b"GalgoEspaol,orSpanish water, they were looked down upon as owners belong to small racing clubs,Greyhound astheyarecommonly trashbythegeneralpopulation. which regularly organize their cours-known,andthePodenco(which Through education and recent aware- ings. They are all eager to be the bestmeans hound in Spanish) are members ness campaigns that confront the bar- inSpain.Toaccomplishthis,theyoftheSighthoundgroup(dogsthat barity, the breed has recently become must win the Copa de Su Majestad elhunt by sight and speed instead of by more popular among hipster commu- Rey (cup of the king) in the final of thescentandendurance).Despitetheir nitiesandcitydwellersinnorthern Spanish coursing championship.similarphysicalcharacteristics,the Spain. Not only has it become a nor- GalgosareintelligentdogswhoGalgoisnotrelatedtothe malsitetoseepeoplewalkingtheir learnthegameofhunting.TheEnglish/Irish Greyhound. Many theo- Greyhoundsinthestreet,itisnow hunters,knownasgalgueros,haveriesplace the lineage of the Spanish something fashionable. established certain rules for hunting,and a Galgo may pay dearly with itslife if any of those rules are broken.For example, if a Galgo takes a short-cuttocatchthehare,itisgoingagainst those rules, and dishonors thegalguero.Insomecaseshunterswillseverelypunishtheirdogsforthisbehavior,again,believingthatthedog's descendants will learn from it.Today, the practice of using hunt-ing dogs to kill prey in an open field isprohibited everywhere else in Europeexcept Spain. Under Article 13 of theLisbon Treaty, there is an exception forprohibitingcertainformsofanimalcruelty that are part of cultural tradi-tions,religiousritesandregionalheritage.GalgosareexemptfromanimalrightslegislationinSpainBeautiful Irony: Radar, a rescued Galgo Espaol who once chased hares to kill, becausetheyareworkingdogs,notcuddles with a stuffed rabbit. considered a family pet. (This is simi-lar to the legal status of dogs in theGalgowithdescendantsoftheIrish However,rescuingGalgosin United States, where they are consid-Greyhound, bred with the Sloughi or distress is not always easy or possible. eredpropertymoreakintoinani-Deerhound. All specifically created to Weallknowthatsomeonewhois mate objects than living beings.)*huntrabbitandhare.Therearea cruel to an animal can become violent Once the hunter feels his Galgo isnumberofdifferentPodencotypes towards people, said Anna Clements, of no use to him, he is allowed to dis-(atleasteight)butonlytheIbizan theco-founderanddirectorofSOS card and/or destroy the dog, as if sheHound is recognized by the American Galgos. Andunfortunately,hunting werenomorethanabrokentool.Kennel Club. iswidespreadandpopularinrural According to animal advocates work-InmedievalSpain,theGalgo areas of Spain, so dealing with hunters ing to change the laws in Spain, andEspaolwasacompanionofthe is very unpleasant.rescue groups such as SOS Galgos andSpanisharistocracy.Spainsnational Originally, hare hunting was done GalgosdelSol,anestimated50,000hero,DiegoDiazdeViva(ElCid), only as a means for food. Later it was Galgos and Podencos are abandoned,usedGalgohoundsforhunting. organizedasasport,thesocalled mistreated or killed each year. Galgos were held in such great esteem carrerasdecampoorfieldraces. Once the hunting season is over,atthetime,thatifstolen,thethief Courage,powerandhuntingtech- whichrunsfromNovembertopaid the penalty with his life. niques of the dogs are evaluated. The February, many of the dogs are eitherInrecentyears,withsomany traditionandrulesofsuchcompeti- abandoned, killed or maimed. It onceGalgos ending up as street dogs, mis- tionscanberetracedtotheRoman was tradition to kill the dogs by hang-erably roaming in search of food and Empire. Today, many Spanish Galgo ing them from trees.gContinued on next pagewww.TheNewBarker.com THE NEW BARKER 45"