On February 1st, it’s World Galgo Day, a day dedicated to an ancient Spanish dog breed used by Spanish noblemen as hunting dogs.
World Galgo Day is a day devoted to raising awareness of the plight of these dogs, which often suffer from neglect and abuse by their owners. In Spain in particular, racing with galgos has become a popular pastime, with huge sums of money being spent betting on races.
Unfortunately, this leads to the large-scale mistreatment and abandonment of the animals once they are no longer deemed ‘useful’.Each year World Galgo Day seeks to bring attention to the heinous acts committed against these beautiful animals as well as attempts to promote better education about responsible ownership.
Organizations such as The Little Egyptians Society work hard all year round rescuing galgos and placing them in good homes. On February 1st every year we voice out loud that we will not stand for cruelty towards any animal or type of animal and honor those putting in tireless effort into protecting our furry friends who are not always able speak up for themselves but can certainly feel pain!
Galgos are gentle and loyal animals, but sadly they’re also seen as disposable in Spain. For centuries Spanish nobles have bred Galgos specifically for hunting hares and foxes during the winter months. Many of them were tragically exploited for hunts or simply abandoned once their hunting season ended in February, leaving thousands of Galgos homeless with nowhere to go.
World Galgo Day is a day strongly dedicated to commemorating the past, protecting the present and ensuring that Galgos will have a safe future. It’s used as an educational tool to help people become aware about the mistreatment of this noble breed and work towards ending animal cruelty in Spain.
This inspiring international observance includes fundraising activities such as walks, petitions and campaigns to raise money for rescues working hard on behalf of Galgos throughout Spain every single day!
