G.R.I.N. STILL WORKING HARD FOR THE GALGOS!

Hello fellow supporters. Although our website took a few months to revamp, we are now happy to update you on our efforts since January.   We want you all to know that we have been hard at work as always and the following are some of the highlights since January.  Thank you so so much for your continued support so that many galgos and podencos lives are changed for the better!

1) Solvang Greyhound Gathering -  Solvang CA, February 2011. Telma Shaw did a Power Point Presentation on her Fall trip to Spain. It was very well received and a few exciting things are in the works because of it..updates to follow. Donations collected  went to help  several galgos who were in dire need. Thanks everyone who supported the event!

Dog Days Event - April 1, 2011 San Luis Obispo -  Laura White our newest volunteer  who came to Solvang just to hear about the galgos, coordinated this event in her home town and  set up a booth  in order to raise money so she can buy fleece to continue making coats for our galgos! Thank you Laura, Marci Jones and friends!!

3) Rocky and Marlo two Galgos come to the U.S.  April 20, 2011 - Thanks to Silva  Bordetas Gil of Galgo Connection Spain and Greyt Friends of GA who helped us bring these two Jerez Galgos to the U.S.  A great  team effort was accomplished and now Marlo is in Denver with Greyhound mom Kay Roberts of Colorado Greyhound Adoption. Rocky is in foster care with Greyt Friends for the time being. Both dogs doing fantastic!

4) Our Shelter Aid Funds and various donations went out to the following shelters Jan thru May 1) Galgo Connection Spain 2) Galgos en Familia 3) 112CarlotasGalos 4) Galgos del Sol 5) San Anton Shelter

5) EAF (Emergency Assitance Fund) helped 1) Scooby Medina shetler and the hundreds of dogs they received from Sevilla  and 2) Gran Familia with a special case of a hung galga. Julia is doing well now.

6) Hundreds of coats were sents to 1)San Anton shelter through  coat maker Barbara Bowen and to other shelters made by Nancy Nelson and Laura White. Many dogs stayed warm thanks to our hard working seamstresses! Coats, collars and leashes also sent to various smaller shelters through friends in Spain.

7) Scores of galgos were helped by receiving medical attention with the funding that was sent to the various associations and many galgos are now in forever homes  in Europe thanks to the help they received from our supporters!  Thank You so much..

Stay tuned for updates on Fundraisers in the future, our on-line auction later this summer and other exciting rescue stories from our friends in Spain.

Luna a Galga Helps Save Lives in the U.S.!

The following was sent by Mary Ann Moore about her Spanish Greyhound Luna. Thank you Mary Ann for article.

Luna, a Galga, was brought to Scooby Medina Shelter in Medina del Campo, along with  littermates shortly after they turned 6 weeks old.  Thanks to the tender loving care of Jacinta Kabel, Cathy Ingle, Diane Ward and of course Fermin Perez, she survived and made the long trip overseas to the USA.  She came to live with me in November of 2009, just as she turned 6 months old, and she has been a complete joy to me and all who have met her, living happily with her Greyhound companions. Now Luna has begun to give back to the canine community by becoming a blood donor. She was accepted into the program operated by the St. Louis Animal Blood Bank (SLABB) that supplies much needed blood to 4 area emergency clinics.  With her first donation, she supplied blood that will potentially save the lives of two dogs in need. The program asks that the owner commit to having the dog donate a maximum of every 3 months for a 2 year period. The actual draw is relatively quick; the blood is taken from the jugular (the short haired hounds do not even need to be shaved) and a quiet pump expedites filling up the small pint bag in minutes. Upon completion, food, water, many treats and much pampering is given by the vet techs. I was allowed to be with her the entire time; she never left my sight. Overall, I believe it is a good thing to do if your hound is accepted, alleviating the need to use shelter dogs for transfusions or keep a dog in a clinic specifically as a donor. Most greyhounds/sighthounds' blood type is negative, which is 'universal donor' in the world of dogs. In return, in addition to the satisfaction of knowing she will be a hero and possibly a life-saver for others, Luna will get a complete blood work-up yearly including heartworm test, at no charge, and all dogs in my household will receive a discount at any of the ER clinics should we ever need it. And she got a cute bandana, too! 

Pregnant Galgas Rescued!

After following this sad story of two two beautiful galgas used for breeding being left at the kill station by the galguero to meet their fate, they have been rescued! Maribel who is a fighter for the dogs that sit at the Jerez kill station did her usual, sending out pleas for these two lovely mamas to be.  A kill station is no place for them. The cream colored one is so close to her time, it was heartbreaking to see them there. Many good people were trying to help these two find a shelter. It is always so difficult knowing that there will not be two but maybe 10 more as well soon enough and to have the right set up for them, but the perfect temporary situation has been found with our friends Isabel and Isa of Fundacion Benjamin Mehnert in Sevilla. They will be taken to their new recovery center, to a clean and warm enviroment to have their little bundles of joy.  Maribel reports that the girls were inseperable when they were released and only wanted to be as close to each other as they could be. They will live and their puppies will be in a  warm and loving enviroment, not  in a cold, harsh, disease filled existence..thank you to all who offered to help. If anyone wants to help with a donation for the mamas and their babies, who will need vetting we will be happy to send the donation on to FBM..

Botanic Bow Wow in Denver Co. Raises Awareness!

