1 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,000 Hello and welcome to Just a Dog Podcast. 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,920 I'm your host Nadine. In this week's episode I speak 3 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:12,680 with Gemma and Adwa, the organisers behind Free Spanish 4 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:16,400 Hounds, a UK based movement that marches each year to raise 5 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:19,000 awareness of Spain's abandoned hunting dogs. 6 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:23,000 If you've never heard of Galgos or Podenkos, you're not alone. 7 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:27,560 Most people in the UK haven't. They're Spanish hunting breeds, 8 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:30,800 sighthounds used mainly for hare and rabbit coursing. 9 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:34,240 They're fast, they're intelligent and deeply 10 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:37,080 sensitive. But for many hunters they're 11 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:39,440 seen as tools rather than as companions. 12 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:42,880 At the end of the hunting season, when they're no longer 13 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:46,080 considered useful, 10s of thousands are abandoned or 14 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,640 killed. Some are left in fields and some 15 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:53,400 are dumped in wells, and others are handed to shelters if 16 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:55,440 they're lucky. It's hard to comprehend, 17 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:58,640 especially when you think about how dogs are treated here in the 18 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:04,280 UK, sleeping on sofas wrapped in blankets, loved and protected by 19 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:06,680 law. And that's what makes this issue 20 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:11,560 so hard to grasp. In 2023, Spain passed its first 21 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:15,800 national animal welfare law, a huge step forward for many 22 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,840 animals, but hunting dogs were deliberately excluded from it. 23 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:24,720 Companion animals like the ones that we live with are protected, 24 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:29,960 but galgos and podenkos are not the same species but treated as 25 00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:33,320 two different kinds of being. The legal gap means cruelty 26 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:36,520 often goes unpunished, and thousands of dogs continue to 27 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:40,400 live and die outside this framework of care that many of 28 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,680 us take for granted. It's a reminder that empathy 29 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,080 shouldn't have borders, and that awareness has to start from 30 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:49,240 somewhere. In this episode, I speak with 31 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:52,960 Gemma and Adva, two women who are part of the awareness in 32 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:56,000 action. Gemma is an HR director and a 33 00:01:56,000 --> 00:02:00,200 trustee of Hope for Podenkos. She shares her home with four 34 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,800 rescued hounds, all of whom she calls her purpose. 35 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:08,479 Adva works in marketing and adopted A galgo named Tapas 36 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:12,520 after losing her greyhound. That one decision opened her 37 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,360 eyes to the reality facing Spain's hunting dogs and LED her 38 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:21,480 into cross-border advocacy work. Together through free Spanish 39 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:23,920 Hounds, they're connecting people across countries and 40 00:02:23,920 --> 00:02:28,360 cultures to speak for dogs that most of us will never see, but 41 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:32,600 whose lives still matter. This conversation is about how 42 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:36,840 empathy becomes action, how love for one dog can ripple outward 43 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:41,720 and begin to change systems, and what it really means to care not 44 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,680 just for our own animals, but also for those still waiting to 45 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:51,200 be seen. Gemma and Adva, I'm so happy to 46 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,200 have you here today. Welcome to Just a Dog podcast. 47 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,600 Both of you are from Free Spanish Hounds. 48 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,120 Do you work on this project all day, every day? 49 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:00,960 Is this your full time gig? No. 50 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:04,760 Oh, it's not. It's one of one of a couple of, 51 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:07,560 well I wouldn't call them side hustles because they normally 52 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:10,320 make money or make me money. But no, I've got a full time 53 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:12,320 job. I'm an HR director for a 54 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:15,600 restaurant company. I also am a trustee of Hope for 55 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,440 Brancos. So in my spare time, evenings, 56 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:24,440 weekends I am adopting dogs and on top of that I also run 3 57 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:28,920 Spanish hounds with ADFA and some other amazing volunteers. 58 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:31,560 That's wonderful. And Adver, how about you? 59 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:35,680 I have a full time job too. I am a marketeer for currently 60 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:40,600 for a SAS tech product. And the free Spanish Hounds is, 61 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:44,520 it's not a side gig, it's a passion obviously. 62 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:47,640 Yeah. And it's this time of year that 63 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:50,800 we start thinking ahead about next year. 64 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:54,480 And yes, it's starting to get busier. 65 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:59,040 We both start to spend more time thinking and planning our next 66 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,160 protest. I find that most people that I 67 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:06,560 know in the dog world have full time jobs, myself included, and 68 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:10,040 then do these things on the side, you know, and I agree with 69 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:12,120 you advice very much a passion, isn't it? 70 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:16,279 I would like to understand from each of you individually what 71 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:20,040 your first exposure to Spanish Greyhounds word like. 72 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:23,360 What was the first time that you learned about it and how? 73 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:25,880 I suppose first of all, I'd say for me, it's not Spanish 74 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:28,120 greyhounds, it's Spanish parencos. 75 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:31,040 That's kind of where my experience lies. 76 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:33,360 My husband and I have always loved dogs. 77 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:35,880 I had dogs growing up. We knew we wanted a dog. 78 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,040 We don't want children. I think that's really important 79 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:40,360 to say actually, because I think that's why this is such a 80 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:44,520 passion project and it is really, you know, my purpose. 81 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:47,960 I feel really lucky that I found my purpose in both the charity 82 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:50,880 work and a kind of an extension of that in free Spanish hounds. 83 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,880 I researched lots of dog breeds and there were a few that I fell 84 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:56,040 in love with. We went to discover dogs at 85 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:57,440 Crofts. One of the breeds that I'd 86 00:04:57,440 --> 00:04:59,880 fallen in love with was an Ibethan hound, but I knew I 87 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:02,240 really wanted to rescue. And so we went there, we met 88 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:05,600 them and they just blew me away. Just their kind of temperament, 89 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,680 their just their curiosity, their calm gentleness. 90 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:12,760 And then when I took that away to look at, well, could I rescue 91 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:15,720 one, that's when I discovered what happens in Spain, which 92 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,680 isn't widely publicised. Often you hear about the bull 93 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:22,040 fighting, you hear about other, other things kind of going on in 94 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:23,840 Europe. But this wasn't something that 95 00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:27,000 was kind of, you know, made publicly available. 96 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,600 And I just suddenly realised there were thousands of these 97 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:31,400 dogs that really needed help and support. 98 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:35,600 So I adopted my first Podenko, and that was back in 2018. 99 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:39,160 And she's my sole dog. She is the reason for it all. 100 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,720 She's here in the background with my other three Podenko's 101 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:45,360 that I have now adopted. So I've got 4 in total. 102 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:48,080 And yeah, just, they captivated me. 103 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:52,040 You know, they are so resilient, they are so adaptable despite 104 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:54,360 everything that they go through. And obviously the Spanish 105 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:56,280 Greyhound, the galgo goes through something that's 106 00:05:56,280 --> 00:05:58,680 incredibly similar. But yeah, that kind of led me 107 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:01,600 into the charity work and then really to thinking about how I 108 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:05,480 could represent the charity that I'm a trustee for in, you know, 109 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:09,400 this space and kind of bringing that message to a wide audience. 