quick; the blood is taken from the jugular (the short haired hounds do not even need to be shaved) and a quiet pump expedites filling up the small pint bag in minutes. Upon completion, food, water, many treats and much pampering is given by the vet techs. I was allowed to be with her the entire time; she never left my sight. Overall, I believe it is a good thing to do if your hound is accepted, alleviating the need to use shelter dogs for transfusions or keep a dog in a clinic specifically as a donor. Most greyhounds/sighthounds' blood type is negative, which is 'universal donor' in the world of dogs. In return, in addition to the satisfaction of knowing she will be a hero and possibly a life-saver for others, Luna will get a complete blood work-up yearly including heartworm test, at no charge, and all dogs in my household will receive a discount at any of the ER clinics should we ever need it. And she got a cute bandana, too! 

Pregnant Galgas Rescued!

After following this sad story of two two beautiful galgas used for breeding being left at the kill station by the galguero to meet their fate, they have been rescued! Maribel who is a fighter for the dogs that sit at the Jerez kill station did her usual, sending out pleas for these two lovely mamas to be.  A kill station is no place for them. The cream colored one is so close to her time, it was heartbreaking to see them there. Many good people were trying to help these two find a shelter. It is always so difficult knowing that there will not be two but maybe 10 more as well soon enough and to have the right set up for them, but the perfect temporary situation has been found with our friends Isabel and Isa of Fundacion Benjamin Mehnert in Sevilla. They will be taken to their new recovery center, to a clean and warm enviroment to have their little bundles of joy.  Maribel reports that the girls were inseperable when they were released and only wanted to be as close to each other as they could be. They will live and their puppies will be in a  warm and loving enviroment, not  in a cold, harsh, disease filled existence..thank you to all who offered to help. If anyone wants to help with a donation for the mamas and their babies, who will need vetting we will be happy to send the donation on to FBM..

Botanic Bow Wow in Denver Co. Raises Awareness!

Spring was late arriving in Denver, Colorado.  May was unusually cool, with atypical, steady rain for days.  Therefore, we held our breath for a break in the wet weather for the Botanic Bow Wow, held Saturday, May 21^st .  Ultimately, the weather cooperated; Saturday was mostly sunny, breezy – and dry!

Botanic Bow Wow, a new, dog-centric event at the Denver Botanical Gardens, attracted a variety of vendors, dog rescue groups and information booths.  GRIN was fortunate to secure the last available space in the event.  

The Botanic Bow Wow was held on the upper level parking structure at the gardens.  Much as we would have liked to be amidst the blooming plants, we know from experience that dogs and fancy gardens don’t mix!  

Although we had GRIN themed articles to sell, a PowerPoint presentation and plenty of literature, the real attention-grabbers were the galgos, podencos and Pyrenean shepherd* themselves.  We were so fortunate that Esperanza, Poco, Prisa, Lexi and the Nuggets (Quito and Cervantes) attended the event.  It was plain to see that interacting with the dogs really brought home to the public the  message about the sad fate of sighthounds and other dogs in Spain.  And each one of our ambassadogs had quite a story to tell.  The GRIN booth had a fair amount of traffic and some interesting responses, such as one woman, a member of WSPA, who was going to write and tell the organization to investigate the situation of the galgos and another who offered to write about the dogs in a local newspaper.  Although donations were modest, we felt we had helped to fulfill GRIN’s mission to educate the public.  Hopefully, too, attendees will visit the GRIN website and become more involved, perhaps adding their voices to campaigns, donating money and supplies and even adopting or sponsoring one of these special dogs. 

A  warm thanks to Christie, Kim, Gail, Jennifer, Eric, Kay and a special thanks to Paula who knocked together a beautiful “Galgo Rescue” banner at the 11^th hour and located a canopy for us.  And to the dogs who speak volumes with their soulful eyes.

*Lexi, from RECAL, once thought to be a terrier mix, was discovered by Paula to be a Pyrenean shepherd….but that’s another story!

G.R.I.N. Sends E.A.F. Donation for Julia and Luisa

Julia and Luisa Recover at Shelter

 The Story of Julia and Luisa is one that was brought to our attention. Julia the white galga escaped death from being hung. No one knows how she broke loose, but she did and was spotted running in the streets in a village for weeks enduring the pain from the  horrific damage to the skin tissue all around her neck. She was so frightened that she could not be caught and still had the hang mans noose  inbedded in her neck.  It was reported that she  would run and in running would step on the noose and scream from the pain. I know this is hard to read, but when we heard about all this little galga had endured we wanted to help her. She was finally caught by the good rescuers of Gran Familia in Sevilla and taken immediately to the vet. Her injury was so bad they could not even operate to close the gaping wound all around her neck. The only recourse was daily wound care. With medication needed and daily treatments the cost of her treatment was soaring for this shelter. At the same time Gran Familia took in an emaciated little galga with a horrible skin condition, her name is Luisa. Two sweet galgas now safe but with medical needs. G.R.I.N. send an EAF (Emergency Assistance Donation) for their care. The two girls are now at the residency recovering their ordeals and each day trusting more and more. We wish them well and we will update on their progress. Thanks to our donors we could help Gran Familia to help them!

Hundreds of Coats Sent to Spain!

Coat Makers Step Up to the Plate! Hundres of Coats Shipped to Spain

G.R.I.N. would like to thank all the people who have donated coats to our friends in Spain over the years.  Hundreds of Galgos and Podencos have suffered less this winter and spring because of you! We would like to mention three of our seamstresses for without them, we could not keep a continuous flow of coats going to where they are needed, and without our supporters we would not have the funds to ship them either. So thank you everyone!!

First of all our friend coat maker Nancy Nelson on the East Coast has kept the coats coming box after box for months on end! Nancy we thank you for your dedication. Here are a few of her coats that have gone to shelters in Southern Spain like Galgos en Familia and 112Carlotasgalgos and to Valencia to Galgo Connection Spain.

 We also would like to thank our two newest coat makers, Barbara Bowman who has organized sewing circles to make coats with all her friends, even organizing a Mother's Day sewing marathon!! Thanks to Barbara shelter San Anton in Villamartin has been able to keep their galgos warm and in style!

 Finally we would like to thank our newest coat maker on the West Coast, Laura White who tells GRIN she was inspired to do something to help the galgos after she viewed the presentation at Solvang Greyhound Gathering, She immediately drove home from the gathering and sewed a coat and brought it back the next day to show Telma Shaw the coat she had made to make sure it would be a good fit  for a galgo! Since then she has involved the teens she works with to cut coats, raised money to buy fleece and showcased G.R.I.N. and the plight of the Galgos at a Dog Event in her home town!! Way to go Laura and her friends who help her sew!