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Spanish Greyhound. Dog used for hunting activities.
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Rests of a greyhound killed by hanging in the inside of an abandoned house. Toledo. Spain.
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Hanging is one of the most popular ways of deleting useless dogs. Pole where have been practiced hangings. Toledo. Spain.
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One of many abandoned builds that can be found on field zones where hunting takes place. Sometimes can be found greyhound´s corpses buried on this zones. Toledo, Spain
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Rests of a dog with a rope around the neck. Toledo, Spain
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Field-runner for hunting with greyhound. Valladolid, Spain.
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The greyhound is an animal used in the hunting of hares in open field.
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Hunting greyhounds. Hares reach up to speeds of 75 km /h. Valladolid, Castilla y León . Spain
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Hunter showing one of his dogs during a greyhound races. Valladolid. Castilla y León. Spain.
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When a greyhound run has to activate all the muscules of its body raising high levels of heart rate.
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Group of hunters during a hunting competition with greyhound. Valladolid, Castilla y León. Spain.
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Greyhound abandoned in shelter, " Animal City ". Ciudad Real . Castilla la Mancha, Spain
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Interior of a shelter. When hunting season comes to the end, ( in February ) shelters suffer dog overpopulation, mainly of races used for cinegetic activities. Ciudad Real. Spain.
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Abandoned greyhound. Ciudad Real. Castilla la Mancha. Spain.
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Sometimes dogs take years to be adopted from shelters. The population of dogs in this shelter in 2018 is about 170 dogs, about 100 are greyhounds.Ciudad Real, Castilla la Mancha, Spain.
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Abandoned greyhound transferred to a shelter. Many times the dogs come to the shelters severely injured and in extreme conditions of thinness. Ciudad Real, Spain.
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X ray test after an intervention to save a paw from multiple breaks.. Ciudad Real, Castilla la Mancha Spain.
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"Destino´s" second surgery , will never run again. The costs of the operations cures and recovery of the animal are entirely borne by the shelter. Castilla la Mancha. Spain.
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Blood marks caused by the dog's tail hitting the wall several times. Designated "happy dog syndrome" is produced by a state of anxiety and stress. The shelters cure the wounds of the dogs and try to solve the psychological issues that the dogs may have in order to find a way out in adoption.
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Interior of a shelter. Greyhounds waiting to be adopted. Madrid. Spain.
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" Scars " (Real academy of the Spanish language, definitions ) Definition1. Signal that remains in the organic tissues after a wound or wound has healed. Definition2. Impression that remains in the mood for some past feeling. Ciudad Real. Castilla la Mancha. Spain.
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Rescuing a dog is a hard and patiented work. It takes several hours preparating a remote control tramp to capture the dogs. Corral de Almanguer. Castilla la Mancha. Spain.
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When a greyhound falls into the tramp working fast is the main action. Tasty food is placed into the tramp to attract the dogs. Recognizing the animal to localize possible serious injuries or any visible desease is one of the first steps.
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The way home. It starts the preparation to the future hosting house.Toledo. Spain.
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Once the dogs are rescued from the street a long way of education and assimilation begins. Getting used to the collar is one of the more difficult parts.
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Inside shelter house. The fear in these dogs usually never disappear.
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Many adoptants has a long way of hard work ahead. A prior interview with the adopter is carried out in the refuge to verify that he is able to adopt. It is followed throughout the year to verify that the animal is in the best possible conditions. Germany, Belgium and Spain are the countries where the majority of adopted greyhounds have suffered abandonment.. Ciudad Real . Castilla la Mancha. Spain
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Protest in the Spanish Parliament, in Madrid. Reclaiming laws against the abandonment and mistreatment of animals used in hunting activities. February 1st , International Day of the Greyhound.
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In Spain the greyhound has a very important role being a part of the country's culture, it appears in books such as Don Quijote by Miguel de Cervantes, paintings on the theme of hunting that can be seen in the Prado Museum, it is the logo of a famous brand of writing paper. It has always been present in some form in our society.