110 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:12,880 So, yeah, that's kind of how it happened a little bit by 111 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:15,560 accident, but I like to think of it as kind of fate. 112 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:17,680 And yeah, like I said, I just feel really, really lucky to 113 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:20,880 have found my calling and to be kind of living that every day. 114 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:24,280 That's amazing. Like how do you even find the 115 00:06:24,280 --> 00:06:26,520 time? And also with four dogs. 116 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:29,520 It is a balance sometimes, but they're, they're great. 117 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,160 They're you know, I'm often driving other people's put Encos 118 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:34,080 up and down the country, dropping them to new homes a 119 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:35,480 bits and pieces. And my dogs are really 120 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:37,240 adoptable. They'll flex around it. 121 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:40,080 They'll come with me if needed, they'll miss a walk if needed, 122 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:43,440 you know, for the greater good. So yeah, we fit it all in. 123 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,480 How long have you been working with dogs? 124 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:51,760 So for the charity, I've been kind of involved for the last 125 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:54,960 three years or so and we actually gained charity status 126 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:57,400 this year. So I am now a trustee. 127 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,680 But yeah, I mean, it is a full time job on top of a full time 128 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:02,840 job. We do have to squeeze it in all 129 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:05,960 hours of the day, night, evening, yeah, weekends. 130 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:08,960 But like I say, when you enjoy it, when you love it, it doesn't 131 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:11,240 feel like a job, a wonderful hobby that's making a 132 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:12,920 difference. So cool. 133 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,280 I have to admit, I really don't know much about Podenkos other 134 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:19,600 than how bloody cute they are. And those ears, Yeah. 135 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:22,040 So podenko is the Spanish word for hound. 136 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:25,480 It kind of covers a lot of different sub breeds of Podenko. 137 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:30,080 The beauty of Podenkos in particular is they come in a 138 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:33,720 variety of different sizes. So where Galgos are 139 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:36,080 predominantly one kind of size, you get a little bit of flux. 140 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:38,640 Potenkos you can get from kind of 6-7 kilos. 141 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,880 So tiny, tiny little Potenkos, some of them kind of look a bit 142 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:43,880 like sausage dogs. They've got really short legs, 143 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:47,560 they've still got the big ears right up to kind of 35 plus 144 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,720 kilos. So a huge range, really diverse 145 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:52,320 and and that goes for looks as well. 146 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:54,720 Rough coats, smooth coats, different colours, different 147 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:56,920 patterns and personalities as well. 148 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:00,560 So they are used for hunting in Spain, different types of game, 149 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:04,080 predominantly hares and rabbits, but some of the bigger ones are 150 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:06,480 kind of crossed with other breeds and are used for hunting 151 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:08,600 wild boar. And they face exactly the same 152 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:11,280 challenges as gal goes. A lot of the hunters will have 153 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:13,640 gal goes and Potenkos, and they'll kind of hunt with them 154 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:15,480 both. So Potenkos in particular are 155 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:17,480 known as the Great Forgotten, and that's how they are 156 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:20,240 referenced. Maybe that is because gal goes 157 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:21,840 are slightly more well known. I'm not sure. 158 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:26,600 But yeah, both treated not very nicely in Spain, not subject to 159 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:29,000 animal rights, which we'll come on to, I'm sure. 160 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:32,400 But yeah, yeah, just make incredible pets despite their 161 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:34,080 past. You know, some of mine have been 162 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:36,000 incredibly nervous when they arrived and they've just 163 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:39,280 blossomed and, you know, really do have that forgiving nature. 164 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:42,080 Exactly like algos, really. So yeah, very, very similar. 165 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:45,080 Ears are definitely the one kind of stand out. 166 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:47,520 You'll know a podenka when you see one because there is a huge. 167 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:50,640 And far let's go back to your journey. 168 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:54,240 How did you first hear about Galgos or Podenko's? 169 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:59,680 We had the rescue greyhound, Brindle greyhound, the X racer 170 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:02,760 and I still remember walking in one day near where we live in 171 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:06,560 central London and I was stopped by a young guy who asked me is 172 00:09:06,560 --> 00:09:08,880 this a galgo? I looked at him and asked him a 173 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:11,520 what? And he said a galgo, a Spanish 174 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,040 dog. I grew up with one, my parents 175 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:16,800 rescued 1 and he showed me a photo of a dog that he had on 176 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:19,080 his phone. And I was like, OK, no, it's not 177 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:20,560 a galgo, It's a it's a greyhound. 178 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:26,080 And I kept walking and that name kept coming up in conversations 179 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:29,360 just with random people. And then obviously the pandemic 180 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:33,560 social media and I came across your gargle and started 181 00:09:33,560 --> 00:09:37,640 following him on Instagram. I remember starting, you know, 182 00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:41,560 reading and understanding what's going on and thinking this is 183 00:09:41,560 --> 00:09:44,920 just horrible. And they also thinking, I want 184 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:47,920 to have a gargle my next dog. I want to have a gargle or 185 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:49,960 perhaps even not so much next dog. 186 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:52,680 I kind of hope that I could have a gargle. 187 00:09:52,680 --> 00:09:55,400 While my greyhound was very happy, confident dog from day 188 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:59,720 one, I have to say it could be a mentor to a rescue dog, a more 189 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:01,880 nervous rescue dog. Unfortunately it didn't happen. 190 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,200 A greyhound got sick and died very suddenly soon after we 191 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:08,400 adopted A galgo. We have tapas and obviously 192 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:13,360 started following rescues and galgos groups on social media 193 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:16,600 again. And this is when, like many 194 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:20,160 other people, I learned about the animal welfare law in Spain. 195 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:23,040 And I know we're going to keep talking about it because it was 196 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:26,160 a pivotal point for us, for the three Spanish hounds. 197 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:28,360 And yeah, and the rest is history. 198 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:33,280 How did you come to know of each other and work together and what 199 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:35,880 do you work on? Papas was adopted through 200 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:41,480 greyhounds in it and the year well, 2023 again when the law 201 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:45,360 was introduced, it became known that Gargos and Podenkos, the 202 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:48,960 hunting dogs, have been excluded from the animal welfare law in 203 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:51,840 Spain. There were lots of posts in 204 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:58,480 Instagram about protests against that cruelty and Graham's in 205 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:01,600 need. I remember posted on the feed a 206 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:05,080 schedule of protests. It was also Dia the Galgo the 207 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:08,960 day of the Galgo, February 1st Galgo marches as they are known 208 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:11,760 to many Galgo owners. And I remember commenting on 209 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:14,840 Instagram on that post asking is the one in London because I want 210 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:17,080 to join. And the answer was no. 211 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:20,840 But someone reached out and said let's have a chat. 212 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:26,800 So we started talking. We formed a WhatsApp group and 213 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:31,240 this is how Gemma, I don't really remember how who 214 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:35,440 introduced Gemma because the person I was introduced to next 215 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:39,840 was Heather and Heather is it was Heather, Gemma and I the, 216 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:44,560 the first Spanish hounds that organised the March in London in 217 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:47,200 2023. And then Gemma, I don't know how 218 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:49,480 you, I can't remember how you're introduced to the group. 