Chris and I are back from his birthday trip and it was everything. While we were gone, Apricot stayed with his favorite temp foster’s mom. I can’t believe this little dude hasn’t found his forever home yet. He’s cat and dog-friendly and has so much personality. He’s a very good boy and can be adopted here.
Last week I had the opportunity to work with award-winning photographer Travis Patenaude of Stinkeye Photography. He wanted to do some shots at the Illinois Train Museum with a Galgo to show off such a historic breed. Travis is also the founder of Love, Hope ,Believe Adopt a Galgo, a local nonprofit that focuses on helping the Galgos in Spain. If you’re not familiar with the plight of the Galgo, you can check out this article. Fair warning, the Galgos’ story is perhaps the saddest one I’ve heard in rescue.
My heart aches for these dogs. They are some of the sweetest creatures I’ve met, including our foster Endora. My husband still calls her the “one that got away” because she was such a good girl. She’s happily in her forever home now and doing so well. I wouldn’t hesitate to foster one in the future.
I always want to help with this group how I can, so when they reached out wanting to do a styled shoot, I didn’t hesitate. While shooting, we chatted about how people could help these dogs. Because they’re so far away and the situation can feel overwhelming, I’ve found five super simple ways to make an impact.
1. Share their story – Perhaps the most impactful thing you can do in less than 30 seconds. Share an article, any article, about their plight on your social media. You can share my post, or this Nat Geo article, or hey there’s this Dodo post too. Post it to your social media accounts and ask your family and friends to read it. The more people that are aware of the issue, the more people are willing to help.
2. Sign this petition – Another super simple way to show you care about these beautiful dogs. By signing your name, you empower to SPCA International to create change. Once you’ve signed, be sure to share it on your social media!
3. Follow their journey– Follow Love, Hope, Believe Galgo Adoption Inc. on Facebook and Instagram. I promise they don’t post obnoxiously often and when they do post, there is usually a call to action. By following along with their pages, you can get involved when you want. You’ll be alerted when things are needed or ways you can help. Not in the Chicago area? Follow this group who is located in Spain.
4. Like/comment/share – Social media works like this: the more people interact with a post, the higher it will be ranked in other people’s social media feeds. So, if you engage with posts, that helps other people see that post. It takes .47 seconds to like a picture, 19 seconds to comment, and 28 seconds to share. In less than a minute, you can boost the visibility of a plea for the Galgos.
5. Donate – If you can donate, Love, Hope, Believe Galgo Adoption Inc. is a good one to support. They do so much with such little funding. Your money will be used to bring dogs to the US. Your donations would help with vetting the dogs, providing supplies, and paying the fees of bringing the dogs into the country.
BONUS!
6. Foster/adopt – Okay, so this will take you longer than 5 minutes which is why it’s a bonus item. When we fostered Endora, she had an adoption pending. So, it was a quick foster, mostly getting her ready for her new home. Helping her learn how to be a dog. It was incredibly rewarding to watch her become confident, grow, and learn to trust people. I wouldn’t hesitate to adopt one of these wonderful dogs. They are truly magnificent dogs.
7. Volunteer in Spain – Yep, you can go and live amongst the Galgos and help however you can. Whether it’s just a day or a week, they’ll take all the help they can get. You can check with LHB on ways to get involved with the Galgos.
So, there you have it. Sometimes I feel powerless with dogs that are so far away so I like having tangible things I can do to help. Sure, an Instagram comment might seem insignificant, but, if it gives a dog even the slightest chance of being saved, what do you have to lose?
THE RESCUES:
Gemma is already adopted but LHB is bringing back 5 Galgos all available for adoption. You can check them out below!
THE SYTLE:
A huge thank you to The Dress Reserve for supplying the dress for this 1950s inspired shoot! The Dress Reserve is an amazing (small, woman-owned, local) dress lending business in Chicago. You can rent dresses for any occasion! Take a peek at the options here.
Bongo 
Picara 
Guapo 
Sandi
