What is the difference between a Galgo and a Podenco?

Sunday 29th May, 2022

 Someone described this very nicely today and gave this example: 

Imagine visiting a safe, fenced-in area where the little dogs can run free. This is what happens:

Arrival: 

The Galgos run a few very fast laps. The Podencos greet every dog, every person, every tree and every blade of grass with an endless variety of body language and facial expressions.

The first 5 minutes:

The Galgos run a few more very fast laps. The Podencos dig up hidden critters, roll through every muddy pit of unknown origin and do a few small quick laps.

The next 10 minutes:

The Galgos assume an elegant posture and look around to take in their surroundings.

The Podencos, meanwhile, have rounded up at least 3 "normal" dogs (type Labrador or shepherd) and convinced them that digging, chasing mice etc. is the most fun a dog can have. 

From that moment on, you get angry looks from the owners of those "normal" dogs. They came well prepared with treats, toys and whistles etc. and are afraid that their champions will now forget all their learned skills.

The next 10 minutes:

The Galgos run another lap and then go back to posing. Graciously they allow to be stroked, after which they continue to observe their surroundings. Meanwhile, the Podencos have laid the foundations for a large pond. They have discovered two unknown species of mice and added at least three new builders to their group.

It starts to rain:

The Galgos have had enough. Their body language and facial expressions are clear: Pathetic, neglected, completely miserable. The Podencos are happy: mud digs much better than dry ground.

The journey back home:

Everyone is happy. One of them smells a bit strange.

A little later during the journey back home:

One of the Podencos vomits.

At home:

Towels for the Galgos, shower for the Podencos.  Angry looks from all of them. Shower for the owner.

During the shower of the owner:

Deep sleep for the Podencos. The Galgos steal everything from the kitchen counter and from the kitchen cupboards.

It was soooo boring on the playground.

In Memory of Cloudy ... a long, happy life after a miserable start.

It's a few weeks now since Cloudy's wonderful owner wrote with the sad news of Cloudy's sudden death. I noticed it immediately but since I was away I was not able to record it on the blog. But there is a very special reason why I noticed ... because I was with Fabienne when we rescued Cloudy and his companions from a breeder. And she allowed me the enormous privilege of giving him his name ... Cloudy was a pet name my mother used to call me. Shortly after this this precious little dog was adopted. I have been trawling through my blogposts to find what I wrote about him at the time, but so far without luck. 

The message from Cloudy's sad owner.

Less than a month ago I brought you the sad news that our Spanish Princess Camila had died. We have not yet recovered from this grief and the next shock came. A few weeks ago I wrote that our Spanish sweetheart Cloudy is doing so well and despite his age (almost 13 years) he is still as healthy as a fish. Last night a drama happened that we still cannot comprehend. It was around 02:00 last night when we suddenly heard Cloudy panting. At first we thought he might need to go outside so we let him out into the garden, where he did a little peeing and then went back inside. Once back in the living room it happened that suddenly one hind leg became paralysed, soon followed by his second hind leg and his eyes were very strange. It all happened so fast. We put him on the couch where it soon became clear that he could not understand what was happening. I cried and realised immediately that there was probably something wrong with his heart, before we could call the vet Cloudy had already died. My husband tried to resuscitate but without success 😭😭😭 Despite the fact that it went so fast and we saw everything happen and we know he did not suffer, we cannot get the image out of our retinas. We were so helpless, I told him how much I love him, repeated his name 10 times but still his life slipped through our fingers 😭 We still can't believe it, especially because he was never sick, yesterday evening he ate normally, nothing special to notice and so suddenly he is gone. This afternoon we took him to the crematorium and chose a beautiful urn for him. A bronze heart with a golden heart in it, this fits him so well especially because I always said to him "Cloudje with his heart of Gold". He was my first sweetheart who I adopted through ACE and shortly after that Camila came to us through ACE as well. Both the same age, both in short succession through ACE from Spain came to us, both so very sweet and special and now both in 1 month time left for the rainbow bridge. I comfort myself with the thought that he did not suffer and had a beautiful life until the last day. Comfort in all the beautiful memories and how grateful we are that he was in our lives for 10 years. But the loss, the sound of his bark, the sound of his feet walking on the floor.... it leaves a huge void and last night a piece of my heart died with him 💔😭

We want to thank you so much for bringing two wonderful sweethearts into our lives and our hearts. It was 10 years full of love and in our hearts they live forever! 

Also now I send you a video with some memories of 10 beautiful years with our Cloudje with his heart of gold ❤️

Love,

Nanda

Fabienne's Diary: Dumped at the killing station at 12 years old!!!

 Sunday, May 15, 2022

He came from a killing station after his owner gave him up there. He had become too old and his owner could not bear the costs involved in his old age. 

So this sweet English Bulldig came to us. He is an old man who is still very strong and has good senses, who still walks with us and is still good for his age.

He realises that he has been dumped. The first week he didn't eat, there was no life in him, they told us. He kept looking at the door where he saw his owner walking away. 