219 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:52,520 I think it was Heather, I think she set up the Free Spanish 220 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:55,560 Hands Instagram and then she messaged Hope for Parenko's. 221 00:11:55,560 --> 00:11:58,920 So I run the social account, Hope for Parenko's and I've also 222 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:00,360 got an account for my dogs as well. 223 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:02,840 And I think she might have reached out on both of those 224 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:05,560 actually. And I'd been thinking for a long 225 00:12:05,560 --> 00:12:09,360 while about wanting to do this. There was a March back in 2016 226 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:11,720 and it was kind of a one off in London. 227 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:15,240 And I remember, I mean, I didn't know what Parenko's were at that 228 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:17,920 point in time. So I saw this years after and I 229 00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:21,000 remember looking at it and thinking, wow, I would love to 230 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:23,800 organise that, but I just have no idea where to start. 231 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:26,800 I'd had a chance kind of encounter on Facebook at one 232 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:30,480 point with somebody that had run one of those marches and it give 233 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:33,320 me a little bit of Intel and I just thought I just don't, I 234 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:35,840 wouldn't have a clue. So when that message dropped in 235 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:38,440 from Heather and I knew that there were other people that 236 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:41,600 were thinking about it, I obviously spoke to my teammates, 237 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:43,920 I hope for Blanco's and said, you know, I know this is 238 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:45,880 something we'll want to get involved in as a rescue. 239 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:48,200 We went to charity at the time. Are you happy that I kind of 240 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:49,640 represent the charity in this way? 241 00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:52,080 And they were like, absolutely. We all kind of take slightly 242 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:54,960 different roles and they they take up a lot of the slack on 243 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:57,080 adoptions while I'm really kind of getting into the thick of 244 00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:59,320 this. So yeah, it was just one of 245 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:03,280 those chance things really. And it's been amazing because 246 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:05,840 we've formed a real friendship as a result of this as well. 247 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,120 It's the dogs, but so much more, which is really lovely. 248 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:12,200 So when, when did you organise the first one, the first mark? 249 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:16,640 Started organising in 2023, but because they happen around the 250 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:19,960 beginning of February, we had to do a lot of our prep work in 251 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:22,960 2023. And then yeah, I can't remember 252 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:25,080 exactly what day it was, It's always around the 1st. 253 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:31,040 It was the 3rd, 3rd of February, 3rd of February 2024, yeah. 254 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:35,640 So what's the significance? Why specifically first, second 255 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:38,400 or third of February? So that marks the end of the 256 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,240 hunting season in Spain, which actually starts around this 257 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:43,080 time. It kind of lasts for around 12 258 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:47,000 Sundays, I think, of the year. And at the end of the hunting 259 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,760 season in particular is where the rescues see a huge influx of 260 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:53,360 dogs that are in some ways the lucky ones. 261 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:57,040 You know, they have either escaped, they have been let go, 262 00:13:57,160 --> 00:14:00,480 they have been abandoned, you know, much, much worse. 263 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:04,280 Oftentimes they are in really, really awful states. 264 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:06,160 And that really is the kind of significance. 265 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:08,040 It's just that kind of annual reminder. 266 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:09,600 I mean, not that you need an annual reminder. 267 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:11,760 It's happening all the time. Pedenko's are found every and 268 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:14,400 gal goes every single day. Other hunting dogs in Spain. 269 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:17,280 But yeah, that is in particular when rescues really start to 270 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:19,200 start to struggle. And so that's why they chose 271 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:21,360 that weekend, kind of really shine a light on it. 272 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:25,320 And yeah, I'm just to say that we actually support NAC. 273 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:29,440 So Free Spanish Hounds organises the protests in the UK, but we 274 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:33,080 support NAC, no Ala Catha, which is the animal rights group based 275 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:35,240 in Spain. And they have been organising 276 00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:40,120 protests in Spain for a while. They started expanding overseas. 277 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:42,960 They have very strong influence and presence in Germany, where 278 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:47,120 every year around that weekend, again 1st of February is Dia de 279 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:50,440 Galgo, the end of the official end of the Spanish season, and 280 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:54,160 they try to organise all the protests in Spain and outside of 281 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:57,040 Spain around that weekend. What were some some of the 282 00:14:57,040 --> 00:15:00,720 impact that you saw as a result of the March last year? 283 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:02,600 And this is a peaceful protest, right? 284 00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:05,360 Correct. I think that we are starting to 285 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:09,200 see, I mean, people start to recognise the breed and it's 286 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:12,600 really hard to know if it's because of us, to be honest, or 287 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:14,920 because of the conversation in general. 288 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:18,040 More and more people are talking about the breeds, whether it's 289 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:20,960 on this mainly on social networks, I believe, and a bit 290 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:24,400 in the mainstream news. But people definitely start to 291 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:27,440 recognise the breeds. And I'm getting asked sometimes 292 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:29,840 if this is a Galgo. Often people just think Tapas is 293 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:32,560 the greyhound, but Gemma, I'm sure that you see it with 294 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:36,040 Podenkos, which is a very unusual breed to the UKI mean 295 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:38,400 Galgos can't be mistaken for greyhounds, but the Podenko is a 296 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:40,920 Podenko. Yeah, yeah. 297 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:43,920 And when I, when we first adopted them, people had no idea 298 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:45,760 what they were. We had two for quite a long 299 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:48,360 while and we had all sorts. Are they Dobermans? 300 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:50,240 I mean, they don't look anything like a Doberman. 301 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:52,600 Are they lurchers? Are they greyhounds? 302 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:55,360 And now, yeah, there's quite a few people that say, oh, were 303 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:57,120 they Parenkos? I've seen those, I've heard 304 00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:59,600 about those, which is amazing. And we absolutely have 305 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:02,360 contributed, I think, with three Spanish House that conversation. 306 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:05,720 I think more than that, one of the lovely things about the 307 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:08,760 marches is the kind of connections and the networks 308 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:11,120 that people build. I know of a small group of 309 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:16,360 Perenko owners that met at the first London March in 2024 and 310 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:19,680 still meet up regularly and we see photos on their social 311 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:21,680 media. And there are new people kind of 312 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:23,640 joining that community all of the time, people that are 313 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:25,840 interested in the dogs but have never had a chance to meet them 314 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:27,600 in real life. They can come along, they can 315 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:30,240 spend the day with them. Consider adopting. 316 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:32,400 It's not even all about adopting and fostering. 317 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:34,200 There are many other ways to support the cause. 318 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:37,400 Just showing up and lending your voice, sharing, liking on social 319 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:39,600 media, they all make such a massive difference. 320 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,800 So yeah, and I think we've got big ambitions. 321 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:46,120 We want to kind of continue to grow each year. 322 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:48,520 Yeah. And you know, last year we went 323 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:51,840 from on in the year before to three marches last year. 324 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:53,680 We're adding a fourth location this year. 325 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:57,160 Well, I say this year, so we've done the 2025 marches. 326 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:00,160 So there were three this year. There'll be 4 next year. 327 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,640 So we're adding extra because we know there's a lot of Gallo and 328 00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:07,280 Perenco owners down in the southwest and it's a long way 329 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:10,000 for them to come up to London, which is their nearest March. 