Galgos and Podencos in Spain: An Animal Welfare Explainer

What the evidence, Spanish law and practical reform can—and cannot—tell us about two widely used Spanish hunting-dog types.

Galgos and podencos are not a single story. They are distinct types of Spanish hound, kept in different regions and settings, and their lives vary widely. Some live as working dogs with attentive care. Others enter shelters after being lost, surrendered or found without a secure home. A responsible account of Galgos and Podencos animal welfare in Spain must hold both realities at once: it should describe documented risks without assigning blame to an entire rural community, profession or culture.

The central welfare question is practical. Are dogs identified, safely housed, fed, handled without fear, given appropriate veterinary care and protected when they are no longer used for work? Spanish and European rules provide parts of that framework, but coverage is uneven and enforcement is difficult to measure.

Why galgos and podencos are part of the debate

A galgo is a Spanish sighthound associated with hare coursing and other forms of hunting. Podenco is a broad family of hunting hounds whose appearance and working roles differ by island and mainland region. The label therefore covers more than one standardized breed. In both cases, a dog’s welfare depends on conditions of breeding, transport, training, housing, work, retirement and rehoming—not on its name alone.

Animal-law research has identified a structural concern: Spain’s protections for hunting dogs are spread across European, national and regional rules, rather than being contained in one dedicated, easily understood system. A 2024 peer-reviewed article describes this fragmented framework and argues that the exclusion of hunting dogs from Spain’s national companion-animal law leaves a significant equality and protection question.[[1]](https://journal.fi/gjal/article/view/148966)

That finding does not establish how many galgos or podencos are mistreated. It does explain why comparisons, complaints and enforcement can be difficult: the applicable rule may depend on the dog’s purpose, the autonomous community and the facts of the case.

What is known

Spain has a large and persistent animal-abandonment problem across dogs and cats. Fundación Affinity’s latest study reports that Spanish shelters collected 285,720 dogs and cats in 2025, including 169,268 dogs. The study records animals arriving from several routes, such as being found in public places or brought in by individuals, and it shows that many arrive without a microchip.[[2]](https://www.fundacion-affinity.org/en/research/study-he-wouldnt-do-it-to-you-on-the-abandonment-and-adoption-of-dogs-and-cats)

Earlier data discussed by the independent Science Media Centre Spain counted more than 286,000 dogs and cats rescued in 2023, including 170,712 dogs and 115,970 cats. The same source notes that the number had remained relatively stable for several years rather than demonstrating a simple, sudden increase.[[3]](https://sciencemediacentre.es/en/animal-abandonment-what-else-should-be-done)

These figures matter because they show the scale of the system that shelters and municipalities must manage. They do not, by themselves, show how many incoming dogs were galgos or podencos, how many had been used for hunting, or what happened to dogs that never reached a shelter. Fundación Affinity’s data include “end of hunting season” among possible reasons recorded by participating shelters, but that category is not a national census of hunting-dog abandonment.[[2]](https://www.fundacion-affinity.org/en/research/study-he-wouldnt-do-it-to-you-on-the-abandonment-and-adoption-of-dogs-and-cats)

There are also clear welfare duties in Spain’s general legal framework. Law 7/2023 requires people responsible for animals within its scope to provide dignified living conditions, use handling methods that do not cause suffering or fear, prevent escape, arrange necessary health care, keep animals identified and report loss or theft within 48 hours.[[4]](https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2023-7936) Those are useful benchmarks even when another legal regime applies.

What is less certain

Shelter intake is a visible measure, not a complete count of abandonment. The Science Media Centre explains that Spain has no official nationwide control of all abandoned animals and that many estimates rely on information supplied by a group of shelters. Animals that do not reach shelters are missing from those totals.[[3]](https://sciencemediacentre.es/en/animal-abandonment-what-else-should-be-done)

The same caution applies to widely repeated claims that tens of thousands of galgos or hunting dogs are abandoned every year. Unless a source explains its definitions, geography, time period and method, the number cannot be treated as a verified national total. Nor can a shelter’s breed label reliably identify a dog’s previous use. A mixed-breed podenco-type dog may be recorded differently by different organizations, while an unchipped dog’s history may remain unknown.

