The dogs we help are typically bred and kept for hunting by Spanish hunters, often housed in compounds far from family homes. In a lot of cases, these dogs spend their entire lives in cages or small kennels, only leaving to hunt, or occasionally when their cages are cleaned – if they are lucky enough to receive that level of care. Many arrive at the shelters with marks and calluses on their elbows from spending years on cold concrete floors or hard surfaces, fur stained yellow from urine, and matted fur so bad that it resembles dreadlocks. Their food, likely to be leftovers and scraps, may have been thrown directly onto the cage floor, where the dogs step on it, mixing it in with the dirt and their own waste.
For the hunters, a dog’s sole purpose is to work, not to be a companion. If a dog doesn’t perform to their expectations, or if a hunter has too many dogs, they will often try to get rid of them. They don’t want the cost of feeding extra dogs, nor the space they occupy, preferring to replace them with a dog that hunts better.
When a hunter no longer wants a dog, they may try and give it away to another hunter. However, if the new owner isn’t satisfied with the dog’s hunting skills, they may attempt to pass it on again, leaving the dog with a history of being discarded and abandoned multiple times. Unfortunately, some hunters just dump their dogs at shelters or the pound, leave them on the street, shoot them or, for the luckier dogs, ask us to take them in.
While some hunters treat their dogs better and with more care, there are others who subject them to harsh conditions, even physically abusing them. Regardless, the life these dogs lead is incredibly tough. Our mission is to rescue them and offer them a chance of a better life—one filled with love, warmth, and the possibility of a family. They’ve never known affection or the comfort of a soft bed.
For these dogs, being adopted is the greatest happiness they could ever experience, a true second chance at life.
