The Spanish Galgo

Brief history of the galgo

The story of the Spanish galgo is thought to begin in 500 - 400 BC with the movement of the ancient Celts across Europe and into what is now the Spanish peninsula.  With them came the ancestors of the galgo and the greyhound.  The name "galgo" is thought by some to be derived from the Roman breed name "Canis Gallicus" meaning Celtic dog.  The Arab invaders brought the Saluqi, the ancestor of the Saluki, and subsequent breeding led to the modern Spanish Galgo. 

For centuries, the greyhound and the galgo were very similar in appearance.  Like the greyhound in Medieval Europe, the galgo was respected and protected in Spain because of its importance in hunting. 

Eventually, the galgo lost its importance as a hunter of food and became the focus of sporting events - coursing and racing.  When the greyhound was introduced to Spain, cross breeding became commonplace.  The transition of the galgo to a sporting and racing dog led to a desire for faster dogs and the purity of the galgo heritage has been nearly lost. 

The modern galgo

Today's galgo lives a precarious life.  This ancient breed is bred for sport, never as a pet.  Sadly, when the galgo can no longer compete, its value is zero.  Younger replacements are readily available.

The hunting season is from October 1 to January 30th.  Galgos run up to 2 miles twice a week in pursuit of hares.  They usually begin their coursing at 12 months of age.  Some estimates are that 50% are dead by the age of 2.  According to the WSPA, it is estimated that many tens of thousands of galgos are bred and killed each year.

For reasons unclear to most of us, the traditional means of killing galgos have been exceptionally cruel and inhumane.  Galgos have been killed by hanging, dropped in wells, pitch forked, burned, dragged, drowned, and clubbed to death.  Appalling to the rest of the world, it is only very recently that Spain has even considered that these methods might need to change.  The internet has brought together individuals and groups in Spain and around the world to help these dogs.

In the past few years, the public hangings and other killings have become less frequent or have gone underground.  More commonly, these unwanted galgos are abandoned in the countryside to fend for themselves.

Today, the growing effort to encourage hunters to turn into refuges their unwanted galgos has meant an upsurge in the number of galgos needing veterinary care and, then, adoption into permanent homes.  There is also, now, a movement amongst breeders to try to preserve traits of the original Spanish galgo breed, free of the greyhound crossbreeding.