Spanish Hunting Dog, Stop the Abuse!

The Spanish hunting dog is a remarkable dog. Their incredible sense of hearing, sight, and smell make them a fundamental partner to hunters in search of prey. An outstandingly loyal breed, the Spanish Hunting dog will continue to please their master even if they are being abused. They will also continue to follow their masters home each night—unless forced not to.

The breeds’ loyalty is given no justice. Many of them will only live to be 2 or 3 years old. During which time they will be chained, starved, and beaten. At the end of each hunting season, when these dogs are no longer needed they are often hung from trees, with the noose just loose enough so that they die a slow death. In Spain they call this a Piano Playing, because the animal moves like it is dancing in its attempts to get free. After becoming exhausted, the animal dies. Some of these dogs are abandoned with their eyes gouged out or their legs broken, all in attempts from keeping the dogs from finding their loyal ways back home; to a house that can’t afford to feed another mouth.

This issue is difficult to understand because it is largely based on culture. In this part of Spain, the people do not see this as cruel. Spain is an incredibly poor country, with a government that does not care much for its rural citizens.

Although Spain does have laws pertaining to animal cruelty, they do no good without proper enforcement. The situation is heartbreaking for all of us animal lovers; this is why rescue organizations have been cropping up in the name of stopping this injustice.

One of my idols, Cesar Millan, has adopted a rescue dog from an abusive hunter. His new show, Leader of the Pack, is about uniting abused, abandoned animals with loving families in Europe.

The more people who know about an issue, the easier it becomes to seek out a solution. It can be so difficult to make change in a country where there is poverty, addiction, and diverse cultural norms. Then again, take a look at dog fighting in our own country. We too are guilty of ignoring a problem a small section of our society partakes in. I guess that's one reason to thank Michael Vik. He brought light to that sport and thankfully any decent American was far from amused. I hope Cesar's show has a similar impact on our hearts, one combated with action! Wouldn’t we want someone to save us if we were looking death in the eye… especially at only 3 years old?