The terrible fate of royal dogs

“My husband is a Spaniard,” says Oksana Mammadova, “and when I told him that I was going to give an interview with Radio Liberty, he asked me: why? And I replied: I want the whole world to know how the Spaniards relate to Galgo and Podenko.”

Middle Eastern greyhounds appeared in Europe in the VIII century BC. e., now their descendants are called Podenko in Spain. In the 9th century, the Moors brought another related breed of hunting dogs-Galgo, it was appreciated by European aristocrats, and in the Fontaineblet Palace you will find canvases of the animalist Jean-Batista Udi, who depicted the beloved Galgo of Louis XV.

Favorite Galgo Louis XV. Picture of Jean-Batista Udi

Electronic chips are cut out with a knife so that you cannot find the owner

It is hard to believe that in the 21st century in Spain, these beautiful and delicate dogs treat shocking cruelty. Every spring, when the hunting season ends, thousands of Galgo and Podenko are either kicked out into the street or killed in brutal ways: tied in the forest, so that the dog dies from hunger, hung, thrown into deep pits and even dissolve in acid. They are thrown out on the highway, broken paws so that the dog does not find the way home. Electronic chips are cut out with a knife so that it is impossible to find the owner. Terrible photos of exhausted, wounded, crippled greyhounds can be found on the resources of the zoo defenders. The authors of the Galgonews website give such numbers: every year 100 thousand Galgo and Podenko are thrown out into the street, and 75 thousand are killed.

Galgoloro hunters value only young dogs, two-year-olds are not so briskly running around the game, they get rid of them and take new ones from the breeders. "Used" dogs can be bought for pennies : from one to ten euros.

“We have aSeprona police that protect animals, they record about 10 thousand murders of dogs per year, but you can safely add another 30–40%. Perhaps 75–80 thousand is an exaggeration, but there are a lot of 15–20 thousand every year,” says Oksana Mammadova.

By the end of the training, they are simply smeared on asphalt

Oksana is well aware of the zoo defenders in Russia, she helps to save homeless animals: before the football championship of dogs, mercilessly exterminated in cities where the fans will come. But in Valencia, on the coast of Costa Blanca, where Oksana has been living since 2011, no less problems. "The matter is not only in the hunt, there is still running, because they run up to Lemenko at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour. When they conduct training, they are tied to the car with bundles, 30-50 dogs-someone stumbled, someone had a convulsion-by the end of training they are simply smeared on asphalt."

Why does the police do not arrest those who are engaged in such barbarism? Since 1997, there has been a European law on animal protection. But in Spain there is an amendment lobbied by hunters. Hunting dogs are not considered pets that the state protects. They are the same Arsenal of the hunter as weapons. “When the hunter receives a hunting license, he automatically acquires the right to have several dogs of the Podenko or Galgo breed, and you can do anything with them. They do not track their vaccinations, do not track whether they are chipped, they don’t track how they eat. If I take such a dog, it is considered a home, and if a hunter takes it,” explains Oksana Mamedova.

In 2018, the Yo Galgo documentary was released: the authors gave the floor to hunters and zoo defenders and talked about the conditions in which they live Galgo, who almost do not feed, do not treat and throw it away when they stop running.

Since this is a "tradition", bulls are excluded from the law on animal protection. The same with hunting dogs

“The Bulls of the Bulls are an obvious mockery of animals, but this is a tradition in Spain. And what happens? In the country of the European Union, there is a“ cultural tradition ”, and the European Union takes into account it: since this is a“ tradition ”, bulls are excluded from the law on animal protection. The same with hunting dogs. The new law of 2017 limits the abuse of animals, but if you obscure the fight of bulls and the hunting of bulls “Cultural traditions,” there is a reservation in the law: hunting dogs and bulls are displayed for its framework. Otherwise, there will be a big problem: all hunters and organizers of the Corrida will have to be fine! A flight, ”says Maria Teresa Garcia Rodriguez , organizer of the campaign in defense of Galgo, living on the island of Tenerife.

In many European cities, marches are held in support of Galgo, the day of protection of this breed is celebrated on February 1. But one gets the impression that this problem worries this problem more than the Spaniards. “We have a lot of private shelters on we,” says Oksana Mammadova, “but the Dutch, Belgians, the French are holding them, and the municipal shelter was monstrous, they just put up the dogs, and we achieved its closure.”

