Podenco Post

Podenca Andaluz Rosely - our new arrival

Regular readers will know that since moving from France to the UK at the beginning of 2021 we sadly lost our last 3 Spanish hounds, galgos Polar and Bracken, and my little pocket rocket Podenca Bebe. It was a shock to lose them so quickly - Polar with lymphoma, Bracken with a bleeding tumour on his lungs, and Bebe at 18 years old had never lived on her own and just gave up on life. We took 2 months out to grieve and visit family and friends in the UK but, having both of us grown up with at least 1 dog in the house, we missed having a canine companion.

Now our travelling days are over and this week Podenca Andaluz Rosely joined the family. She's bigger than little Bebe, about 12 kgs, and 6 years old. Unusually for a rescued Spanish hound, her Pet Passport shows she was chipped and vaccinated from birth. Of all the hundreds of galgos and podencos I have helped the French rescue association bring back to France for foster and rehoming, there has never been one with such a vaccination record!

Muzzle a podenco? Never!

I have been involved with podenco and galgo rescue for 14 years. I've travelled regularly into Spain with a French rescue association to bring Spanish rescued galgos and podencos back to France for foster and adoption. I have NEVER met a podenco which needed to wear a muzzle!

I was horrified to see this photo, especially on a senior dog. Yet it should not be a surprise since the podenco seems to be with a greyhound from a UK retired racing greyhound rescue, some of whom believe every greyhound/galgo should be muzzled.

Since moving back to the UK in January 2021 I have met many greyhounds who are companion dogs and not one of them wore a muzzle. Naturally all were on leads when walked in public but their adopters had never felt the need to use a muzzle. To me, it creates the image that the dog is dangerous!

Have any of my readers felt the need to muzzle their adopted Spanish dog?

I've had an email from a reader to say dogs have to be muzzled on ferries. However, when we have travelled our dogs on ferries they are not muzzled as they travel in cages, as do the dogs on official pet transport. If the dog is loose in the vehicle, then they could be muzzled, perhaps?

Podenca Truffle - happily homed in Italy

From Salva Podenco de Gran Canaria.

'This lovely Gran Canaria podenca was originally called Iris. Now she's called Truffle. When she came to us she was a terrified dog, she lived tied up in a dirty chenil until that time. She knew nothing about the world and was afraid of people, especially men.

Today she lives super happy with hers family in Italy and almost overcame all her fears of the human being. Thank you so much to her family for taking care of her and everyone who helped us through the process for her to get to her forever home. We are so glad to hear from her adopters.'

Farewell to Podenca Bebe - the last one standing

After losing my galgo Polar in April, galgo Bracken a just over a week ago, I had to take little Bebe to the vet on Saturday...her body just gave up on her. She was the last of my Spanish rescue hounds...but she had a good life with us.

Bebe, 7.5kg Podenca Andaluz, was injured on a Seville road back in 2008. Early days for my Podenco Post blog but a young Spanish volunteer with Refuge Sofia Escuela, Marisa, contacted me to publicise for a foster home for Bebe to convalesce after operation. She had named the Podenca Bebe. My daughter's name is Marisa and my nickname at school was Bebe, so of course the little Podenca had to come to me! Booked into my excellent French vet to repair her injury, from the state of her teeth Florence assessed her age as between 4-6 - her teeth were not in a good condition.

Podenco Paolo - from Gran Canaria to his forever home

A delightful happy ever after story from Bev Farmer of Podenco Friends.

'Paolo….. a Podenco Canario and his best friend

On the Island of Gran Canaria Paolo´s mother Uma, was chained to the wall in a box, giving birth to her puppies on a concrete floor. They were crying out to her, newly born she was unable to reach them. Other dogs that were not restrained were trying to take the pups and sadly one of the siblings was killed. Seprona were on site, after a report of the terrible conditions the 16 podencos were held in. Thankfully they agreed to remove them and allowed for the mum & pups to go directly to a veterinary clinic.
They went to a foster home on the island were Uma was able to care for her pups in comfortable surroundings. Paolo and the three other pups came to us 3 months later and Jodie adopted him and once old enough he travelled to the UK.

