2012 GRIN FALL RESCUE TRIP
PART TWO
MURCIA SPAIN
Murcia Beach with GRIN Dogs, Telma, Marylou and Tina with Janet, Izzy and Henry
GRIN Board Members Telma Shaw and Marylou Hecht continued on the second half of their rescue trip to Spain.
Dioni del Rio and Tigger the Mastina Transport to Murcia
Tigger on his way home!
Tigger and her new mom!
Sept 2012. Leaving Malaga behind our friend Dioni del Rio of 112carlotagalgos drove us north towards Granada half way to Puerto Lumbreras. We took advantage of our trip to transport a young 6 month old Mastin pup who Char del Rio had rescued from the kill station and had found a home for her close to where we were headed. Tigger rode with us that day on her way to her forever home! A great way to start week two!
Diane, Marylou and Brian of Ibizan Hound Rescue
Once we reached Puerto Lumbreras, we met up with Tigger’s mom and did the happy exchange and visited with Diane and Brian Hughes of Ibizan Hound Rescue over a cup of coffee at the local hotel. Marylou and I then drove to Murcia to meet up with our friend Tina Solera of Galgos del Sol. We stayed at the 525 Hotel in Murcia which is a nice hotel and very convenient within walking distance to the beach with a promenade next to the hotel with lots of restaurants, banks, and coffee shops all the necessary conveniences! Murcia is an English expat haven and I was surprised by all the English pubs, fish and chips shops and Indian restaurants in Spain!
525 Hotel in Murcia View from room
Walking with Tina
Henry and Telma Murcia
Mr. Brindle waiting to be caught
Marylou and Tina looking for galgo
Barbara “galgo hat knitter” Telma, Andrea, Tina and Lucas
Tina met up with us at the hotel, and it was nonstop from there.. visiting at her new finca (small ranch) with all her dogs, meeting her friend Zoe at her vets who rescued a galga the night before, trying to catch abandoned galgos in fields and industrial areas, sharing lunch with her friends, meeting a galguero who was handing over a little girl to us that Tina named Marylou, meeting Andrea of Andreas Animal Rescue and Barbara Galloway, at her home. We also met another stray galga that Tina picked up on her way to meet us at the hotel. She happened to be the easiest rescue she had encountered. Little Telma walked up to her and got in the car! We were so happy to see Tina beaming when she met us at the hotel entrance with Telma in the car! Another “normal” day of rescue with Tina!
Galgos del Sol Vet with Tina
Marketing Lunch with Zoe and friends
Galgos del Sol
Marylou with Marylou aka “Gabby” From the Galgueros hovel to the US this Fall!
As fate would have it, the day after we reached Murcia, on a Friday, we experienced the worst storm of the year. The day before we had driven on the road from Puerto Lumbreras, across a bridge on our way to Murcia. The rain didn’t stop for 24 hours and the conditions deteriorated rapidly and it became the storm of the season, with flooding and loss of 10 lives and hundreds of animals. The bridge we had crossed the day before had collapsed and the roads were in ruins. Little did we know that one of the podencos, Chico, we were bringing back a few days later would be stranded at his foster home. We were so sad that he would have to be left behind, but with some quick work on Tina’s side with one of our GRIN adopters in the states, we were able to give another podenca a chance at her new life. I would then be bringing little Janet the podenca to California instead. Side note, we did bring Chico the podenco to the U.S. a few weeks later.
Telma with GdS rescued Galgo
Janet saying goodbye to Spain
On Sunday, the day before we left Murcia, we enjoyed a final sunny day on the beach with some of our GRIN dogs who would be traveling in the coming weeks. Izzy, Henry and Janet enjoyed their “holiday” at the beach and their photo shoot for our GRIN 2013 calendar. A great day was spent with Tina and her family as well. We enjoyed a delicious paella at the beach that day with the doggies sitting under our table!
The night of departure arrived and we geared up for our midnight goodbyes with Tina and we left from Murcia with podenca Janet and with our friends from Ibizan Hound Rescue, who took us on the five hour trip to the Madrid airport. Everything went smoothly thanks to Diane and Brian who calmly helped us at the airport with everything, putting crates together, adding the buckets, holding the dogs and even taking care of some doggie mishaps right in the middle of all the bustling travelers!
Diane and Brian IHR
How can I get one of the rescued Galgos? I have 2 dogs now, one a whippet, one a Labrador/Rotweiller, both rescued. Can I adopt a rescued Galgo here in Pennsylvania?
I will be able to contribute early in 2013.
Please let me know.
mark
Hi you can write to me at my email address please..thanks
Telma
telma@galgorescue.org
What is being done to stop the atrocities?
I think it’s great that you want to save them, but bringing them to the US after they are used for racing does not solve the atrocity. The races and sport need to be stopped so the supply of dogs needing rescue can stop
http://www.greyhoundsrescue.org/2013/01/30/parliamentary-association-in-defense-of-animals-says-abusive-treatment-of-animals-is-stain-on-reputation-of-spain/
Niki, there is a hunting tradition in Spain that is solid and difficult to penetrate and end. Hunting is an economic boost to the shaky economy and no one in authority in the different autonomous areas in Spain will vote against it as it is run by hunters. It is easy to say we need to end it, but the Spanish who are against this sordid tradition even they have a huge battle before them. It must come from within Spain or with pressure from the EU. The good people in Spain who fight for animal protection are up against a society who idolizes the killing of bulls for entertainment..hunting dogs do not even rate as companion animals and are labeled “tools of the trade” of hunting..laws exist but laws that are not enforced do no good. If the law givers are hunters, I ask you, how will the cycle be broken? I added the link on the Parlimentary Assoc.In Defense of Animals because there is a glimmer of hope. As outsiders here in the US all we can do and will continue to do is help the rescuers/shelters that are inundated with the holocaust of abandonded dogs..we cannot turn from them because the laws are not enforced. Of course we want hunting to end and for enforcement of animal protection but that is no reason not to change the life for one dog at a time. The dogs brought to the US become Ambassadogs for those left behind. So that more people know the plight, so that more people help and so that the rescuers in Spain and the folks trying to change the laws will see that we care..that is what we do..we do what we can..