At first glance, the Spanish galgo might look like an English or Irish greyhound, but ancient breed is of a separate lineage, and the two are not closely related. However, just like greyhounds are forced to take part in race events, galgos also suffer for human entertainment. Members of the sighthound family, they are long, lean and elegant, more suited to endurance running as opposed to the sprinting prowess of English greyhounds. Galgos are calm, quiet, and gentle in nature, yet, their pleasant temperament is not why they are bred in such prevalent numbers throughout Spain.
Galgos are widely kept and used by human hunters, called galgueros, in mostly rural areas of Spain, for hunting and hare coursing (dogs chasing live hares) with betting. In old times, this agile breed was considered a prized possession by noblepersons, who held the dogs in high esteem for their keen hunting skills. Yet, in modern times, this trait is the source of the dogs’ suffering. After decades of theft and indiscriminate breeding by the lower classes, the galgo has fallen from grace and become viewed as a ‘trash dog,’ owned only by the poor classes. Now, the unfortunate creature is merely considered a ‘disposable hunting tool’, and when the short hunting season ends each year, thousands are abandoned or brutally killed by their owners, to whom they are no longer of use.