330 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:13,040 So yeah. I think that we did have people 331 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:16,960 travelling from a far to come to participate in the first one, 332 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:19,160 yeah, especially the first one in London. 333 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:22,359 So you've got London and the new one is Exeter, and then where 334 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:24,640 are the others and do they happen on the same days? 335 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:26,960 Manchester and Glasgow are the others. 336 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:31,320 So last year Manchester, Glasgow and London did all happen on the 337 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:35,320 same day. We found the last two years in 338 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:38,320 London where we've chosen Saturdays to March. 339 00:17:38,360 --> 00:17:42,480 There are other large protests that take place on those 340 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:44,800 Saturdays too. We, we don't know in advance 341 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:48,480 what's going to happen and who might be marching, but often 342 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:52,440 they can be, you know, thousands and thousands and thousands of 343 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:55,720 people that are marching. And it's been quite stressful 344 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:58,080 the last two years in the run up. 345 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:01,400 I mean, adverb, you're the kind of contact really with the Met, 346 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:03,080 aren't you? And they do a brilliant job of 347 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:06,880 liaising with us. But this year, well, keep saying 348 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:12,040 this year, 2026. This year we had a really a 349 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:15,640 special especially big challenge with the protest in London where 350 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:18,960 there was protest and the counter protest. 351 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:23,200 The Met were aware obviously of our presence and advise us that 352 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:25,840 it's fine, you know, we're not going to meet anyone. 353 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:29,800 We start fairly early. Our route was walking away from 354 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:32,560 the protest. But it does affect, we feel that 355 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:35,920 it did affect attendance. I understand people were just 356 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:40,120 concerned about travelling into London, especially with the dog 357 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:46,200 when this was going on and just to prevent this and the stress 358 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:49,680 and we do want to make sure that people are safe and feel 359 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:52,840 comfortable being here marching with us. 360 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:56,840 So we decided that next year we're going to spend spread our 361 00:18:56,840 --> 00:19:01,320 marches over the weekend, so we'll have Manchester, Glasgow 362 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:05,080 and Exeter on the Saturday and London on the Sunday. 363 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:07,400 Oh, OK, that makes a lot of sense. 364 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:09,760 Which is great for us because we get to go to two. 365 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:11,800 I haven't figured out which other one I'm going to go to 366 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:15,000 yet, but I can't wait because once a year is not enough. 367 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,160 They're just, they're so special. 368 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:19,840 And yeah, being able to go to 2 will be brilliant. 369 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:21,880 And I'm hopeful that there might be a couple of other people 370 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:24,280 that, you know, decide that they'll do one one day and one 371 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:26,400 the next as well. They get the bug like we have. 372 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:30,720 Yeah, exactly. Rally the troops and you 373 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:35,280 mentioned about counter protest, is that counter to your protest? 374 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:37,600 Oh no, it had nothing to do with us. 375 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:42,800 It was just, it was the the far right protesting in London and 376 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:46,400 they had to the obviously counter protest. 377 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:51,280 It was just very big and very loud and we were concerned. 378 00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:53,800 Yeah, it wasn't. Yeah, it's just again, we have 379 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:57,160 the dogs with us and we try. Where do we plan? 380 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:00,000 Especially when we planned the 1st March, I remember how 381 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:04,200 nervous we were and we actually walked the route twice just to 382 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:08,200 make sure that it's safe. Both people's people and dogs 383 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:11,640 would be able to walk OK. You know, we didn't want to 384 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:15,160 create any situations where especially the dogs, we didn't 385 00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:17,400 want them to panic, we didn't want them to stress. 386 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:21,880 So we are very mindful when we planned these matches of 387 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:26,880 everybody's safety and. Yeah, and we just the last two 388 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:29,440 years, you know, when we meet, whether we have not really 389 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:34,120 walked into a different protest on Saturday, It's just that we 390 00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:37,440 were aware of the presence. We always receive really good 391 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:39,880 support and guidance from the Met Police in London. 392 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:44,400 They're doing an amazing job, you know, considering how crazy 393 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:47,280 it gets out there on a Saturday because everybody, everybody's 394 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:50,240 out there, you know, we voicing their opinions, which is 395 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:52,560 absolutely fine, but you need to manage it. 396 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:56,680 We hope that Sunday would be safer and a more relaxed 397 00:20:56,840 --> 00:21:01,000 experience and that we also allow more people to attend. 398 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:03,960 I hope so. How many people attended the 399 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:07,240 first year and then this year? First year in London we had 400 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:11,480 about 200 people, 150 dogs. This year in London, it's all 401 00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:16,560 estimated, I believe that we had around 250 people and 200 dogs 402 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:19,800 had I think I believe that the registrations were almost double 403 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:22,360 than that. But again, we do believe that 404 00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:26,520 many people decided to cancel and not arrive because of what 405 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:28,280 was happening in London that day. 406 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:33,920 And then in Manchester we had think around eighty, 8200 people 407 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:37,040 and the same number in Glasgow. So All in all, we estimate 408 00:21:37,040 --> 00:21:42,480 around 400 people and about 300, three, 150 dogs that marched in 409 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:45,480 the UK this year. That's a lot of people and a lot 410 00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:47,560 of dogs. I know that there are bigger 411 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:50,880 marches, but if you put everyone together in a room, that would 412 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:54,320 be very noisy. So yeah, that's an incredible 413 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:56,000 achievement. Well done. 414 00:21:56,680 --> 00:21:59,960 My first thought was because obviously I've got Doona and 415 00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:02,600 she's a girl girl. I don't think there's any way I 416 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:05,320 could take her to this March in February, as much as I would 417 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:07,280 love to because she is so anxious. 418 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:09,840 What have been some of your experiences with girl girls? 419 00:22:09,840 --> 00:22:15,080 Because they all come from a similar place and they probably 420 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:19,800 have similar issues so. We definitely kind of encourage 421 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:22,520 people to really think about their particular dog. 422 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:27,360 In my role as trustee, I'm adopting dogs out and we're kind 423 00:22:27,360 --> 00:22:29,280 of doing that. You know, we bring dogs over 424 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:31,920 every single month and people hear about the marches and say 425 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:34,840 to us, oh, well, maybe I'll bring my dog. 426 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:37,160 And actually if it's kind of within the first three months or 427 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:39,200 so, we're just like, don't you know, don't even bother. 428 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:42,080 They'll still be decompressing. For some of them it will take 429 00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:44,560 way longer than that. Two years, three years, four 430 00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:46,520 years. They may never ever be suitable 431 00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:48,680 to come along. And there are many people that 432 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:51,560 join us that leave their dogs at home and, you know, represent 433 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:53,200 them without the dogs being there. 434 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:57,040 That said, I think once you really know your dog, once you 435 00:22:57,040 --> 00:23:00,360 really kind of understand them, they just do incredibly. 436 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:04,240 My third panenko that I adopted has been my most nervous Willow. 437 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:07,320 I mean, just incredibly nervous when I first had her. 438 00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:10,080 I've had her about three years now and she's blossomed so much 439 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:11,640 in that time. The first year I wouldn't have 440 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:13,480 dreamt of taking her into London. 