She has always sent me lots of photos videos and updates of him and he grew into a wonderful dog then two years later she had her baby daughter. From the day she was born Paolo has been her constant companion, so gentle and caring with her. She will grow up with him and know she has a faithful and loyal friend always by her side, sharing walks on the beach and holidays.
Thank you Jodie for sharing these special moment with your family.'

Podenca Carly - happy Gotcha Day

Copied and pasted from Dave Inglis and Sandra Inglis post (Carly's adoptants)

'So the story starts in April 2019 when we were over at Podenco Friends on a “working holiday” with Beverley Farmer; the “working” I get (which Bev does day in day out), not so sure about the “holiday” part!!

A rescue comes in with a Podenco bitch and a small Galgo pup which she had been protecting on the streets, this was Carly and PJ (‘cause that’s what he was wearing, pyjamas!). We were immediately smitten with Carly, a dog who had gone through so much but still was the gentlest of souls, never demanding nor expecting much but gamely continued on with her various untreated damages and illness.

Podenco Oreo - happy in his forever home

Rhonda Martins tells the story of how she came to be a podenco adoptant and the start of her passion for them and homing them.

'In January 2014 a small chocolate and white Podenco puppy traveled to Canada to his new home. Things didn’t work out as planned as they do sometimes and in a totally unplanned series of events our family ended up fostering him. We had never had a podenco, let’s call this baptism by fire. Our lives were changed forever by little Oreo the pod puppy from Podenco Friends in Spain, he never left our home and we adopted him in January 2015.

Late September in 2016 I was given the opportunity to travel to Spain with my friend Jeanette, we were to spend some time at Bev and Warren’s and then fly home with Podencos and Galgos our organization had helped to find forever homes for. At that time I could never have imagined the impact this trip would have on myself and my family. Bev and Warren were amazing , and I have never worked so hard in all my life. Running a rescue is certainly a labour of love.

From a life in chains on Gran Canaria to running free on the beach - Podenca Hinga

From Bev Farmer of Podenco Friends.

'“Vivir con miedo es vivir a media.” It means roughly, “To live with fear is to live a life half-lived.. That was Hingas life

To understand why Podencos arrive so fearful you have to see first hand how they live. For Hinga years of chained to a wall in a darken building left her with no trust in people and really had no reason to trust people.

She struggled with a different life and couldn't overcome her fears and many times I wondered would Hinga be locked in the prison of her mind for eternity . Over the months she made a little progress and only when I took her away from the finca for her walks did I get to see a different Hinga. Here was not the place for her to heal and Dave Bennett and Heather Bennett fostered her for almost a year and this was a stepping stone to her new life.

Podenco Dapper - a failed foster

From Ann Marie Payne of Ann's Canine Care

'Dapper my little Mr sunshine dog - My first failed foster. This is his story.

Coming up to Christmas in 2013 Jacqui Ross Last Chance Animal Rescue was trying to get as many dogs out of the pound before Christmas. It was my first introduction to fostering and it was a harrowing time because many dogs were dying of distemper. In one pen Eleanor and Dapper were together, and Eleanor had produced 6 pups. And we think that Dapper was the father. I was fostering Eleanor and the pups and had prepared a bed for them in my bedroom, it was actually my bed as the whole thing lifted up to provide storage underneath. I had adapted the bed so that it would stay up and put a carpet in there and some extra bedding.

So getting back to the pound. We were loading Eleanor and the pups into my car and Dapper started crying, he was so upset. Dapper was going into foster with someone else but we decided that it would be best if he came with me, Eleanor and the pups.
They settled in the bedroom, and the pups were everywhere, they were climbing out of the base of the bed and causing havoc, like puppies do.

Pedro the Podenco - a Happy Ending

Read the lovely story about Pedro the Podenco from Spanish Stray Dogs.