HUNDREDS will take to UK streets this weekend in a series of ‘peaceful protests’ over the mistreatment of hunting dogs in Spain.
Among them will be former Costa Blanca expat Steve Allan, who set up a charity to protect the mistreated animals in 2014 and whose animal activism journey began far from his Scottish home.
After moving to Spain in 2009 with his wife Irene Allan, Steve became instantly aware of Podencos, a breed associated with hunting, and their suffering.
The pair of semi-retired dog groomers began volunteering at rescue centres after moving overseas and, consequentially, adopted dogs of a variety of breeds.
“Irene helped at the pound opposite Alicante airport and they got a call that there was a Padenco stuck under a road, caught in a pipe – she’s always hated small spaces but she still crawled in to rescue the dog,” Steve told the Olive Press.
It was that moment, and the rescue of their first Podenco pup Inca, that led the expat couple to focus on the breed which they described as the ‘underdog’.
Podencos, alongside Galgos, are used in the traditional Spanish hunting practice in which large packs of the hounds drive prey towards hunters.
The dogs spend their lives ‘on a short chain without shelter from extreme weather’ or worse, ‘crammed into dark sheds,’ insists Hope for Podencos, a charity created by the Scottish couple.
Then when the hunting season ends each year, up to 100,000 of the animals are abandoned or killed in awful ways that ‘intend to prolong suffering,’ according to Free Spanish Hounds (FSH), another group fighting for the hunting dogs’ rights.
“It is cheaper to get rid of the old dogs and breed or buy new ones for the next season, than keep a pack fed until the following season,” adds Steve.
The animal activist stands firm on his opinion that ‘hunters need not to breed and breed and breed to see what they can get’ to only ‘abandon or kill’ their dogs at the end of each hunting season.
However, currently there is nothing stopping these owners from treating the hounds in such a way; hunting dogs were omitted from Spain’s 2023 animal welfare legislation and are therefore unprotected by the country’s laws.
While ‘Podencos enjoy hunting as it’s what they’re bred for’ the animals must be properly ‘looked after’ and cared for, says Steve.
So, despite returning to Scotland after the passing of his wife Irene in 2020, Steve continues to campaign for the Spanish dogs’ rights.
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Now Hope for Podencos is a registered UK charity and Steve will be one of the hundreds of Brits taking to the streets this weekend in a series of ‘peaceful protests’ demanding an end to the mistreatment of hunting dogs.
Alongside many of those marching will be their Podenco pups who stand out with their ‘upright ears’ and ‘brilliant personalities’.
“When the dogs are walking through the streets you’d expect them to be so, so frightened because they were used for hunting and it’s a totally alien environment for them but they walk together and are excellent,” Steve says.
Alongside their missions of rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming the former hunting dogs, Hope for Podencos aims to raise awareness for how wonderful the breed is when looked after and cared for.
On their website, they post about dogs that desperately need adopting, sell merchandise to fund their work, and advocate for better legal protection for all hunting dogs.
Click here to read more Spain News from The Olive Press.
