Campaigners march in call to end hunting with dogs in Spain

Dozens of people with their dogs have marched through Glasgow calling for an end to hunting with the animals in Spain.

The protest comes ahead of the end of the Spanish hunting season during which galgos (Spanish greyhounds) and podencos are used to hunt hares in open fields.

Protesters said that at the end of the season on February 1 up to 100,000 dogs are abandoned or killed each year, with many having been treated with extreme cruelty during their lifetime.

Campaigners said that hunting dogs were excluded from Spain’s new animal welfare law in 2023 and are classified as “tools” rather than animals in need of protection.

The protest in Glasgow is one of four taking place in the UK this weekend, with events planned in London, Manchester and Exeter.

An Di Prima, who lives in Greenock, Inverclyde, was involved in organising the Glasgow march on Saturday and is calling for more protection for the dogs in Spain.

She said: “When the hunting season ends lots of these dogs get discarded, but also tortured and killed, and that’s just because they are not protected by the law.

“We would like this to change because for the hunters it’s cheaper to discard the dogs and then next year get new dogs than to keep the current ones.

“It’s not fair that a pet dog has a higher level of protection under the law than greyhounds and podencos.”

The protesters set off from Glasgow Green to march through the city centre, holding placards with messages such as “No to hunting with dogs in Spain” and “Free Spanish hunting dogs”.

Many of the dogs which are rescued end up being rehomed in the UK.

Val Pirie, from Inverurie in Aberdeenshire, has ten dogs including two podencos and five galgos.

She said: “They are such lovable creatures and they are great as family pets.

“It’s great that the march is raising awareness with people about what is happening. It’s quite an international situation for rescue in Spain, lots of countries get involved taking dogs.

“There are so many abandoned each year, up to 100,000 that are discarded and the pounds in Spain are overflowing, so it’s good to raise awareness of what happens there.”

Free Spanish Hounds, a UK-based volunteer organisation, was formed in the summer of 2023 to raise awareness about the plight of the hunting dogs.

Adva Shimshy, one of the founders of Free Spanish Hounds, said: “Now in their third year, our peaceful protests are expanding as we continue raising awareness of the suffering of Spanish hunting dogs which continues in plain sight.

“We will stand with campaigners in Spain for as long as it takes until galgos and podencos are finally given the legal protection they deserve and desperately need.”