The Controversial Case of Greyhounds in Spain

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WARNING: This article includes graphic descriptions of animal abuse.

The greyhound, or galgo in Spanish, was one of the first dog breeds to be domesticated by human beings; images depicting these elegant animals have been found in carvings and statues in tombs in ancient Egypt. They arrived in what is now modern-day England with the Celts in approximately the fifth century BCE, and in Spain the following century. Since then, their physiognomy has changed very little; they are characterized by their long, slim frames and sleek heads.

The greyhound is known to be one of the fastest land animals in the world, and can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour (43.5 MPH). When used for hunting, dogs are trained to chase and capture a rabbit released into an open field. It’s a common sport, especially in rural areas, and takes place in every autonomous community including Catalunya. The first club in Spain to officially use greyhounds for sport was the Club Deportivo Español, or Spanish Sports Club, in 1929. 

An International Controversy

What is less commonly known to the general public is how badly the majority of these animals are abused during and immediately following the hunting season, which begins in October and runs through January every year.

Spain is one of only eight countries in the world where greyhound hunting is still legal; the others are China, Mexico, the United States, England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Since 2012, the non-profit organization SPCA International* has been collaborating with Spanish animal rights organizations to try to educate the public about the barbaric practices that form a part of the greyhound hunting tradition, as well as working to outlaw greyhound hunting in Spain altogether.

Many of the statistics and other information compiled by the SPCA are deeply disturbing. In preparation for the upcoming season, a hunter will breed approximately 20 dogs; of these, he will keep only the top-performing pups. Those that can’t move fast enough, won’t chase a lure or live bait, possess an “unsuitable” temperament, or become sick or injured during training, are often abandoned or killed, while the few to survive will train hard. During training, dogs are commonly fed just enough to keep them alive, in order to keep them “hungry for the hunt.” The training of a hunting greyhound can include attaching its leash to the back of a car or truck and forcing it to run behind the vehicle for distances of up to 30 kilometers at speeds of 55 kilometers per hour (about 34 MPH) in order to build up stamina. This practice is illegal, but this it is rarely penalized. 

The dogs reach their physical peak between approximately 18 months and four years of age. Three out of four dogs are deemed no longer useful after just a few years, as is any greyhound that under-performed during the hunting season. These greyhounds are killed or left to die at the end of the season. According to stories collected by the SPCA, hunters will often intentionally draw out the death of the dog as long as possible, in keeping with the gruesome superstition that the longer the animal suffers before it expires, the more fruitful the next hunting season will be. 

One frequent method of execution involves hanging the greyhounds by their necks with their feet barely able to touch the ground; they dangle for days before finally dying of starvation and thirst. Other times, they are thrown into wells or holes in the ground with no food or water, beaten or stoned to death, even tied up in plastic garbage bags and buried alive. Some are simply abandoned in the countryside, often with stick stuck between their jaws so they can’t eat or drink, and slowly starve. The “lucky” ones are abandoned in an industrial zone, a gas station, or somewhere close to civilization and found before they die—often injured, or bleeding from where their identification chip was cut out, if they had one to begin with—but many of these unfortunate dogs aren’t discovered in time.

The SPCA’s organization estimates that approximately 50,000 greyhounds are tortured and killed each year, numbers that are echoed by reports by other activist organizations such as the anti-hunting platform No a la Caza (NAC), or the international animal rights collective AnimaNaturalis. However, it’s difficult to come up with definitive numbers due to the secrecy surrounding the practice.

Most hunters will deny abandoning or killing their dogs, but a greyhound’s lifespan is on average between 12 and 14 years, and each hunter often owns a stable of over a dozen dogs that are only a few years old. It begs the question: what happened to the older dogs? As one Alicante-based veterinarian and animal rights activist, Dr. Alfredo Molina Leiva, points out, it’s hard to believe that at the end of each season, good homes were found for all of them.

Some claim they drop off unwanted dogs at a municipal shelter, but this is not a common practice among hunters due to the fees these institutions charge to any owner who abandons a pet. 