Since he came to us he is doing a little better, but Jack is a quiet boy who can't understand all this. He is social and sweet with all other dogs, great with people, he doesn't hurt a fly. He walks up and down a bit and the puppies lay down next to him, it's all the same to him. 

The company he keeps and the different atmosphere here with us make him shine again in those faithful eyes of his. Jack is an old boy who would like to come home somewhere, for a few more years. 

Jack is the umpteenth innocent caught with us at the Refugio,...

For more information about Jack, please click on his name.

Happy Passos Largos - such a darling that his foster family couldn't bear to part with him!

 

On behalf of our Maurice, Toad, Wario and the whole ACE SHIN family, here's to a happy week end!

 Saturday 14th May 2022

Maurice 

Hello. I'm Maurice ... Im a super sweet, strong boy. Some people are a bit scared of Rottweilers, which may be why I'm still in a kennel at ACE after a whole year. You needn't be scared of me ... just look at my video with Mitch when he stayed in my cage for 24 hours. You can see how nice and gentle I am and how much I love to play with my ball. It's true I would like a strong but kind owner who understands my breed and who is not scared of me. Could that be you? I will be loyal to you forever and love you to the end of time. If you click on my name below my photo, you can read more about me.

Love Maurice XXX

Toad

My name is Toad. English people will probably find that a funny name for a dog, but I'm not supposed to be called Sapo, which is Spanish for Toad. So I'm just Toad ... hello. I'm a Mastin Espanol, which means I will become quite a big boy, as I'm only 10 months old now. I've been at the Refugio for about 6 months, so since I was quite a small puppy.  I am a gentle, good natured fellow and I'll love you to pieces. Could you find a place in your heart for me? Please. To find out more, please click on my name under my photo.

Wario

This is Wario. He's a lucky boy because after spending 6 weeks with us he's been reserved. This means that he'll be going home soon, once all the home visits and checks are done. Wario is a beautiful cross Labrador and at only ten months old he can now get the loving, fresh start in life that all dogs deserve.

RTL NEWS: Kelly locked herself in doghouse for 24 hours to raise awareness for shelter dogs

  Thursday 12th May 2022

It has to stop with people who dump their dogs all the time. That is the opinion of Kelly from Rotterdam. To make her point, she locked herself up in a dog kennel in a Spanish shelter for 24 hours. This afternoon she was allowed out. "I have felt the desperation of the dogs."

Kelly has worked at ACE-Charity, a shelter for dogs in the Andalusian town of Cala de Mijas, for almost six years. She normally pulls the door shut behind her at 5pm, but yesterday was different. She locked herself in one of the cages, between the dogs.

Boredom

What struck her immediately was the silence when her colleagues had gone home. "As long as there are people walking by you can still distract you, but after that you are really left to your own devices and the other dogs. I had no phone, no book, nothing to do", she told EditieNL.

The 27-year-old woman had to make do with a pen of about three by one and a half metres, consisting of an indoor and outdoor area. "I installed myself in the inner part with a mat and sleeping bag. Lying down did not fit, so I lay there folded up, together with a large dog. He came to sleep on my neck. He was happy with the human contact.

Other than that, she only had a water bottle with her. "Today I only got food at noon, just like the dogs. I really wanted to live like them. I could do my needs in a bucket or in the drain in the cage. Stopping was not an option, of course."

Loneliness

Kelly felt lonely in the cage. "Of course a dog's way of thinking is different to a human's, but I'm sure they experience restlessness and loneliness in the same way. When the last staff members have left, you notice in the shelter that despair strikes. With every little sound, hundreds of dogs start barking at the same time, hoping that someone is there. I felt them thinking: another day has passed, and again no one has come for me.

This afternoon she was released. "I'm still a bit speechless," she says shortly after. "I feel empty. It only now dawns on me what I have actually done."

Goal

Online, people can support her action by donating money. In addition, she hopes to make people think. "Millions of dogs around the world live like I have. But not for 24 hours; sometimes for years. Waiting for that one boss. Some people dump their dog after it has done one pee in the house. They take it to a shelter and never look back.

By sharing her own experiences, she hopes people will understand what it is like for a dog to be locked up. "I would consider a week to be quite intense. You go crazy mentally. You can see that in the dogs. Some of them are circling around in their cage all the time. At a certain moment it becomes very heavy. I really hope that people will think again before they bring their dogs to the gate.

You can read the original post here.

It's over! Mitch and Kelly are out!

Thursday 12th May 2022

Here are our Mitch and Kelly, out again! We can't get the look of Maurice, Toad and Wario out of our minds... Why are they leaving? Yes Why are they leaving? Their 24 hours were long...the night lonely, a gate might mean luck...someone is coming. No rest...everything is coming at you.... Thank you to everyone!!! Thanks for the sympathy...The many donations...May the sweethearts get a golden basket...and may people think about having a new resident with 4 legs come to live with you...not for a while...but forever! In our Ace Shin there are 500 dogs and 200 cats who were once at home? May the message...the efforts of Mitch and Kelly have a real impact.