ARTISTS FOR GALGOS!

CAROLINE LAVELLE
www.carolinelavelle.com

The famouse singer/songwriter and cellist is a huge fan of the hounds and proudly “owned” by 2 lovely greyhounds.
Please read Caroline’s statement for the galgos:
“My greyhounds give me some of the greatest joy I have had on this earth.
Two of them were held in such low esteem by other people that they were discarded by them, with scars and rotting teeth, but they are now happy and healthy. My greyhounds are no different to those hung in their thousands to die a dreadful death in Spain after the hunting season. It is hard to imagine the minds of the people who do this; those men surely have families and children who they love, but lack the imagination to feel compassion for a creature so sensitive and gentle that they are my and many others’ cherished companions. The more I speak to people who have a greyhound or galgo in their life the more I am told of how loving, intelligent, fascinating and indeed addictive (so many people have more than one) their dogs are. It is saddening to learn that although the life expectancy of a galgo or podenco is 12 years or more, they mostly only reach 2-4 years of age in Spain.

When I come to Spain and meet its lovely people, walk around its beautiful cities and listen to its beautiful music I am struck at how civilised a country it is; but when I hear of the way some of the hunters abuse and kill many tens of thousands of these dogs I am horrified, and wish that all of us in Europe including Spain could stop these people flouting the laws and acting in such a barbaric way to sentient, intelligent creatures. We are no longer in the middle ages. There is no longer an excuse for ignorance as knowledge is all around us. When I feel that nothing one person can do can change anything I remember Gandhi said “Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it”. The people at Pro Galgo are giving their life over to doing it.”

CAROLINE LAVELLE, Marcho 2008

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MARIA DAINES,
www.maria-daines.comMaria is a devoted animallover and well konw singer/songwriter. She allowed us to use her music on a documentary about the hounds in Spain and her songs for the mistreated animals are highly appreciated in Spain and abroad.

“It is incredibly important that the Spanish authorities take the galgos and all breeds of hunting dog, under their wing of protection immediately. The nature of these special dogs is loyal, loving, calm and sensitive. The nature of the cruelty levelled against them, when they are no longer needed, is nothing less than horrific. The ways in which owners of abandoned hunting dogs dispose of them, is beyond the imagination of most people. Thousands of dogs are hung by the neck, slow strangulation, or left to die of starvation by being cast onto the streets and in secluded areas where they cannot find shelter. It is apparent to the general public from all over Europe that there is a widespread problem with discarding of unwanted galgos, it is also very distressing to learn of many new cases of cruelty each week.

In my job as a singer/songwriter and animal advocate I am often asked to give my support towards animal welfare concerns, I have to say I am most concerned regarding the treatment of these dogs. I give my full support to the rescue organisations who are doing their best to pick up the pieces of such animals, sometimes they are too late but often they can save a dog close to death, yet there are always more that they cannot reach.

The issue is much more prevalent than people realise and it is long overdue, for animal protection laws in Spain, to begin a process of addressing the root of the problem. People that own these dogs for sporting reasons breed more animals than they can cope with, they should be accountable to the law, and the law must rest on the side of the defenceless, for they cannot speak for themselves and cruelty to animals should not be tolerated in our society for any reason.

Please address this situation as a matter of urgency. I have lost count of the times that I wept when viewing the video evidence of extreme cruelty to abandoned and tortured galgos. I also believe that this form of abuse towards the voiceless damages the good reputation of Spain as a vibrant holiday destination and it takes away the desire to visit this beautiful country.

Please find it in your hearts to protect the innocent, it would mean a lot to so many people all over the world, please help to alleviate the tremendous suffering of precious galgos. I believe if we do not have compassion in our hearts for all animals, we cannot be considered truly humane or have respectful regard for our fellow man. What we pass on to our children is important, we must pass on a message of hope and care for all living creatures and we must teach our children to be kind to animals, for then they will also be kind to each other.”

MARIA DAINES
Singer/Songwriter
2008