Podenco Post

Rick Beauchamp - Podencos from Lanzarote part 1

 Rick and Lesley Beauchamp are based in Leicester in the UK and for the past few years have worked in co-operation with the SARA Lanzarote animal shelter in the Canary Islands, rehoming podenco canarios, whose only hope of a life outside the shelter is to be adopted on mainland Europe.

Rick tells the story of his trips to collect the dogs in three parts, here is the first one.

'Well I went over to Germany the Saturday before last and returned with 4 dogs, 2 of which have already gone to their new homes a 3^rd hopefully will be on his way once his ear infection is cleared up! The 4^th is a real poppet Papel the Pod x Bardino and we are fairly confident of finding him a home pretty quickly.

Rick Beauchamp - Podencos from SARA Lanzarote part 2

Here's the story of Rick's trip from the UK to Lanzarote in April 2010.

'Well, we all got back safe and sound around 6am yesterday morning.

The trip was pretty uneventful really, we got to Cologne around 8pm on Monday evening and stayed in a very pleasant little hotel near the station. ( The rooms were on the 4th floor so it’s a good job that the Poddys were’nt being picked up until the next day) The lovely people in the hotel looked after us very well indeed, finding us a free parking space for the night and extending it through the following day until we were ready to leave.

Rick Beauchamp - Podencos from SARA Lanzarote part 3.

Rick and Lesley Beauchamp are based in Leicestershire in the UK, and each year they travel to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands to bring home som Podenco Canarios, whose only hope of a forever life outside the SARA Lanzarote shelter is to be adopted on mainland Europe.

Here Rick talks about the project and the 3 trips he has made so far.  What is hidden is the true International co-operation which goes on to bring the dogs to the UK; from them choosing the dogs in Lanzarote to arranging flight partners to take the dogs to Europe; to enlisting help from the German population to meet the dogs at the airports; to the absolute exhaustion that Rick and his friend Daryl submot themselves to over a couple of  days.

Valencia - two abandoned podencos, help urgently needed to rescue

Please help save these two podencos.

Podenquita young and beautiful abandoned in the street. She is very affectionate and friendly, but She  wears a red collar, appears to have been lost or escaped from a hunter.
We need foster care or adoption for her, since it is in an area of villas and we know that people there are bothered by her presence.   She is also in danger of mistreatment or abuse.
Please someone that has a space for her.  It is very urgent!
Contact: 645784096 tere_sa_ee@hotmail.com or receiving calls in the afternoon.

And another!

BEBE - a Podenca Andaluz - rescued injured from a Seville motorway

Bebe is my miniature Podenca Andaluz.  Here is her story.

Bebe was found, traumatised with fear, starving and dumped on a Seville autoroute.  She had been badly injured by a vehicle and her left hind leg damaged to such an extent that she could not walk on it.  She was rescued by a volunteer from an animal refuge and taken to her home.  The following day, a vet at the refuge clinic diagnosed a badly dislocated hip and other wounds to her body from the accident.  Her age was put at between 3-6 years old.

Animal Medical Care Foundation - helping dogs around the world

The Animal Medical Care Foundation supports worldwide more than 80 animal shelthers in over 30 countries with medical and other care products.  It was founded by Betty Heideman.  This is the story.

Betty Heideman was born in Utrecht in 1962, into a home already inhabited by dogs and cats.  This love of animals continued and Betty became a volunteer as a dog walker in the Hilversum shelter, as well as a foster home for birds.  Hamsters, turtles, gerbils, mice and rats also moved in!  After marriage, Quincy, a 7 yr old crossbreed from the Breda shelter became the first in a long line of adopted dogs.

Podencos - life in the hands of Spanish 'thugs'

Whilst the plight of the podencos does not have the same high profile as that of the galgos, they suffer a similar life at the hands of the Spanish hunters, especially on the Spanish Islands, the Canary Islands near Africa and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean.

Here,  one podenco passionata writes about them.

'The reality is that the life of a podenco is in the hands of "thugs", this is the same as the life of the Galgos, adding to his miserable life also by suffering abandonment by the vast majority of Spanish society. Increasingly they share the same hardships, are also exploited for the same purposes, are just as abused, scraping by in hideouts dark, damp, crowded together, no light, no ventilation, the floor covered with dog dirt, being walk on, and occasionally being thrown a loaf of bread in order to "eat."

Podencos desperately needing forever homes - due in UK June 2011

These absolutely beautiful galgos are on the Canary Island of Lanzarote.  They are in the good care of the refuge SARA Lanzarote.  Their only hope of a forever life outside of these kennels - they don't put a dog down - is to be adopted on mainland Europe and in the UK.  These particular podencos will be travelling to the UK in June 2011 when their passports are clear, and will be in the kennels of Rick and Lesley Beauchamp in Leicestershire.  Please contact them direct about any of these deserving beauties.

Moxie May - a little podenca with her home in paradise

I am from the U.S. and live most of the year in Belgium because my boyfriend works here. Last spring I started researching adoption agencies on the internet and learned that there are several in Belgium that place dogs from Spain, this lead to me learning about what a sad, desperate situation many dogs face in Spain. Before that, I had no idea. Every country has it's issues with animal cruelty, but I was really shocked to learn how bad Spain is with the hunting practices and such.

This was also the first time I had ever seen a Podenco. I fell in love with their athletic build and of course the big ears. I was searching for a dog that would be a running companion for me and maybe provide a little protection when I am out by myself on a trail (although Moxie ended up being a relatively small podenco.)

Podencas needing forever homes - can you help?

Mindy and Roda are two gorgeous young podencas which are now in foster care in France and desperately looking for their forever homes.  Here's the story of how they came to be in France.

If you can offer either of them the rest of their life in a forever home, where they will give you total devotion, please contact Phoenix Association.

You may not know the breed Podenco but they are a sighthound,like the Pharoah Hound, and are subject to bad treatment and abandonment by the Spanish hunters.  For most in shelters on the Spanish Islands, forever homes in mainland Europe is their only hope of life outside the shelter. They are an extremely loyal breed and make fantastic companions.