Why the Official Statistics Don’t Match Up

The General Directorate for Animal Rights, which is a part of the Spanish Ministry of Social Rights, says that the official numbers of reported cases of greyhound abuse don’t support these assertions. SEPRONA, the “Nature Protection Service”—which is a branch of the Spanish Guardia Civil—says the same thing. SEPRONA cites significantly lower and less violent statistics, claiming that between 50 and 60 greyhounds are abandoned each year, and that there are very rarely cases of torture. However, their statistics are compiled based on citizen complaints to the police, and don’t include reports filed with other police forces, shelters, town halls or community organizations.

While greyhound abandonment has been reported in all of Spain’s autonomous communities, the great majority of abandoned animals are not reported to the police, regardless of whether the dog is found by an individual or organization. In addition, dogs that die or are killed are not included in these statistics—and it goes without saying that many abandoned or tortured dogs are never found at all. To complicate matters further, even though owners of hunting and racing dogs are legally required to register them, many do not.

The Role of Greyhound Protectorates

Fortunately for these gentle dogs, there are a number of volunteer-based protectorates or refuges that work to rescue and rehabilitate greyhounds in Spain, such as Galgo Español, Galgos 112, Associación BaasGalgo, Galgo del Sur, Galgos del Sol and SOS Galgos, to list a few. They offer a temporary shelter for the dogs until a foster home or permanent home can be found; they also help educate both temporary foster “parents” and permanent adopters on how to care for this specific type of dog. Many of these protectorates find homes for the dogs in other European countries such as Germany, Finland, Denmark or even in the United States.

SOS Galgos in Esplugues de Llobregat is a longtime local partner of the SPCA. Their team of volunteers has helped over 3,000 greyhounds over the past decade—you can “meet” some of the dogs that are currently available for adoption on their website. The information they make available on the site is incredibly detailed, offering advice on everything from food to play to discipline—even information regarding what kind of anesthetic protocol is most effective and safe for greyhounds if they should need a serious medical intervention.

Apart from the day-to-day task of feeding, sheltering and caring for the dogs, SOS Galgos has made it part of their mission to work to influence legislators to take a stand against the practice of greyhound hunting. They are currently collaborating on a study with the Faculty of Law at the Autonomous University of Barcelona that aims to help establish a legal framework for the protection of greyhounds in Spain. Part of this research is intended to collect evidence to present a report of hard statistics when it comes to the mistreatment, abandonment and killing of these dogs, and to compare current Spanish regulations with international law governing animal welfare. The project is sponsored by SPCA International and the British non-profit organization Greyhounds in Need.

Joan Hernandez has volunteered with different organizations helping greyhounds since 2006, and specifically with SOS Galgos since 2015. He says the educational aspect of what they do is a responsibility that is just as important as their day-to-day function of rescuing galgos in collaboration with other protectorates. Without raising awareness in the general public on the importance of animal rights, and specifically on the legal issue of galgos in Spain, nothing will ever change.

“The main problem,” he says, “is that in a legal sense they are treated like objects, and as a result are totally unprotected. This is both a cultural and a political problem, especially in certain regions of the country where abandonment and killing of these dogs goes completely unpunished, and where there is uncontrolled breeding for recreational use.”

The New Animal Welfare Law: In a Word, Unhelpful 

In February 2023, the Spanish government approved a highly-anticipated animal welfare law. It’s provisions include banning cockfighting, banning the use of animals in circus performances, regulating the breeding and sale of animals, clarifying the minimal living conditions in which it is legal to keep a pet, making it mandatory for dog owners to take a training course and purchase civil liability insurance, and prohibiting the ownership of certain exotic and non-native animal species. 

However, hunting dogs and livestock are excluded from these regulations, specifically stating that “they will not be subject to behavioral validations, specific veterinary checks of aptitude or have to be in possession of a veterinary certificate accrediting said aptitude, nor have specific qualifications or training courses.” This exception caused controversy and outrage in the animal rights community. 

While greyhounds were included in one draft of the law, they didn’t make the final cut. The left-centrist PSOE party took them out as a gesture towards the rural constituents of the right-wing parties PP and VOX, in an effort to get the law passed. In response, 160 animal rights organizations took to the streets to protest. Had the law included greyhounds, the responsible ownership regulations that now apply to all dog owners would be applicable to galgo owners as well, and any abuse or mistreatment would be punishable by fines and possibly even jail time.