441 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:17,560 And last year I did a bit of a test run at the site Hound 442 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:21,200 Sunday's walks that happen every month in various locations 443 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:23,200 across London. And she did brilliantly. 444 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:25,640 And I thought, you know what, she's ready. 445 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:29,320 We've got that bond. I know that she'll be OK if 446 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:32,400 she's with me. And she did absolutely 447 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:34,000 brilliantly. Yeah. 448 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:36,280 Our advice would always be don't, don't do it. 449 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:39,320 If you're not sure, do a trial run if you can. 450 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:41,680 For a lot of people that have to get public transport in, it's 451 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:44,120 not just the March itself, it's the transport I actually drive 452 00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:46,640 in, which makes it a little bit easier for the dogs. 453 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:48,440 My dogs aren't really used to public transport. 454 00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:51,440 I live out in the countryside in Hertfordshire, so, you know, you 455 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:53,520 know, that's not kind of the norm for them. 456 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:56,400 But in the main, I mean, we're just blown away every year, 457 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:59,680 aren't we, Adverb by how incredible the dogs are given 458 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:02,400 it's such a big group, there's quite a lot of waiting around. 459 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:04,440 There's, you know, it's noisy, there's hustle and bustle, 460 00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:07,080 there's traffic, there's crossings, police horses, like 461 00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:11,560 you name it, they come across it and it's like they know they're 462 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:14,320 just unbelievable. Yeah, so incredible. 463 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:16,200 Yeah, they really. Do so cool. 464 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:20,640 So the Spanish hunting season has started now and it runs all 465 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:23,400 the way through to February, which is usually when they 466 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:28,400 discard and dispose of dogs by a variety of different ways. 467 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:31,400 I'd love for you to touch on that, what some of those ways 468 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:35,360 are, because I want you to assume that whoever's listening 469 00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:39,200 don't know anything and they haven't seen your girl go, which 470 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:44,240 is just a horrifying film. So it's a very difficult 471 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:47,480 subject, I know, but if you could just kind of touch on 472 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,040 those things. And then also the importance of 473 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:53,960 preparation for you between now and then, kind of what are some 474 00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:57,880 of the key milestones that you work towards to get to that 475 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:00,160 point in terms of the marches themselves? 476 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:02,280 Do you want to start Gemma because you go to Spain? 477 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:05,000 European condition. I was just thinking I'm not sure 478 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:06,360 if I can. I'll probably cry I. 479 00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:09,320 Can talk about Tapas is one of the lucky ones. 480 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:14,720 Tapas was just abandoned. So Tapas and two or three other 481 00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:17,920 dogs showed up in the middle of a village scared, confused, 482 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:21,160 hungry and he was terrified because I've seen videos of his 483 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:22,760 rescue. The lucky ones just get 484 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:26,160 abandoned and they often get hit by cars because they run across 485 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:30,280 the roads and now when a gal go runs, he runs or droughts for 486 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:31,920 days. The galgo is not a greyhound. 487 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:33,920 Their bread for stamina. And I think that's one of the 488 00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:37,640 main key differences between gargles and and a greyhound. 489 00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:39,920 It just goes on and on and on and on for days. 490 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:42,880 So they get hit by cars, no one stops. 491 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:46,760 Usually they can die and by the side of the road and no one 492 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:49,120 cares or they just starve to death. 493 00:25:49,120 --> 00:25:52,160 Often they get sick. I mean they could have been sick 494 00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:54,880 before they've been discarded and then they just die of 495 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:57,000 horrible diseases, Mediterranean diseases. 496 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:02,600 Again, most people don't care or they get tortured, bitten. 497 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:06,520 You see dogs being brought to the shelters with broken backs, 498 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:09,320 broken legs, broken jaws. They get hung. 499 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:13,800 That's the piano playing. So they hang them by a wire and 500 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:16,800 so their feet can barely touch the ground until they get tired 501 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:18,680 and they die. And they just, it's just 502 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:23,360 incredible how creative, creative the Gagaros, the 503 00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:28,000 hunters can be when they decide that it's time to kill the dogs, 504 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,880 basically. So it's a horrible, horrible, 505 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:36,120 cruel culture of frankly, revenge because the dog wasn't 506 00:26:36,120 --> 00:26:37,320 good enough to hunt. Yeah. 507 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:40,680 And I think the other thing I'd say is it's not even just the 508 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:43,600 ones that aren't good enough. The ones that are good enough 509 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:46,320 are often starved. They're kept in kennels with no 510 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:49,440 daylight with concrete floors on chains. 511 00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:52,720 One of mine who was actually on Fuerteventura and found the 512 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:56,160 Nikhil shelter there, his teeth are worn down where I think he's 513 00:26:56,160 --> 00:26:58,720 been chewing on a chain just to try and get away. 514 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:02,760 It's just a miserable existence for for most of them, just 515 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:05,920 purely because of the breed that they are, what they used for the 516 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:10,560 fact that the legislation doesn't cover their welfare in 517 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:13,200 any way, shape or form and people know that they can get 518 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:15,320 away with it. I think one of the cruellest 519 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:17,880 things I've seen, it was Gagas del Sol, I think that found 520 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:20,880 these particular Panenkos, they've been abandoned in, I 521 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:24,000 don't know if it was almost like an empty kind of water tank, so 522 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:26,040 really kind of high concrete sides. 523 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:28,800 They've got contraptions in their mouth that meant that they 524 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:31,240 couldn't bark, they couldn't eat, they couldn't drink. 525 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:34,240 They were just left there. Thankfully they were found. 526 00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:37,360 But if they hadn't, it would have been such a slow, painful 527 00:27:37,360 --> 00:27:39,600 death for them. Like Adverse says the lengths 528 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:42,280 that they go to to kind of increase the suffering. 529 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:44,000 If you're going to do it, do it quickly. 530 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:46,280 But that's just not not what happens. 531 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:49,120 Not part of the culture. And it's, yeah, it's awful. 532 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:52,080 Where which part of Spain does this typically happen in? 533 00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:56,080 Most of Spain, there's, you know, a lot of the rural areas 534 00:27:56,080 --> 00:28:00,080 have got a hunting culture. The islands, the Canary Islands 535 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:03,840 are equally bad. Ibiza, you know, pretty 536 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:06,040 widespread. A lot of the shelters that we 537 00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:08,560 work with are kind of across southern Spain, but you know, 538 00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:13,320 there are, you know, right up near round Barcelona, Madrid, 539 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:16,040 all over really. It really is widespread. 540 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:19,320 You'll find different regional varieties of dogs and hunters 541 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:20,600 will kind of have their preference. 542 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:23,160 There are some shelters we work with that are kind of right in 543 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:25,760 the heartland of Andalusia and they have the small little 544 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:28,120 Andalusia and Pennenkos. There are some areas where 545 00:28:28,120 --> 00:28:30,840 Galgos are the preference, where bigger Pennenkos are the 546 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:32,840 preference. You, you know, you tend to find 547 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:36,040 that there are varieties, but it is just so entrenched in the 548 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:38,480 culture. I think the one positive thing I 549 00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:41,120 would say during many of my trips to Spain, you go to the 550 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:45,120 cities much more cosmopolitan and you do see adopted Galgos 551 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:48,920 and Podenko's in the cities and there are people and there's 552 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:51,080 many people in Spain. We can't tar everybody with the 553 00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:54,400 same brush that as passionate if not more than us about this. 554 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:56,320 They're the ones that are doing the work on the ground. 