Spring was late arriving in Denver, Colorado.  May was unusually cool, with atypical, steady rain for days.  Therefore, we held our breath for a break in the wet weather for the Botanic Bow Wow, held Saturday, May 21^st .  Ultimately, the weather cooperated; Saturday was mostly sunny, breezy – and dry!

Botanic Bow Wow, a new, dog-centric event at the Denver Botanical Gardens, attracted a variety of vendors, dog rescue groups and information booths.  GRIN was fortunate to secure the last available space in the event.  

The Botanic Bow Wow was held on the upper level parking structure at the gardens.  Much as we would have liked to be amidst the blooming plants, we know from experience that dogs and fancy gardens don’t mix!  

Although we had GRIN themed articles to sell, a PowerPoint presentation and plenty of literature, the real attention-grabbers were the galgos, podencos and Pyrenean shepherd* themselves.  We were so fortunate that Esperanza, Poco, Prisa, Lexi and the Nuggets (Quito and Cervantes) attended the event.  It was plain to see that interacting with the dogs really brought home to the public the  message about the sad fate of sighthounds and other dogs in Spain.  And each one of our ambassadogs had quite a story to tell.  The GRIN booth had a fair amount of traffic and some interesting responses, such as one woman, a member of WSPA, who was going to write and tell the organization to investigate the situation of the galgos and another who offered to write about the dogs in a local newspaper.  Although donations were modest, we felt we had helped to fulfill GRIN’s mission to educate the public.  Hopefully, too, attendees will visit the GRIN website and become more involved, perhaps adding their voices to campaigns, donating money and supplies and even adopting or sponsoring one of these special dogs. 

A  warm thanks to Christie, Kim, Gail, Jennifer, Eric, Kay and a special thanks to Paula who knocked together a beautiful “Galgo Rescue” banner at the 11^th hour and located a canopy for us.  And to the dogs who speak volumes with their soulful eyes.

*Lexi, from RECAL, once thought to be a terrier mix, was discovered by Paula to be a Pyrenean shepherd….but that’s another story!

G.R.I.N. Sends E.A.F. Donation for Julia and Luisa

Julia and Luisa Recover at Shelter

 The Story of Julia and Luisa is one that was brought to our attention. Julia the white galga escaped death from being hung. No one knows how she broke loose, but she did and was spotted running in the streets in a village for weeks enduring the pain from the  horrific damage to the skin tissue all around her neck. She was so frightened that she could not be caught and still had the hang mans noose  inbedded in her neck.  It was reported that she  would run and in running would step on the noose and scream from the pain. I know this is hard to read, but when we heard about all this little galga had endured we wanted to help her. She was finally caught by the good rescuers of Gran Familia in Sevilla and taken immediately to the vet. Her injury was so bad they could not even operate to close the gaping wound all around her neck. The only recourse was daily wound care. With medication needed and daily treatments the cost of her treatment was soaring for this shelter. At the same time Gran Familia took in an emaciated little galga with a horrible skin condition, her name is Luisa. Two sweet galgas now safe but with medical needs. G.R.I.N. send an EAF (Emergency Assistance Donation) for their care. The two girls are now at the residency recovering their ordeals and each day trusting more and more. We wish them well and we will update on their progress. Thanks to our donors we could help Gran Familia to help them!

JEREZ GALGOS ROCKY AND MARLO CAME TO THE U.S. APRIL 20, 2011

Marlo and Rocky are the latest lucky galgos to make their way from a kill stationn in Jerez de la Fronterea into loving homes in the U.S. December 2010 brought news through emails of the beginnings of the mass abandonment of the galgos after the hunt season. This year it started early. Picture after picture of these lost souls flashing across the internet. Could anyone help Maribel get them out? News travels as the associations start to scramble to help the best they can. Galgo Connection Spain moved quickly to take the least likely, the males and took 7 out immediately. Marlo and Rocky were two of the original group. They were transported from Western Spain to Valencia..spent three months under GCS care for ailments and treatment as they were in very rough condition when they came in. They were finally ready for adoption. G.R.I.N. and Greytfriends of GA again began working to help before the end of the transport season  to the U.S. May 15th to find a way for two. After weeks of planning, a wonderful volunteer from Greytfriends again decided to make a quick one day flight to Spain to pick up the two. A former GRIN adopter, Kay Roberts,was waiting for Marlo/Poco  and Rocky has a foster home in GA. The trip went without a hitch..they were in the air coming back when a human medical emergency occured and the plane had to land in the Azores for hours..luckily the dogs were fine as the Delta team reassured our volunteer Kay Renfroe who was worried the whole time!  They arrived safe and sound in Atlanta. Both dogs having adjusted very well to their new surroundings and life and thanks to all the people involved, they will never suffer again.

VICKY SENIOR PODENCA SAVED

Safe in her bed.

 Hello my name is Vicky. I was left to die at the Jerez Kill Station but I was rescued by Maribel and Silvia of Galgo Connection Spain

Now I live with my new mom in Europe and I am safe and happy..love and kisses Vicky

Mary the Podenca is now waiting in a foster home

Thank you to our donors!

Little Mary the Podenca is now waiting in a foster home in France for her forever home. She was a recipient of our Loly's Fund a few months back. Thanks to Char of 112carlotagalgos for her initial rescue! See what her foster mom says,...

Mary's news is that she is well, has grown since her arrival, fearful still of men, clingy of women. Ahh Mary, we love you! Enjoy the photos. Look how great she looks and shiny. How I hope she finds her forever family soon.

Mil gracias Nelly y Patricia

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