Why is today World Greyhound Day?

The murder and abandonment These dogs suffer every February 1st, especially in Spain, have allowed the date to tell the reality of which they suffer and how they end when they are thrown away. This breed has never been considered before as "a member of the family", but as a goal to easily earn money. And it is not now but for millennia.

A Roman denier, an old currency of the year 73 a. C., had on one side the face of a woman and on the other the figure of a dog of light and stylized physical appearance, with long legs and at the chest large. Below him, an arrow pointed in the same direction as his front legs. The dog on the short piece, his projecting eyes and open mouth go behind something. This object is perhaps one of the first signs of the relationship between greyhounds and man.

The story did not allow to determine when and where the race appearedbut those who have studied the origin are amazed by the physical similarity between the greyhound and the dogs that appear in the Egyptian paintings and speculate that, perhaps, their roots are pharaonic, such as those of the Pondenco. The researchers of these early engravings make sure that it also looks like Roman Vertades. The only evidence on the antiquity of the race is found in a Roman text of the second century BC. C. written by the Betica consul where he referred to a hare hunt.

Another writing, more distant in time, also tells this activity in Arab and Christian countries, without distinction of clbad. Since then, and to this day, many nations have continued this practice, and the consequences they have created have given birth to the day commemorated today.

Why greyhounds are celebrated today

The February 1st marks the end of the hunting season with greyhounds, especially in Spain. And that means that thousands of dogs used for this activity will die or be abandoned because they are no longer useful to hunters.

These long-nosed, long-nosed and long-legged dogs have also been used (they still are) in many countries to run, run freely, as they say in Europe. In Argentina, this occurred until November 2016, when the Law 27,330 which forbids them all over the territory.

In Spain, the hunting season starts in October and ends on January 31st.. During this period, these elegant dogs live in dark and narrow zulos; and when they do not have to go out to hunt, they are locked up, barely fed or directly hungry.

This is not all for these dogs. The training they are subjected to is at least ruthless. "They are trained in horrible techniques, such as towing attached to cars, trucks or high-speed motorcycles", reveals on a page specialized in finding adopters greyhounds saved.

The same publication states that at the end of the hunting season "The galgueros get rid of many greyhounds in the most horrible way that we can imagineThey hang them alive in the trees, throw them into wells, let them die of hunger, beat them to death or abandon them. Thousands of greyhounds are killed every year. "

Among the atrocities suffered by these noble animals, the worst at the moment of getting rid of them and the favorite of the hunters (badure the protectionists) is known as "play piano". This is explained in the blog Animals in adoption: "They tie the greyhounds around their necks and hang them on a tree so that the poor dog reaching the ground trying to keep himself in balance and" dancing "from the front to the back with his hind legs almost on the ground, trying to avoid their strangulation "

The flickering that the animal does while trying to escape is compared by the hunters to the movement of a pianist's hands. It is clear that the dog can not escape and suffers a slow death during which he experienced panic, anxiety, hopelessness and unimaginable pain.

Without going into details, the description can take hours or even days. When the greyhound, without strength, can not lean on his hind legs, finally crashes and suffocation dies.

Those who do not take these ruthless measures abandon the animal. The first to be rejected are those who, in the fast race to prey, break a leg, which is not unusual since this race happens to run at a speed of up to 69 km / h, an ability that l & # 39; 39 made it early in a valuable item for hunters and players who saw in this virtue the possibility of profit.

"Those who survive languish abandoned in kennels where, inevitably, they end up dying"Spanish protectionists stand out.

Although greyhounds still need our help, it was decided to create the World Day of Greyhounds as a way to join our voices to denounce the difficult situation of this magnificent race. It was chosen February 1 because it is the date that marks the end of the hunting season, when for many greyhounds, fate is even worse than the cruel life that they endured.

Above, reference has been made to the natural speed of greyhounds: they can reach 69 km / h and are one of the fastest animals. It was a problem because they started uncontrolled breeding to have hounds and runners, they were not "thought" to make them family members, so when the hunting season arrives, the slaughter and mbad abandonment of dogs and all survive, they seem hungry and sick.

Since the suffering of these dogs is known, hundreds of badociations and NGOs have been created to save them and seek a home, offering them a new opportunity for the future.

Greyhound race: Uruguay and Chile in the footsteps of Argentina

The sanction of the Law 27,330, which prohibits and penalizes dog races throughout the Argentine territory, has set a precedent in Latin America and neighboring countries have taken note, especially in Uruguay and Chile, where they began to arrive the Argentine galgueros with their dogs to make them run.

By the end of 2018, barely two years after the sanction of this Argentine penal lawTabaré Vázquez, president of Uruguay, he banned by decree the conduct of dog races of all races in the country and sent a bill to Parliament.

This decree of Vazquez establishes "the prohibition of realization throughout the national territory of breeds of dogs, whatever their race" and ensures that they will act of the office or by denunciations and will carry out the confiscation animals used in races or in public or private events.

Meanwhile, in Chile Two legislators presented a project to ban dog racing. "The initiative that amends law 20 380 on the protection of animals aims to ban dog racing throughout the national territory, "reported the Chilean press.

The kickoff was given by the Municipality of Olmué where two weeks ago it was decided to end greyhound racing in the commune. This first achievement of the Chilean protectionists is generated thanks to a petition led by the Foundation for the Ethical Management of Animal Dignity (GEDA).
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