555 00:28:56,440 --> 00:29:01,400 A lot of them are Spanish locals and a disgraced by what their 556 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:05,400 country allows to happen. But yeah, I would say it's 557 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:08,720 pretty, pretty widespread, unfortunately. 558 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:12,960 What do you think happens in the brain, in the mind, to be able 559 00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:15,480 to Do you think it's like a compartmentalization? 560 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:19,800 How is it possible for human beings with hearts, with minds, 561 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:24,480 to be capable of these things and for it to continue in 2025? 562 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:27,960 Gosh, if we knew that you could say that about so many things. 563 00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:31,800 They just see them as tools. That's really kind of it. 564 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:35,320 Yeah, they're not. They're not sentient, sentient 565 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:37,280 beings as far as they're concerned. 566 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:38,960 They're just, they're for a purpose. 567 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:42,720 It's almost like a very old fashioned, you know, way. 568 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:46,000 I mean, don't forget that until very recently it was widely 569 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:47,840 believed that animals don't have feelings. 570 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:49,200 They're still there. Right. 571 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:51,560 OK. So it's old thinking being like 572 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:55,080 being passed down through generations, similar to what's 573 00:29:55,080 --> 00:29:56,960 in that movie. Actually, I don't know if you 574 00:29:56,960 --> 00:30:00,120 remember, there was a little boy in the documentary that was in 575 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:04,520 the slaughterhouse showing the process of how the cows and pigs 576 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:06,720 would be killed. And like, this is step one and 577 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:08,000 this is Step 2. And did it. 578 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:11,760 And he was so like, it was so normal and it was so everyday. 579 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:15,720 And I remember thinking like this kind of continues because 580 00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:17,760 it starts young. It's really hard to kind of 581 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:20,640 change that. Do you know if they have people 582 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:23,200 going into schools in Spain? Do they? 583 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:27,480 Yes so there are efforts to educate for example, greyhounds 584 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:30,120 in need support Gaggos de Sol run. 585 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:33,240 They call it mobile schools where they try and go in you 586 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:37,440 know and meet the children and teach them about gaggles and and 587 00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:41,440 try and change that mindset. Greyhounds in need finances I 588 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:43,680 believe Gaggos de Sol education programme. 589 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:48,760 So in 2024 when we had the 1st March, the international, the 590 00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:51,520 team from NAC actually came and joined us in London. 591 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:56,600 So they opened the first protest and they did tell us that they 592 00:30:56,600 --> 00:31:01,640 think that things are changing slowly, very slowly, gradually. 593 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,920 And they said it's just the awareness and the education. 594 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:09,200 And I remember they told me that the children now ask the 595 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:11,760 grandfathers, oh, where do you keep the hunting dogs? 596 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:15,160 Where are your dogs? Because they often, like Gemma 597 00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:22,360 said, kept chained to a wall or in a dump basement, or just in 598 00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:30,600 some sort of outdoor structure with no light, hardly any water, 599 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:34,560 often no food, concrete floors. So they do, Apparently they do. 600 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:36,120 Go and ask, where do you keep them? 601 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:37,880 Can you show us Where are your dogs? 602 00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:41,440 And they did say that there were cases of people just handing in 603 00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:43,920 the hand, handing in the dogs to the shelter, saying, look, we 604 00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:45,840 just can't deal with the questions because our 605 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:47,800 grandchildren keep asking us what about the dog? 606 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:51,840 What about the dog? So I don't know how that was an 607 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:54,920 example. Now, again, I don't know how 608 00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:59,560 common it is and how it happens. And I believe that it's not as 609 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:02,400 widespread, as widespread as it was presented to me. 610 00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:05,120 But it's happening. And if you can change the 611 00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:09,520 mindset of the next generation, like Tina, who you know, who is 612 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:11,600 the founder of Galgos, the source saying she's trying to 613 00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:14,680 get herself out of work by educating the children. 614 00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:17,560 So if there's more effort put into it, obviously it's not 615 00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:20,600 sponsored by the government. So this is not something that 616 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:22,520 happens. This is not, these are not state 617 00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:24,920 schools. This is not part of the learning 618 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:27,440 programme in Spain. But this is an effort that's 619 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,640 done by associations and charities and animal rights 620 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:31,800 groups. Yeah. 621 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:35,280 But if if schools allow external parties in to educate the 622 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:38,480 children, then surely that says that speaks volumes about their 623 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:41,320 own kind of belief systems and values as well, right? 624 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:45,080 I want to believe so, yes. Yeah, that's a positive sign. 625 00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:47,240 That's a really positive sign because they could be part of 626 00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:51,720 the problem and be like, no, you know, just absolutely not. 627 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:55,920 But yeah, so my understanding was, I remember when I met with 628 00:32:55,920 --> 00:32:58,680 Adver a couple of weeks ago, we were chatting and she was 629 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:03,240 telling me how I think it was 2023, Europe's most advanced 630 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:09,360 welfare laws decided to exclude Podenkos and Galgos from being 631 00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:13,720 classified as pets. And then what I'm curious about 632 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:17,520 is what happened between then and now, because I think it was 633 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:20,280 yesterday or the day before I saw an announcement made. 634 00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:23,600 The remit has moved to agriculture. 635 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:25,880 Yeah. What do you know about that 636 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:27,880 scenario? Like what was the news if you 637 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:29,280 can share? Yeah. 638 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:32,800 I mean, first of all, probably worth going back to 2023 because 639 00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:38,440 all through the development of this animal welfare law, the 640 00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:41,920 dogs were included and it was a really last minute addition to 641 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:45,200 exclude them. Lots of lobbying from hunting 642 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:48,080 communities. My understanding is a lot of the 643 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:50,920 kind of government officials are also involved in some of those 644 00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:54,280 circles. And yeah, at a relatively late 645 00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:57,680 stage in proceedings, the amendment got put in that 646 00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:00,960 excluded these dogs. So that was a huge blow and not 647 00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:04,400 really any time to counter that because the assumption was all 648 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:07,960 animals were kind of covered. And yeah, more recently, PACMA, 649 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:11,600 who are another movement in Spain, you know, similar to NAC, 650 00:34:11,600 --> 00:34:15,000 campaigning for animal rights. And I think they're actually a 651 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:18,800 political party. They have shared some news 652 00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:22,880 around the fact that the legislative body that looks 653 00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:26,080 after this area and looks after the welfare, well, I say the 654 00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:28,440 welfare, they're not included in the laws. 655 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:31,800 But, you know, overseas, this kind of area in this community 656 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:37,480 is changing and that they're moving to another area which 657 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:39,960 essentially kind of reading between the lines, it is further 658 00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:46,000 kind of diminishing any hope of them becoming covered by that 659 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:48,040 law. They're just being pushed 660 00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:50,840 further and further out, almost further down the priority list. 661 00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:53,000 And it's just another blow really. 