"Galgo in the landscape." Picture of Jean-Batista Udri, 1746

I fell in love with these dogs and told myself that at least one Galgo should save

The owner of one of the shelters in Valencia Malgozhat Zakrevsk, takes care of 40 Galgo. One of her dogs, a one -year -old boy named a step and now lives in Moscow, with the couturier of Elena Suprun. Elena helps animals, gave her kimono for auction, the revenue from which she went to buy food and drugs for dogs living in shelters in Germany. “I sewed a coat specifically for Galgo, because these are very long and tall dogs, they have special sizes, you won’t buy clothes for them in the store. I was sent patterns, and I made a manto for the fall,” says Elena Suprun . “I had a favorite leverage, which I took when they wanted to put it up for 11 years and died from old age. And when I saw it from old age. And when I saw it from old age. A photograph of Galgo, it was my Paulina, only three times more.

The pregnant mother saved their steps from hunters, she was terribly exhausted, weighed only 15 kg. She gave birth to nine puppies, the steps were the weakest, sick, but he managed to go out. In Moscow, he feels great.

Elena Suprun and steps

"The steps are very smart, very contact, loving boy. Of course, you need to walk a lot with him. We found a beautiful platform on the Sparrow Hills, walk three times a day for an hour. He calmly walks on a leash, does not seek to run away, but it is still dangerous to let him go, because if he sees a moving target, he will run away, and then he will not be famous for the galgo. To the expanses, but, to my happiness, he does not know what hunting was at first, he was a little cramped, but he quickly got used to it, ”says Elena Suprun.

Many reference books, and Wikipedia says that Spanish hunting dogs cannot live in apartments. “This is complete nonsense!” Is sure Oksana Mammadova. “These are home, sofa dogs. That is why they are killed: when they are two years old, they no longer want to run and hunt.”

Podenko puppy who lives with Oksana Mamedova

Oksana Mamedova lives in a Lisko Lisa. The puppy was found on the road shot down by the car, operated on and saved. From the blow, he had deep necrosis of the muscles on his back. "This is an elegant, affectionate, intelligent dog. Lemenko has a very good immunity, they do not melt and smell wonderful vanilla." Now Oksana takes care of the shelter of another dog, which the hunters threw away, breaking his knee so that he would not return home. Soon there will be an operation, and there is a hope that the knee will be able to cure. "This is an unreal dog. She hugs me, kisses me. Now I dream of taking Galgo for myself."

Nine -year -old Galgo named Joanna has been living in Cologne for several months with journalist Ekaterina Drobyazko .

It is necessary to kill with special perversion, so that the shame of the hunter is washed away by the blood of the dog

"The artist Anna Friedman hung a video about Galgo on her Facebook page , I drew attention to numerous communities in Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, starting with the word Galgo, and began to help. For example, to urgently redeem the hunter, who brought him to euthanize. Or urgently send a penny to repair the paws of another galgo, torn The hunter of on January 27, the son of Galgo Marsh in Cologne, came to the demonstration of more than 600 dogs, mainly Galgo and Podenko. Galgo, pierced by the owner of the owner, about the food of the owner and dumped in the pit, for the fact that they did not show themselves, so it is a shame for the boats in front of the boys Absolutely amazing people brought, the dogs were taken carefully or carried in their arms ... By the way, the current owners of Noah found me on Facebook and sent photos of her, already grown and happy. "

The founders of the Galgonews website are proud that they manage to find the owners for 600 dogs every year. Zooprodists emphasize that you need to not buy dogs from breeders, but take from shelters. But this is not an easy procedure. Ekaterina Drobyazko talks about how Joanna was in her house:

Joanna

"I decided to take an unpromising for many a nine -year -old dog. Volunteers complain that some set the requirements to be young, healthy and cheerful, and so that there are no scars. And as without scars, if the hunters cut out the chips from the shoulder, break their legs, hang on trees or dragged on the car along the road: I saw blind dogs on" Galgo-march ”because pieces of asphalt penetrated deep into the eyes.

Each volunteer community sends a questionnaire in which you describe your living conditions. And they are trying to find a dog for you under them. If there is no garden with a two -meter fence - since the active Galgo from the place, as if on the springs, take a large height - it is necessary to “run out” of the dog on special sites.

I don’t have a garden with a fence, I wrote in profiles, we live in the city, we want to take the dog everywhere with us. And from different volunteer communities I was refused. Or it was necessary to wait for a dog from Spain, which will first be settled in a foster family, adapt and understand whether we are good for each other or not. Or they put me in the queue of many people to take a “dog that can live alone and in the city”. Many dogs do not have this experience, they cannot climb the stairs, are afraid of the noise of the engines, do not know how to ask for the street.