What the available data can establish is a substantial, ongoing burden on shelters and local authorities, alongside incomplete identification and uneven outcomes. They cannot establish that every hunter treats dogs badly, that every abandoned hound came from hunting, or that one cause explains the whole problem. Keeping those boundaries visible makes the welfare case stronger, not weaker.

The law and the reform gap

Law 7/2023 sets a national baseline for companion animals and animals kept in captivity, but Article 1 excludes dogs used for hunting, hunting packs and auxiliary hunting animals from its scope. The text says those animals remain subject to applicable European, state and autonomous-community rules.[[4]](https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2023-7936)

In practice, that creates a divided framework. A dog’s protection may turn on whether it is legally treated as a companion animal, a hunting animal or part of another regulated activity. The 2024 legal study characterizes the absence of dedicated provisions and the amendment excluding hunting dogs as a vulnerability that merits stronger safeguards.[[1]](https://journal.fi/gjal/article/view/148966)

Reform does not have to mean one slogan or one policy. Useful options include clearer minimum standards for housing and transport, reliable identification and traceability, inspection capacity, consistent penalties for cruelty and abandonment, and a defined route for retirement and rehoming. They should be developed with veterinary, shelter, rural, hunting and animal-protection expertise, while keeping the welfare of the individual dog as the standard.

European policy is also moving toward more common rules. The European Commission says Regulation (EU) 2026/1818 introduces minimum requirements for the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats, including breeding, keeping, placing on the market, identification and registration. Most provisions apply from 31 August 2028 or later dates.[[5]](https://food.ec.europa.eu/animals/animal-welfare/protecting-welfare-dogs-and-cats_en) This regulation is not a substitute for national enforcement, and its precise application to working contexts should be checked as implementation develops.

Responsible ways to help

A useful response begins with evidence and local channels. Someone who finds a loose or apparently neglected dog can contact the relevant municipal animal-collection service or local police, rather than attempting a risky rescue or public confrontation. The Science Media Centre’s legal guidance explains that municipalities are responsible for collection protocols and that suspected mistreatment can be reported to police or the competent authority with concrete evidence, location and dates.[[3]](https://sciencemediacentre.es/en/animal-abandonment-what-else-should-be-done)

For people considering adoption, a registered shelter or established rescue can explain a dog’s known history, behavior in care and ongoing needs. A galgo or podenco should be assessed as an individual animal, not selected or rejected because of a dramatic online story. Adoption also requires a realistic plan for housing, exercise, secure handling and veterinary costs; those are ordinary responsibilities, not guarantees of a particular outcome.

Support can take several forms: fund transparent local organizations, foster through an organization with written protocols, promote microchipping and reunification, or ask public bodies how they record and investigate cases. Sharing verified information is more helpful than circulating graphic images or untraceable statistics. The most constructive goal is simple and measurable: fewer preventable losses, better records, humane care while a dog is in transition, and equal protection in practice.

Galgos and podencos deserve attention because their welfare can be obscured by fragmented data and fragmented law. The evidence supports concern, but it also demands precision. A fair public conversation can recognize responsible care, document failures, improve oversight and keep every conclusion proportionate to what the sources actually show.

Sources

[1]: https://journal.fi/gjal/article/view/148966 "Uncovering the Legal Vulnerability of Hunting Dogs in France and Spain, Global Journal of Animal Law, 2024"

[2]: https://www.fundacion-affinity.org/en/research/study-he-wouldnt-do-it-to-you-on-the-abandonment-and-adoption-of-dogs-and-cats "Fundación Affinity, Study on the Abandonment and Adoption of Dogs and Cats"

[3]: https://sciencemediacentre.es/en/animal-abandonment-what-else-should-be-done "Science Media Centre Spain, Animal abandonment: What else should be done?"

[4]: https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2023-7936 "Boletín Oficial del Estado, Law 7/2023 on the protection of animal rights and welfare"

[5]: https://food.ec.europa.eu/animals/animal-welfare/protecting-welfare-dogs-and-cats_en "European Commission, Protecting the welfare of dogs and cats"