662 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:55,440 And there was another quote again, really difficult. 663 00:34:55,440 --> 00:34:58,040 We haven't got kind of notes of the actual meeting. 664 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:00,920 These are kind of represented on Pacma's website around what 665 00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:03,120 happened. And but another quote just 666 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:05,240 around the fact that essentially they are tools. 667 00:35:05,240 --> 00:35:07,600 They're kind of not sentient beings and it doesn't really 668 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:10,160 matter. It is really kind of the summary 669 00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:11,120 of it. I don't know whether you've got 670 00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:13,520 anything to add. I wish I could send them a video 671 00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:16,360 of do not like. She is just the most gentle 672 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:19,360 precious little thing and this is not like me projecting my 673 00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:22,600 human like cuteness and like humanising her. 674 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:26,960 She just is such a gentle, gentle soul and I can see that 675 00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:30,240 she has feelings. Absolutely. 676 00:35:30,240 --> 00:35:33,440 It's quite a topical. My soul dog that sat behind me 677 00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:35,120 on the sofa. This time of night, she's 678 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:38,200 normally sat on my lap or sat next to me and she's looking at 679 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:41,000 me and she's making this whining noise like mom, what are you 680 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:42,760 doing? Why aren't you sat next to me? 681 00:35:44,480 --> 00:35:47,440 So funny, they do do that. You're like, where are my pets? 682 00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:49,440 Yeah, my pets. Come on. 683 00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:54,760 Human but. Yeah, they are just incredible. 684 00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:58,880 And yeah, we've got quite a few that a few of our adoptive 685 00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:01,920 Penenkos that have become kind of qualified therapy dogs as 686 00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:03,640 well. Like they're just really, 687 00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:06,440 they're clever dogs. They're very emotionally in tune 688 00:36:06,440 --> 00:36:09,920 and intelligent. Not all of them, but you know, I 689 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:12,680 would say in general, as a breed, they are particularly 690 00:36:12,680 --> 00:36:16,000 kind of tuned into people's feelings and they are super 691 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:17,240 sensitive. Yeah. 692 00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:21,120 How you could kind of look upon them and and not see that 693 00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:23,400 there's unfathomable for me, really. 694 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:26,600 But yeah, sadly that is where we're at. 695 00:36:27,280 --> 00:36:30,320 Same. So, so just out of curiosity, 696 00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:33,000 there are a lot of people who believe that we shouldn't have 697 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:37,480 foreign dogs, amongst other things coming into the UK. 698 00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:39,280 What do you have to say about that? 699 00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:41,880 We don't get it that often actually, but it does crop up 700 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:44,840 every now and again. And I think we just, you know, 701 00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:47,240 if people are going to have those views, it's unlikely 702 00:36:47,240 --> 00:36:49,000 you're necessarily going to change their mind. 703 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:51,640 But I think the things that we would say are they aren't 704 00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:54,520 covered by animal welfare laws. We in comparison, we've got good 705 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:57,800 animal welfare laws in the UK. Yes, there are dogs that need 706 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,480 homes in the UK. Yes, you know, the situation is 707 00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:04,080 not ideal, but the mass suffering that takes place in 708 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:07,360 Spain and actually many other European countries as a result 709 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:11,280 of the the legislation or the customer and practise is that 710 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:15,080 there's just no comparison between where we're at in the UK 711 00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:16,800 and what that looks like in Spain. 712 00:37:17,520 --> 00:37:21,760 And I think the other thing that we often find is that some of 713 00:37:21,760 --> 00:37:24,840 the bigger charities, dog rehoming charities in the UK 714 00:37:24,840 --> 00:37:27,880 have very blanket policies, which completely understandable 715 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:30,880 when they're kind of getting the volumes through, they can afford 716 00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:32,680 to do that. But actually it does mean that 717 00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:36,160 dog lovers don't necessarily have the ability to adopt A dog 718 00:37:36,160 --> 00:37:37,440 if that's what they really want to do. 719 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:40,240 And many instances do end up going and buying a puppy. 720 00:37:40,360 --> 00:37:44,440 Smaller charities that really can't overlook any, any good 721 00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:47,560 home for a blanket reason are more flexible. 722 00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:49,840 There are certain things for us that are a bit more of a deal 723 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:51,960 breaker, you know, keeping them safe and secure, making sure 724 00:37:51,960 --> 00:37:54,480 your fence high in your garden. If you have a garden, you don't 725 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:56,920 need a garden. You know, both of you live in 726 00:37:56,920 --> 00:37:59,080 flats. We send many Potenko's to flats. 727 00:37:59,080 --> 00:38:02,040 Gal goes do great in flats, some gal goes in some Potenko's. 728 00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:04,480 It's probably worth saying not all of them would be suitable, 729 00:38:04,720 --> 00:38:07,920 but we just assess everyone on a case by case basis and it just 730 00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:11,320 means that it kind of opens up that opportunity to more people. 731 00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:13,520 So I think there's kind of two, two sides of it really. 732 00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:16,480 Like I say that the situation isn't really comparable in the 733 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:19,200 UK as it is to Spain and some other European countries. 734 00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:22,160 And then just that ability to kind of bring an adoptive dog 735 00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:25,400 into people's homes who wouldn't necessarily be a candidate for 736 00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:28,000 some of the kind of more well known dog rehoming charities in 737 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:29,720 the UK. How do they normally come? 738 00:38:29,720 --> 00:38:34,920 Over. So they're driven over in 739 00:38:34,920 --> 00:38:38,080 purpose built, kind of air conditioned in the summer, 740 00:38:38,080 --> 00:38:42,320 heated in the winter. They are all subject to Defra 741 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:48,400 and HMRC guidance and cheques. We effectively import them and 742 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:50,480 yeah, do all the paperwork they have to have all the relevant 743 00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:53,920 testing, vaccines, etcetera. It's all done by the book. 744 00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:56,440 There's a certain number that are allowed on anyone vehicle or 745 00:38:56,440 --> 00:38:58,800 anyone time. That's the way it's done. 746 00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:02,200 We do more extensive blood testing in Spain as well, just 747 00:39:02,200 --> 00:39:04,960 to make sure we're really setting up adopters for success 748 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:07,880 and making sure we're really, you know, clear with them on 749 00:39:07,880 --> 00:39:10,560 their health status and and what to expect. 750 00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:13,920 So yeah, it is a long journey for them, but actually, you 751 00:39:13,920 --> 00:39:16,920 know, compared to the opportunity they've got for the 752 00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:19,800 rest of their lives, living on a comfy sofa rather than in a 753 00:39:19,800 --> 00:39:22,400 canal, you know, they get over it pretty quickly. 754 00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:26,160 So yeah, it's worth it for sure. They're travelling very well so 755 00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:28,880 I wouldn't be too concerned about the journey for them. 756 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:32,560 What do you think UK charities or rescues can learn from 757 00:39:32,560 --> 00:39:36,280 rescues that work predominantly with dogs from other countries? 758 00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:38,160 I think. Some of the bigger charities, 759 00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:41,640 although they may have blanket policies, actually places like 760 00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:45,040 Battersea are really kind of open minded. 761 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:46,800 We've worked with them a couple of times. 762 00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:48,920 If they've had to put Anko in, they'll reach out to us for 763 00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:53,240 specialist advice and they also run lots of training events for 764 00:39:53,240 --> 00:39:57,120 people that work in small overseas dog shelters. 765 00:39:57,160 --> 00:39:58,520 I think there's a couple of others. 766 00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:01,160 I don't want to misquote anything, but I think some of 767 00:40:01,160 --> 00:40:04,320 the other bigger UK charities do kind of have an arm that is 768 00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:07,960 really looking at what's going on further afield and supporting 769 00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:11,800 those rescues so. I think that's great. 770 00:40:11,800 --> 00:40:14,600 You know, they've got more funding, more resources and and 771 00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:16,040 can really make a difference there. 772 00:40:16,120 --> 00:40:19,640 I think that really approaching every dog in a unique way, 773 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:23,120 considering an adoption form where we're kind of adopting, 774 00:40:23,200 --> 00:40:26,040 you know, 10 dogs every month. I say we're able to do that. 775 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:27,680 I mean, sometimes it's a real stretch. 