Source : LévrierSansFrontières
Why are these dogs being abused?
In Spain, Galgos and Podencos are used primarily for hare coursing, a controversial sport where packs of dogs race across the countryside or an enclosed track and attempt to catch a fleeing rabbit. Coursing enthusiasts – known as galgueros or hunters – host competitions throughout the fall and winter. The bloodsport, a national pastime in Spain, has been banned throughout the rest of Europe.
Dogs that perform well are held in high regard. But siring a champion coursing dog is akin to finding a diamond in the rough. For this reason, the dogs are massively and irresponsibly overbred by the galgueros. Galgueros typically take the pick of the litter to train as coursers and casually discard the rest of the puppies, either abandoning them or killing them outright.
Dogs selected for the sport undergo rigorous training. Drill methods are often cruel and barbaric. For instance, to train a pack for maximum speed, the dogs are sometimes tied behind a vehicle and then forced to run for miles. Animals that can’t keep up or fall down rarely survive the ordeal. The dogs are often chained outdoors, where they are fed enough just to keep them alive, the idea being that ravenous coursers make better competitors.
Dogs that don’t perform well are discarded. Even top dogs are rarely kept for more than two or three hunting seasons before being discarded in favor of younger specimens. Activists estimate that upwards of 45,000 Galgos are killed each year.
In addition to the staggering attrition rates, Galgos and Podencos also face unmatched cruelty of another sort. In galguero culture, a dog that doesn’t perform well is considered to have brought shame upon its owner. A galguero sometimes will torture such an animal to death in order to save face. Hangings are commonplace. Other methods of execution involve drowning, burning and dousing with acid.
Learn more about Galgo abuse here.