GPAC - flying the flag for Podencos in Canada

Mary Macdonald is flying the flag for Podencos in Canada. She's already adopted 2 and is about to get her third one. Here she tells her story.

"I am a volunteer for Greyhound Pets of Atlantic Canada (Branch Rep for my province of Prince Edward Island) and Galgos and Podencos of Atlantic Canada. It was though GPAC that I found out about these beautiful souls. I do meet and greets across my province, adoption applications and home visits.

We currently have 4 Podencos on PEI which I think is so wonderful for such a small Island. Our meet and greets and " word of mouth " are bringing attention to the podencos here and the rest of Atlantic Canada .

I also run an ad on a local pet site and I have gotten responses from other parts of Canada. I happily give them a call to tell them about information on the podenco breed and redirect them to Tania of The League of Extraordinary Galgos and Podencos as she covers central Canada . They usually keep in touch with me to let me know how their adoptions are going , which is lovely.

When I was considering adopting a podenco a year and a half ago, I didn't have to look too far as my first Podenco Bica was a stray picked up by the SPCA in Toronto. GPAC was able to have him released to them and he came to me as a foster and the rest is history. Sad to say even in my own country , he was malnourished, full of worms, not neutered, and had a bad limp. X-rays of his leg had shown a previous break that was never treated and healed imcorrectly. It was past the stage of surgery. He still favors the leg and mostly walks and runs on 3 legs but it doesn't slow him down.

Mia, my second podenco, I adopted from SOS Podenco in February 2016. From what I was told she was locked in a kennel with other dogs and left to starve. A lady had discovered them and was giving them food
.
My 3rd podenco is coming from Beverly Farmer and Podenco Friends. Portia is a puppy who was handed in with 2 other sibling by a hunter in February. She will arrive in the USA at the end of April 2017 and I will fly down to New York with another friend and member of GPAC who is also adopting a podenco puppy, to pick her up.

It isn't cheap to bring the dogs to Canada but people are catching on and realizing that it is so worth it. They realize that they would pay more for a " designer " dog and would rather adopt a rescue dog.

I have a copy of your book From Pyramid to Perrera which will be very helpful for when I am educating the public about podencos."

Comments

[Mary Croft]

This is wonderful...I am so happy that Canadians are learning about these unappreciated dogs.

[Elly]

So good to read this about adoption in Canada of your Podenco' s. They are such lovely dogs who have to suffer so much before they can have a good life with people who care for them. I have adopted one, called Caminante ( he was found in Spain with a broken leg and missing a part of his ear). He still is afraid of loud noises and things outside, but inside he feels safe.
And I surely will adopt another one. I am from Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

[Beryl Brennan]

Thank you for your comment, Elly, and wonderful to read yet another deserving hound has found a wonderful forever home. How he must have suffered at the hands of the hunter, to still be afraid.

[Kathryn]

Lovely to hear about the podencos getting homes in Canada. Re Elly's comment about her dog being afraid, my galgo Jake was afraid his whole life. He experienced happiness and kindness with us but never stopped being afraid of us making sudden arm and leg movements. He was terrified when out on walks if someone walked behind him. He was scared of phone lines coming out of telegraph poles, I don't know why. He had bad dreams and would wake in terror, then his eyes would soften when he saw I was there. He never recovered mentally or physically from the abuse by his hunter owner. He had to have a major operation on his back because of the physical abuse he suffered, it was awful for him. Everyone who met Jake was touched by him, his gentleness, the suffering he had gone through still there in his eyes, the scars on his face. I still miss him now. So anyone saying that hunters respect their dogs and treat them well and the rescue groups are lying about the abuse, they are the ones who are liars, evil, wicked liars.