776 00:40:27,680 --> 00:40:31,360 There's only a few of us and we are doing it on top of full time 777 00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:34,400 jobs, but we are able to really go through that matching process 778 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:36,280 carefully consider the individuals needs. 779 00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:38,800 We've had some people that have come to us with quite unique 780 00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:41,880 circumstances and it's taken us six months to a year to find a 781 00:40:41,880 --> 00:40:44,200 dog that's the right match. But if they're a good adopter, 782 00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:46,600 we will do whatever we can to find a dog that's the right 783 00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:49,080 match for that person. It doesn't make sense for some 784 00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:51,640 of those bigger charities to necessarily take that approach, 785 00:40:51,720 --> 00:40:54,120 which I understand, you know, they've got hundreds of dogs 786 00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:57,920 coming in and out of their doors on a on a daily, weekly basis. 787 00:40:57,920 --> 00:41:01,120 But yeah, I think just, you know, sharing is great 788 00:41:01,120 --> 00:41:05,000 connections, best practise. I think that's just what I would 789 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:07,680 kind of continue to encourage. They're all dogs regardless of 790 00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:10,280 where they've come from. They share some of the same kind 791 00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:13,560 of behavioural challenges in homes and adopters, you know, 792 00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:15,520 face some of the same difficulties as well. 793 00:41:15,520 --> 00:41:18,520 So that's probably the biggest thing for for me. 794 00:41:18,720 --> 00:41:20,680 Adoption processes are pretty extensive. 795 00:41:20,680 --> 00:41:24,480 Regardless of which charity or rescue that you work with. 796 00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:27,720 We provide a huge amount of post adoption support. 797 00:41:27,720 --> 00:41:30,680 In particular. It is challenging adopting a dog 798 00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:32,880 without a doubt. It's not a bed of roses, 799 00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:34,640 particularly a dog you've never I met before. 800 00:41:34,720 --> 00:41:36,560 You don't always have that instant connection. 801 00:41:36,560 --> 00:41:38,320 You know, there are real frustrating times. 802 00:41:38,320 --> 00:41:41,240 Every single time I've adopted another dog, I've had moments 803 00:41:41,240 --> 00:41:42,840 where I've thought, what on earth have I done? 804 00:41:42,840 --> 00:41:45,920 And I've got the other trustees to call up and be like, I'm 805 00:41:45,920 --> 00:41:47,920 having a moment, why did I do this? 806 00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:50,440 I've just completely upset the equilibrium in my house. 807 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:51,880 You know, things have gone to pot. 808 00:41:51,880 --> 00:41:54,240 What did I do? And that's what we want to be 809 00:41:54,240 --> 00:41:56,520 for our adopters. We want to be there at the end 810 00:41:56,520 --> 00:41:58,320 of the phone. So we have a trainer that works 811 00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:00,320 on our team. She does check insurance at 812 00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:03,720 certain points up post adoption where she'll reach out. 813 00:42:04,360 --> 00:42:06,600 Some adopters are naturally more forthcoming. 814 00:42:06,680 --> 00:42:08,800 Others, you know, you don't really hear from them and you 815 00:42:08,800 --> 00:42:11,080 just wonder, are you just going to get a call one day where they 816 00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:13,520 say this hasn't worked? We really want to try and avoid 817 00:42:13,520 --> 00:42:15,400 that. For us, it's not just about 818 00:42:15,440 --> 00:42:17,840 getting the dogs into homes. It's about making sure every 819 00:42:17,840 --> 00:42:22,440 single dog and every single other person animal in that home 820 00:42:22,440 --> 00:42:24,680 is also thriving. That's really what we strive 821 00:42:24,680 --> 00:42:26,800 for, to give these dogs the best chance possible. 822 00:42:26,800 --> 00:42:30,120 And we just say, reach out to us at any point in time. 823 00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:33,520 We'll always come back to you if it's if it's urgent, you know, 824 00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:36,640 I'll duck out of a work call and try and jump on a call to sort 825 00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:38,800 something out. Like it's, it's super important 826 00:42:38,800 --> 00:42:41,000 that people feel like they've got that level of support. 827 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:44,160 So yeah, that's definitely, I think what we certainly strive 828 00:42:44,160 --> 00:42:47,280 to offer that again, I don't know that all rescues 829 00:42:47,280 --> 00:42:50,360 necessarily can, but it's a really important part for us 830 00:42:50,360 --> 00:42:52,840 because we don't have kennel premises in the UK. 831 00:42:52,840 --> 00:42:55,480 If somebody calls us and says, I can't look after this dog 832 00:42:55,480 --> 00:42:58,160 anymore, it's difficult to find somewhere else for that dog to 833 00:42:58,160 --> 00:43:01,240 go. And it's unsettling for the dog 834 00:43:01,240 --> 00:43:03,840 as well. So, yeah, really trying to make 835 00:43:03,840 --> 00:43:07,560 a success of it is important. And just making sure people feel 836 00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:10,040 that they're equipped with the knowledge to make the right 837 00:43:10,040 --> 00:43:11,560 decision for them at the beginning. 838 00:43:11,600 --> 00:43:14,000 You know, we don't shy away from how difficult it can be. 839 00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:15,800 Some of the challenges that people might face. 840 00:43:15,840 --> 00:43:18,120 They've got to be in it. They've got to kind of make that 841 00:43:18,120 --> 00:43:21,840 commitment and ride out the ride out the lows to to get to the 842 00:43:21,840 --> 00:43:23,920 point where the balance is restored. 843 00:43:24,360 --> 00:43:26,320 Yeah. And it is so worth it if you can 844 00:43:26,320 --> 00:43:28,520 get if you can get through it, it is so worth it. 845 00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:31,520 But. Yeah, if you could speak to 846 00:43:31,520 --> 00:43:36,280 every Galgo, every Podenko guardian in the UK, you know, 847 00:43:36,280 --> 00:43:40,320 what would you say to them? It's you don't have to have a 848 00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:44,240 Podenko or a Galgo. You can have a site hound, you 849 00:43:44,240 --> 00:43:47,280 can have a dog, or you can just be an animal level that really 850 00:43:47,280 --> 00:43:51,400 cares and want to join us and raise awareness about the abuse 851 00:43:51,400 --> 00:43:53,320 that these dogs are going through in Spain. 852 00:43:53,960 --> 00:43:56,960 So that's number one. Number two, we are obviously we 853 00:43:57,000 --> 00:44:00,320 love people to join us in the actual marches, but we also need 854 00:44:00,320 --> 00:44:04,480 help with other things. We have a network of volunteers 855 00:44:04,480 --> 00:44:07,760 and supporters that offer the skills most of us actually do 856 00:44:07,760 --> 00:44:11,160 require to be at the March, you know, physically, but things 857 00:44:11,160 --> 00:44:14,160 like photographers. So we do have photographer, 858 00:44:14,160 --> 00:44:17,920 professional photographers who donate the time and skills and 859 00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:21,280 show up and help us produce really nice images, amazing 860 00:44:21,280 --> 00:44:28,640 images of the marches we're looking for help with. 861 00:44:28,720 --> 00:44:32,000 We need stewards so people who can help us manage, physically 862 00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:35,280 manage the March. It's especially important in 863 00:44:35,280 --> 00:44:37,320 London. So you know, it's big. 864 00:44:37,320 --> 00:44:40,680 We're walking through central London with lots of people and 865 00:44:40,680 --> 00:44:45,720 lots of dogs and our March gets broken down into little groups. 866 00:44:45,720 --> 00:44:47,200 There's nothing we can do about it. 867 00:44:47,240 --> 00:44:50,200 We have to walk in groups. So we need help just to make 868 00:44:50,200 --> 00:44:53,040 sure that it flows well, that everyone's safe. 869 00:44:53,040 --> 00:44:55,480 Again. You know that traffic is the 870 00:44:55,480 --> 00:44:58,400 traffic is managed. People wait to cross the road. 871 00:44:58,480 --> 00:45:00,720 So that's that's very important. Stewards. 872 00:45:00,720 --> 00:45:03,960 What else did I forget, Jim? Donations, they're really 873 00:45:03,960 --> 00:45:09,400 important all of the time is voluntary, but there are costs 874 00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:15,320 associated so high vis vests, planners, placards, megaphones, 875 00:45:15,320 --> 00:45:18,640 the cost of hosting the website. So if people can't come along, 876 00:45:18,640 --> 00:45:20,760 if they could donate, the cost of, you know, a train fare, 877 00:45:20,760 --> 00:45:25,680 coffee, a pound, it all helps and just spread the word. 878 00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:28,880 I think that's key. Socials are really important. 879 00:45:28,880 --> 00:45:31,760 Every single year we get people say, my gosh, you did a March, I 880 00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:33,840 didn't know about it. I would have come if I'd known. 881 00:45:33,920 --> 00:45:37,120 And we do our utmost to try and get it out there to as many 882 00:45:37,120 --> 00:45:40,600 people as possible. So if you see us on socials, if 883 00:45:40,600 --> 00:45:43,480 you can give us a like a comment, a share, a repost, it 884 00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:45,480 really does kind of amplify our voice. 885 00:45:45,560 --> 00:45:48,720 The algorithms sometimes work against us, but we can combat 886 00:45:48,720 --> 00:45:50,760 that with our army of supporters. 887 00:45:50,760 --> 00:45:53,880 So yeah, get involved. You don't have to physically be 888 00:45:53,880 --> 00:45:55,400 there. I know it's too far for some 889 00:45:55,400 --> 00:45:58,600 people or difficult but yeah, loads of ways to show your 890 00:45:58,600 --> 00:46:01,440 support and it makes such a big difference to the dogs. 891 00:46:01,960 --> 00:46:08,440 OK, so join us on 31st of January in Manchester, in 892 00:46:08,440 --> 00:46:11,560 Glasgow or in Exeter. You don't have to have a 893 00:46:11,560 --> 00:46:13,560 padecco, you don't have to have a galgo. 894 00:46:13,600 --> 00:46:16,360 You really just need to like and care for animals. 895 00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:19,560 We are going to have the information on the website. 896 00:46:19,560 --> 00:46:22,640 We're also going to enable registrations to the marches via 897 00:46:22,640 --> 00:46:25,360 the website. And on Sunday the 1st of 898 00:46:25,360 --> 00:46:27,440 February in London, peaceful protest. 899 00:46:27,440 --> 00:46:29,880 You can bring your dogs, whether they're perencos or galgos or 900 00:46:29,880 --> 00:46:31,880 not. We'd love for you to join us and 901 00:46:31,880 --> 00:46:34,400 really represent them. We are their voice. 902 00:46:34,400 --> 00:46:37,920 And just lastly, please follow us on on Instagram and on 903 00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:41,360 Facebook free Spanish hands and you can also visit a website 904 00:46:41,360 --> 00:46:45,800 itsfreespanishhands.co.uk. Thank you so much. 905 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:48,640 I'm very grateful for your time and I can't wait to get this 906 00:46:48,640 --> 00:46:51,560 message out because it's important and it matters.