Garza’s Website
About Me
Hello my name is Garza and I am a Spanish galgo. I came to
England all the way from Spain in March 2002. Before that I was living in
kennels in Alicante with lots of other greyhounds and galgos. My friends at the
kennels were different ages, with some of my pals as young as two! Most of us
had been working dogs – I used to chase rabbits and hares in the Spanish hills.
One of my friends Beavis, who I have met since being in England, tells me he
used to run around a track chasing a stuffed rabbit! I thought that was the
funniest thing I’ve ever heard.
Anyway, I guess I am one of the lucky ones. I was given my
own passport and got to travel in a big lorry to England. I was very
frightened, as I didn’t know where I was going to end up. It took me a while to
settle into my new home but I think I am the luckiest galgo alive now. I live
in the beautiful Cotswolds and go running twice a day. I have my own bed with
toys and everything. My best bit is watching animal programmes on TV.
When my Mum and Dad are away at work I have taught myself
the art of html another new language to learn and have started building my own
web site. Please have look around it. I have to warn you that some things I
have to tell you are about as nasty as my breath.
You might be wondering what kind of a dog a galgo is. Not
many people have heard of my breed before. I am part of the greyhound family
but I am Spanish and I am smaller than my Irish and English pals. I am called a
brindle that means I have brown, tan and black stripes. I like to think of
myself as a Tiger or a snowflake - no two snowflakes are the same.
Coursing is chasing hares and rabbits across the
countryside to catch them. That is what galgos are mostly used for in Spain.
That used to be my job when I lived there. Since coming to England and learning
English I have been reading terrible things in the papers about what happens to
a lot of galgos when they finish coursing. It makes me feel very sad.
Half the dogs, just like me, end up dead by the age of two.
They are fed on bread and sugar and have to run for miles each day. Most dogs
only last one season. The worst thing is that after all of that the dogs are
hung in the trees. If you have raced well you are placed high in the tree but
if you have raced badly you are placed low in the trees. The low hung dogs can
just touch the floor and they scrabble around trying desperately to get free.
Some people find this funny and call these dogs ‘Secretaries’ or ‘Piano
Players’ because they actually look like they are typing or playing the piano.
As you will see greyhounds have been around for a long time
and have been loyal companions to people. I think my ancestors and I deserve a
bit more kindness. I’m not talking big juicy bones or anything like that just a
chance to have, what you humans sometimes say, a ‘dog’s life’.
Dogs like me have been around for a lot of dog years! We
first show up in early cave paintings alongside strange animals like bison. We
appear in Egyptian hieroglyphs, on Greek Vases, in Roman jewellery, sculpture
and mosaics, and in medieval paintings and tapestries. We are quite famous in
books too. We have been mentioned in the Old Testament, in Roman stories by
Ovid and Virgil, Chaucer, and even Shakespeare.
More people are learning about greyhounds and what happens
to them. There are lots of dogs just like me who end up finding a lovely safe
home to live in. I am happy now, but I can’t help remembering my friends in
Spain.
If you are a dog who has recently mastered the art of
websites and e-mail, please send me an e-mail with your name to join my
petition. I will be writing to the Spanish government as soon as my English is
good enough.
My e-mail address is Garza@tiscali.co.uk
If you liked my site and want to find out more about
greyhounds or galgos these sites are not to be missed:
http://www.greyhoundsinneed.co.uk
http://www.greyhoundrescue.co.uk
http://www.galgosinfronteras.org
This website was designed by Amanda Hart e-mail me at amanda.hart@tinyworld.co.uk
Last updated 02 February 2003. 
