Live in the UK and interested in adopting a GdS dog?
**Then email gdsmurcia@gmail.com and Suzie will send you an information sheet and application form.**
We asked Eileen Locatelli who has adopted three of our galgos to tell you about her adoption experience and this is the story of how Serena, Caru and Mariano came to find their forever homes with Eileen in the UK.
"Three Galgos, shown above, three very different characters, three beautiful, loving and loyal companions share my home with myself and my four Ibizan Hounds.
I would like to tell you a bit about them and to thank Tina and Galgos del Sol for trusting me to take care of these precious fur babies.
SERENA
My carefree, gorgeous, attention seeking bundle of energy, who loves nothing better than to run like a maniac and then spend the rest of her time having cuddles and hugs, getting as close to me as possible. Serena is very clever and learns really quickly, her only aim is to please. She’s a "hugger", one of those Galga's who wrap their legs around your shoulders and push their whole body against you because they love the close contact with their humans. Strangers only have to talk to her, or stroke her once and she is nudging at their hands for more fuss when they stop.
A joy to live with and the perfect fit with my existing pack from day one. She is playful, loves everyone she meets and has no fears. She was abandoned as a 5 month old pup and I fell in love with her the moment I saw her photo, those honey coloured eyes just could not be ignored and she has grown from the 10 month old pretty girl I first saw into a real elegant beauty. I love you to bits little girl, you started a passion in me for this breed that will never end.
CARU
I had not intended to adopt another Galgo so soon after Serena, but she had settled so quickly and well, then I saw a scared looking boy in a perrera who was going to be killed in a few days as no-one was interested in saving him and I fell completely in love. Tina, after long arguments with the killing station/perrera where he had been dumped by his hunter owner, finally secured his release and he was reserved for me. Caru was so traumatised that at one point it looked as if he would not be able to make the journey to me and would have to be found a home in Spain.
I can't explain why this boy was so special to me, but after 3 months he had improved enough that he was able to make the journey. I will not dwell on how afraid of people, especially men he was, or how long it took to lose those fears and start trusting me, after 3 years he is still nervous around some strangers and I know that he will never fully overcome how he was treated in the past, but he is a Galgo and with time, space and patience they forgive and learn how to trust.
Caru is my soul mate, gentle, loving and so sensitive to my moods, if I am upset he is there, a calm warm presence cuddled up to me with his head in my lap , giving comfort. He is my shadow and follows me everywhere, he will jump up at me with his tail wagging furiously when I come home and he sleeps on the pillow next to mine at night with his head tucked into my shoulder. He comes to me indoors and out, buries his head in my chest and sighs. I can feel him relax completely when he does this and can wrap my arms around him and hold him close, something I could not do when he first came as even to lay a hand on his back would send him running away. I thought to teach him trust and to overcome his fear, but he has taught and given me so much in return. He is so very special, proof that even the most traumatised can love and trust again.
MARIANO
Many of you know Mariano's story,one of Galgos del Sol's " Miracle Boys". Found abandoned, starving and barely able to stand and positive for Leishmania and Ehrlichea. He also has deformed muscles on one side of his lower back from an untreated injury, my vets say there is nothing can be done for it as the muscle was badly torn at some time and he has not been allowed the treatment or rest needed to help it heal but it doesn't really bother him. Mariao was another older boy past his usefulness and left to die on the streets. It was love at first sight again, I looked at that broken body and all I could see was how beautiful he was under all those sores and bones. I waited 3 weeks before making the decision to ask for him, my heart over ruling my head which was telling me not to hope too much that he would survive.
Well, survive he did, the flesh healed, he gained weight and the light came back into his eyes, he was a fighter and he was turning into a beautiful, confident and sometimes naughty boy. Mariano has been with me nearly 2 years and once again there have been no problems with him fitting in with the others. He loves people, has been good with small dogs from the start and is always eager to go for a run. He adores retrieving a ball and will bounce up and down in front of me waiting for one to be thrown for him. Mariano "sings" and "dances" for his food at mealtimes, he throws himself on his back and wriggles until he gets chest and belly rubs and kisses, and will lay across me with his legs wrapped round me and fall asleep like that. He loves life, is full of energy and you would never know that he was so close to death when he was first rescued, a real softy and another couch potato.
My two boys have both been worked hard by their previous owners and have the scars and damage to their bodies to prove it. Not loved or cared for they are just two of the thousands that suffer at the hands of their hunter owners, my little girl probably just one from a litter of pups considered not worth keeping. Yes, I am smitten, the Galgos along with the Podencos are two of the gentlest, loyal and loving breeds that you could wish to share your life with. I am blessed in having both here in my home and they are a joy to live with. Please consider giving a forever home to one of the dogs in the care of Galgos del Sol. You will be giving them a new life, but what you get in return from them is priceless and beyond words."
By Eileen Locatelli