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Trivial things as the elevators or the steps uses to be barriers to these dogs that usually live in more uncomfortable ambients. ( Adoptated “ Daga “ ) Madrid. Spain
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It is hard to teach new rules to animals that usually are rescued in an adult age. ( Temporary house “ Isis “ ) Madrid. Spain.
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Temporary reception house for abandoned dogs . They are very important for the adaptation of the dogs to a new life ( “ Isis “).Madrid. Spain.
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Adoptants face diverse behavioral problems each day. ( Adoptated “ Daga” ). Madrid. Spain.
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" Luna " was abandoned several times after giving birth puppies. It has developed a high fear of people. Sometimes the psychological damages caused by mistreatment are difficult to remedy. Toledo , Castilla la Mancha. Spain
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"Attila was abandoned for not being useful for hunting. Attila had bite marks from other dogs sometimes produced by competing for food on overpopulated farms. Statistically black dogs are the least adopated for their color, this phenomenon is called black dog syndrome. Once assimilation is achieved, during adoption a greyhound is one of life's most grateful companions. It was adopted at the end of 2016. Madrid. Spain.
Public Story
Cicatrices / Scars.
Credits:
david arribas
Date of Work:
12/31/69 - Ongoing
Updated: 09/06/20
Cicatrices / Scars.
Spain is one of the few countries where greyhound hunting is a legal practice. What was long ago a livelihood for rural families now, in decline and far from being a vital activity, has been converted into sport, framing it within the cultural tradition of the country to ensure its prevalence. The dogs that the “galguero” (greyhound owner) considers unfit for hunting are discarded throughout the year, especially in October and February coinciding with the beginning and end of the hunting season. A small number are transferred to Animal Protection Centers and particular associations throughout the country, but massive abandonment continues to be the usual discard procedure. In the worst of cases, they are killed using highly cruel practices such as hanging or being thrown into wells and fosses.
According to data estimated in the Affinity Foundation report, published in 2019, 183,103 dogs were collected, many of them without chip identification, by shelters and protectors who participated in their study. The abandonment of dogs at the end of the hunting season is the second most important cause, after unwanted litters. In Spain there is no law on the control of breeding and anyone can have an undetermined number of dogs. The social perception that this situation is a black legend and that it does not happen at present, where the crossing of data between protectors and shelters contrasts with the data used by hunting associations and official institutions such as the Civil Guard, aggravates the situation. Last year (2018) there were 16,625 registered complaints related to animal abuse, 10,920 were related to pets.
Shelters provide support for as many of these animals as possible, who often arrive in appalling physical conditions (that they will pay from their own funds) with fears and sequels that sometimes will be difficult to overcome because of the terrible conditions in which they have lived. All this added to the problem of overpopulation that these entities have and the difficulty in officiating the adoption of animals with injuries in adulthood.
Ciudad Animal is a shelter for dogs and cats in Ciudad Real (Castilla la Mancha) in 2019 of the 150 dogs of capacity that have in their facilities 90% are greyhounds. It develops its work thanks to the help of volunteers and protectors that from Germany support them and welcome a great majority of dogs for their adoption.
Vicente belongs to one of the 14 rescue teams of SOS Rescue, whose main work in several autonomous communities, is in the street collecting with trap cages abandoned dogs in areas where volunteers have previously created a routine with food in the animal for capture. These groups also take care of shelters, residences and veterinary bills for the rescued animals. Of the last 57 dogs rescued by Vicente in March 2019, 13 are greyhounds, the previous year were 156 of a total of 550 dogs. In 2020 805 dogs have been rescued.
Spanish legislation, which is not very severe in terms of the animal section, with sentences of less than 24 months, where the individual will not go to prison if he does not have a criminal record. It allows this situation to continue developing each year, increasing the number of cases of abandonment since 2015.
Microchip identification, legislative control over animal husbandry, sterilization as a method of population control, and adoption are important strategies for preventing abandonment. But there is a need for collaboration between the public administration and private entities as well as support in citizen education of responsible care to avoid abandonment in the long term. It is essential to understand the obligations and advantages of adopting animals and how your company can influence our lives.
Photography and text David Arribas
Text, edition and Translation Clara Muro