And then a phone call was heard: "Hello, my name is Walter, you were interested in Galgo? We will come in a week." And the holy people came - the volunteers Walter and his charming wife Helga. Walter holds out the phone, and I see how bright orange cribs are standing throughout the living room, in each one sleeps along a multi -colored Galgo. Suddenly someone in the crib scratched. Yes, this is a camera of online situations, says Walter, because one of the dogs is very old and falls, then you need to urgently go to raise it.

On that day, Walter and his wife decided that Joanna’s dog was suitable for us, she already lives in the city, accustomed to walking and can calmly live in the apartment, as she now does in a foster family in Bavaria.

Joanna is all in scars, wiped strips from the rope on the neck

Joanna is 9 years old, and she has twice as much sorrow, because someone caught her in Spain and transported her to Germany, where he began to mock. Volunteers have known her since May 2017, when the police confiscated her and two other dogs from bad people for cruelty.

Joanna's new owners

Joanna is all in scars, wiped strips from the rope on her neck. At the sight of people with bales or rattling bottles in carts, she stands on his hind legs and growls. She howled at night at first, without waking up, but shakes and cries in a dream and still. Eva, in whom she lived before us, says, it is necessary to wake up and comfort how she comforts her dogs, from the nightmares that they survived. So we do. "

Ivan Khabensky and Galgo

To save Podenko and Galgo, we need funds and participation in the campaign with the demand to introduce them into the register of animals protected by law. Here is one of these appeals . Ekaterina Drobyazko says that the son of Konstantin Khabensky Vanya handed over to the charity organization to save Galgo 200 euros, which he was presented for his birthday. "You can send money to volunteers, in each community on FacEBOOK there is a" sacrifice "button, or subscribe to donations of 1 euro per month: for example, through the Internet I bought for dogs from Loli Kantero's shelter, all this is done in one click, and then they send you a video as a truck goes to Spain, and you know that somewhere in it is your belts and food for it for a bastard Posov with patients with Spanish dog shelters is not a solution to the problem, since the hunter will divorce the same new ones in return for the same new ones!

This is the main problem: while legally there is such sadistic entertainment as hunting, animal suffering is inevitable. The participant in Barcelona "Galgo-Marsha " Lyubava Malyshev , who lives in Barcelona, recalls the story of the killer diplomat Alexander Shilin, which she told in the article " Sadist from Smolensk Square ". Shilin, who was enjoying killing Hippo and other animals and photographed with their corpses, shot his familiar and four -year -old daughter in Moscow in May 2017.

Juan Carlos renounced the throne in 2014, but retained the king's title

Alas, the King of Spain Juan Carlos is among the hunters. In 2006, his hunt in Russia ended with a scandal. "The falsifiers sacrificed a good -natured and cheerful bear nicknamed Mitrofan, held at the recreation center in the village of Novovansky. The bear was put in a cage and brought to the hunting place. After that, it was generously drunk with vodka mixed with honey and pushed it to the field. Naturally, a heavy drunken animal became a slight target. His Majesty Huang Carlis. He laid Mitrofan from one shot, ” said Sergey Starostin, deputy head of the regional department for the protection and development of hunting resources . In 2012, another scandal: the king decided to hunt elephants in Botswan, which cost the treasury of 30 thousand euros .

Hunting is a crime for which the whole society is paying

"How many news about the adventures of high -ranking hunters! Prince Harry poses with a corpse of a buffalo, King Harald catches salmon, King Juan Carlos hunts elephants, and a little Spanish prince, practicing his weapon, shoots himself. Putin loves to shoot. It seems that the hunt is normal and even compulsory for the state leader. The hierarchies must be demonstrated, to kill the Arsenal from the helicopter. The arguments of the defenders Galgo, ”Lubava Malysheva thinks.

Can the murder of animals be considered a "cultural tradition"? This is absurd, but this is how the current law represents the situation. It is very difficult to fight the powerful international hunters, there were even direct clashes in which the police intervened.

EU inhabitants are on supporting torment and murder of animals

“We are now as in war. It turns out that the taxes of the EU residents are going to support the torment and murder of animals! But it is difficult to interrupt this vicious circle, despite the fact that there are a lot of people in Spain against Corrida and Hunting. We need to be sure that other European countries are also with us, against the financial support of Corrida and hunting. When all this is understood? So says Maria Teresa Garcia Garcia Rodriguez.

And Oksana Mamedova is preparing for the next march in defense of Galgo. "Sooner or later, this mockery of dogs will end, and I want to survive until this day."