Rescues.

Around the Mediterranean there are many organizations and associations that run dogshelters. Breeds which are difficult to rehouse are the podencoids. Podencoids are well known in their home countries as hunting dogs and they aren't usually kept as pets. The prevailing opinion is that they are impossible to keep indoors. Therefore, it is almost impossible for dog shelters to rehome these dogs in their home countries. And yet if you ensure that a podencoid gets the stimulation and activity they need, they can be wonderful family members and can even adapt to life in an appartment. Learn more about what it's like to live with a podencoid under the breed presentations.

Rehousing podencoids are a serious problem particularly in Spain and Portugal, with a very large number of podencoids abandoned after each hunting season. They are often dumped off at a road far off so that they will not find their way back home. The reason for that is often that the dogs weren’t good enough at hunting or simply because they don’t want to feed so many dogs between the huntingseasons. They choose instead to save a few stud dogs and breed new litters for the next season, but we should not assume that all the dogs are abandoned. Many dogs have ran away from home or have got lost during the hunt, and couldn't find their way back home. It is a law that all dogs in Spain have to be chip tagged but unfortunately is ignored by many owners due to the increased cost to the owners, especially when they have a large pack.

Lately there is an improved awareness within the group of hunters and there are now some hunters who instead of abandoning their dogs leave them to the rescue centers. Another major problem in Spain is the dog thefts. There are lots of thefts of podencos and galgos, especially for the hunting seasons. It can sometimes happen under horrid forms where they set fire to parts of the dogstables in order to delay the hunt for the thieves. The owners must then focus on trying to save as many dogs as possible. There has also been shootings involved.

Chipped tags are also no deterrent to the thieves. With a simple cut, they just remove the chip. So many hunters still prefer to tattoo their dogs in the ear. When the hunting season is over, the stolen dogs are often dumped and those who are lucky end up in a good dog shelter and will perhaps find a new family in Northern Europe. The less fortunate ones are often facing death out of starvation. If they do not die of starvation they will suffer from diseases and injuries that will lead to a premature death in most cases.

The dogs adopted to northern Europe come mainly from Spain and Portugal. In Malta the Pharaoh hound (Kelb tal-Fenek) is a highly valued member so you can never find them in dogshelters. I don’t know anything about the situation in Italy, but I have never encountered a Cirneco from a shelter. If you go to the bottom of the headings on the left you can find links to organisations who deals with podenco adoptions, both Swedish and foreign.

  La Podenquera



* Watch the chocking video, Why? Por qué? Varför? under  Videos.


* A big thank you to Harry Trow for checking on my english.