The political party PACMA (Partido Animalista Con el Medio Ambiente, or Animalist and Environmental Party), which has historically been against the practice of using dogs for sport, was particularly outspoken about this notable exception. Laura Duarte, former president of PACMA, had previously said that “a reality denied cannot be faced” when speaking of her party’s lobbying efforts to try to abolish greyhound hunting. In other words, if lawmakers refuse to recognize the gravity of the untenable situation of its country’s greyhounds, it’s nearly impossible to address the root of the problem.

The president of the Royal Spanish Hunting Federation, Manuel Gallardo Casado, disagrees, saying the exception is necessary to maintain a certain way of life. He claims that if work animals were to be protected by the Animal Welfare Law as it is currently written, it would be essentially impossible for these animals to do their jobs; he complains that the law doesn’t take into account the differences between urban and rural ways of life. However, animal rights supporters don’t see why the well-being of livestock, workhorses or other work animals is somehow mutually exclusive to their professional function—and they don’t believe that hunting or racing is “working,” but rather is exploitation for entertainment purposes.

Casado has stated repeatedly that his organization is against animal abuse, and that the allegations of the torture and abandonment of greyhounds are exaggerations on the part of left-wing activists that want to do away with hunting.

Spokespeople from the Spanish Greyhound Federation, which races dogs rather than uses them for hunting, agree with Casado. The Federation has also publicly stated that they don’t support or condone the mistreatment of any animal; however, it doesn’t deny that it’s often difficult to find homes for retired racing dogs, and that these greyhounds may end up in the hunting world. Although racing and hunting are different, pro-galgos organizations insist that the entity still represents part of Spain’s greyhound problem, because it legitimizes an activity that uses animals as tools for sport.

Adopting a Greyhound: A Good Idea? 

Abused and abandoned dogs of any kind usually don’t trust humans. Once they are captured and taken off the streets by a greyhound protectorate, they often have psychological problems that compound the suffering caused by their physical injuries and illnesses, which include but aren’t limited to dehydration, malnutrition, parasites, diseases, lacerations, bruises and bone fractures.

A problem that many of these non-profit organizations have is funding. It takes time, energy, food and medical supplies to nurse the greyhounds back to health so they can be placed in a temporary foster home or adopted permanently. Another issue is a lack of space: so many animals are found or brought to them at the end of hunting season that they often have to turn some away. Yet a third problem can be fear: not the dogs’ this time, but humans’ nervousness at the thought of adopting this breed of dog. Most of this fear stems from a lack of knowledge about the breed. Do greyhounds have to go for high-speed runs every day? Will they be aggressive with kids or other pets? 

The answer to both of these questions is generally no; in fact, although each individual will have its own personality, greyhounds are known for their sweet disposition. However, after having lived through difficult experiences at the hands of other people, they may appear skittish and need time to warm up to their new owners. 

As adopting a dog is a serious, long-term commitment, it’s always a good idea to explain your family dynamic—including kids, other pets, work schedules and so on—to the animal refuge you’re adopting from, so that they can offer practical tips and advice to make the adaptation process go smoothly. Many protectorates include a vaccination certificate, the microchip number, a collar and leash with the adoption fee.

Joan Hernandez is a greyhound owner himself. He says that the animals are generally very docile and calm, extremely sensitive and easily form emotional bonds with their owners. However, it’s important to take into account that they have been through significant trauma, and it often takes them a while to open up.

“They are such wonderful animals,” he says with a huge smile. “What they give back to us is indescribable. That’s why, on a personal level, it’s a privilege to be by their side, helping them. It’s incredibly important to me to help spread the word about the abuse they suffer, and the lack of protection they have.”

He says that SOS Galgos and other similar organizations need all the help they can get; even if you can’t adopt a greyhound, you can support them in other ways. You can help spread the word about the work the SOS Galgos or any other refuge is doing, or volunteer at the protectorate. You can also donate to their cause: many protectorates offer the option of making a one-time donation, or signing up for a “Sponsor a Greyhound” program that involves a regular, usually monthly, donation. 

*The SPCA was formed in England in 1824, opened an American division in New York in 1866, and has since expanded their reach to countries around the world.