Alenyx
Proud Member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2011
- Messages
- 94
- Points
- 0
I'd like to bring a topic to your attention that is very close to my heart.
Many people know of dog racing tracks that exist around the world. Not so many people know about the abuse, exploitation and neglect suffered by sighthounds who are solely bred for the purpose of racing on dog tracks for money making and entertainment of people.
Ireland and Spain are the main problem countries concerning sighthounds. Ireland because of its many greyhound tracks and Spain, because of their Galgo Espanol hunting traditions.
Hounds who are too old, not fast enough or who have been injured are being disposed of - often in unimaginably cruel ways.
Hunters and racing stables have to breed many hounds to get one or two really fast dogs who might be better than the rest. The others are leftovers....
Here is a sighthound welfare homepage providing more information on the situations and on the ways to help: http://www.sighthounds.org.uk
Here are some articles with gruesome facts and numbers:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article688883.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article998384.ece
http://www.hsus.org/hsi/confronting...around_the_world/abuse_of_spanish_galgos.html
Sighthounds are different to most other dogs I know. They are extremely sensible, soulful beings who rarely show any kind of aggression towards humans even when provoked. They prefer to retreat in situations of conflict.
Unlike other dogs they look you directly in the eyes. Some people jokingly say they are part cat. They are very affectionate with the family, but often somewhat reserved towards strangers.
They rarely bark, they don't dribble and they don't smell (the short-haired types). Sighthounds are very old breeds and natural selection has created very healthy hounds with no known hereditary illnesses.
So if you're looking into getting a dog at the moment, maybe a retired sighthound could be your choice or maybe you would like to help in other ways like donating money, dog food, coats or even blankets (few of the shelters have sufficiently warm indoor areas and short-haired sighthounds have very thin fur).
Seeing a sighthound run is like seeing MJ dance. It's perfection!
I'm going to spare you the images of cruelty done to sighthounds. You can find those on the links above. Instead I'm going to post a few pictures of my two galgos and how they are enjoying their lifes now.
The girl 'Numa' came to me three years ago extremely underweight and afraid of everything, especially loud noises and men. The boy 'Marco' was completely run-down. His joints hurt, his teeth and coat were a mess and there was no spark in his eyes. You can see what some care and love did to them...
Many people know of dog racing tracks that exist around the world. Not so many people know about the abuse, exploitation and neglect suffered by sighthounds who are solely bred for the purpose of racing on dog tracks for money making and entertainment of people.
Ireland and Spain are the main problem countries concerning sighthounds. Ireland because of its many greyhound tracks and Spain, because of their Galgo Espanol hunting traditions.
Hounds who are too old, not fast enough or who have been injured are being disposed of - often in unimaginably cruel ways.
Hunters and racing stables have to breed many hounds to get one or two really fast dogs who might be better than the rest. The others are leftovers....
Here is a sighthound welfare homepage providing more information on the situations and on the ways to help: http://www.sighthounds.org.uk
Here are some articles with gruesome facts and numbers:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article688883.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article998384.ece
http://www.hsus.org/hsi/confronting...around_the_world/abuse_of_spanish_galgos.html
Sighthounds are different to most other dogs I know. They are extremely sensible, soulful beings who rarely show any kind of aggression towards humans even when provoked. They prefer to retreat in situations of conflict.
Unlike other dogs they look you directly in the eyes. Some people jokingly say they are part cat. They are very affectionate with the family, but often somewhat reserved towards strangers.
They rarely bark, they don't dribble and they don't smell (the short-haired types). Sighthounds are very old breeds and natural selection has created very healthy hounds with no known hereditary illnesses.
So if you're looking into getting a dog at the moment, maybe a retired sighthound could be your choice or maybe you would like to help in other ways like donating money, dog food, coats or even blankets (few of the shelters have sufficiently warm indoor areas and short-haired sighthounds have very thin fur).
Seeing a sighthound run is like seeing MJ dance. It's perfection!
I'm going to spare you the images of cruelty done to sighthounds. You can find those on the links above. Instead I'm going to post a few pictures of my two galgos and how they are enjoying their lifes now.
The girl 'Numa' came to me three years ago extremely underweight and afraid of everything, especially loud noises and men. The boy 'Marco' was completely run-down. His joints hurt, his teeth and coat were a mess and there was no spark in his eyes. You can see what some care and love did to them...
(only watch them if ou have strong nerves)