Galgos del Sol Animal Rescue comes to the rescue of galagos – Spanish hunting greyhounds – dogs which are abandoned or slaughtered by the hundreds each year in Spain at the end of hunting season. Because the dogs are not considered as prospective pets, they end up in kill shelters or, more commonly, thrown by the roadside to die.
That’s how Matilda was discovered. She was brokenhearted and in anguish, all alone on the streets, and she couldn’t stop crying. Her thin frame revealed all of her bones, as she is half her normal weight.
Tina Solera, the founder and president of Galgos del Sol Animal Rescue, was contacted by a group of young men and women to inform her about Matilda. Tina stated on Facebook that she received the call while driving through the town she was in. Things didn’t go as smoothly as she had hoped when she thought she could rescue Matilda without using a trap. A handful of the young men assisted her in loading the dog into the crate.
“This was also difficult because she was biting, and the one time I needed the muzzle, I didn’t have it,” Tina recalled of Matilda’s rescue. “The screaming and crying was so stressful and everyone was upset but what a brave bunch of young ones who helped me and will hopefully go on to be ambassadors for the galgos.”
Tina drove her to the hospital after Matilda was safely with her. Tina didn’t know whether Matilda was screaming and crying out of pain or terror.
Tina, a mother of two who emigrated from the United Kingdom to Murcia, Spain with her family, said Matilda’s cries shattered her heart. “In the last hour, I’ve aged about 30 years; the crying and screaming is so stressful that it makes you feel useless.” She’s now safe.”
The skinny puppy was tick-infested and feverish. She was given an IV, pain pills, and a comfy bed to sleep in after undergoing a full body X-Ray and scan to see if she had anything broken.
Matilda felt considerably better after a few days. “A lot of emotional trauma, some screaming, but it does settle down.” Tina characterised him as “just a pup who has already been to hell and back.” “I believe she will come around soon enough. She’s been hydrated for a few days and is being treated for tick-borne infections. She’s eating well, but the greatest part is that we got a little tail wag earlier…” The video below shows Matilda’s lovely tail wag and her first few days.
Tina is convinced that Matilda will be alright once she has had enough rest, food, and affection. “She’s so insecure by day by day getting a bit better.”
Tina started Galgos del Sol after encountering a stray galgo in need of assistance. “It’s hard to explain the connection that I felt but when he looked at me with his soulful eyes and stretched out that needle nose, I knew my life had changed forever,” she continued.
Galgos del Sol is now a registered charity in Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States that focuses on rescuing abandoned and injured galgos, rehabilitating them, and finding them permanent homes in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Belgium. They care for about 150 galgos, podencos, and mixtures of those breeds. Visit them on Facebook and their Website to see the dogs they have available for adoption in the United States and Europe, as well as to support their efforts.