My Love Affair With Podencos
This is Sunny. My first Podenco.
He came bounding into my life in September 2017 when he was four months old. I adopted Sunny from Hope for Podencos, a charity that rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes these incredible Spanish dogs. He had been discarded in a cardboard box at birth, with three litter mates. He was my first Podenco love.
Baby Sunny at the Hope For Podencos Rescue Centre
It all started way back in 2003
I met a Pharoah Hound and got chatting with the owner. She told me about the lineage of these Phoenician dogs and their modern day descendants, including the Ibizan, or Podenco Ibicenco. I had a whippet at the time, Luca and when he passed away in 2012, we rescued another little whippet, called Ruby. But always at the back of my mind was the Ibicenco.
In 2015 I moved to Bruton in Somerset
I had been living in LA and my dog Flash, rescued and adopted whilst there, was very unsure about the rain and the mud of the West Country.. but for the first time I had the space - and the time to consider taking on a Podenco.
Sunny and Flash
It took a little time. Having done some research I had discovered some heartbreaking facts about the brutal treatment of these breathtakingly beautiful dogs. In their native Spain, they are used for hunting. It is estimated that at the end of the hunting season each year, between 60,000 - 80,000 Podencos and Galgos are destroyed. They are dumped, they are abandoned, they are tortured, they are murdered.
Sunny My Love
Keen to do what I could to help raise awareness, for several years (until Stanley came along!) I volunteered for Hope For Podencos. Working for Irene and Steve Allen who founded the charity, I helped with fundraising, social media and the website .. anything that I could do remotely. I also went out to spend some time with them at the centre and fell in love - with all of the dogs - and one in particular nearly came home with me.. the majestic Sir William!
It is worth mentioning here that Podencos are unlike any breed of dog I have ever come across. Incredibly bright, loyal, intuitive and deeply sensitive, they are also fiercely independent, problem solving, escape artists. They are the clowns of the dog world, brilliantly social, fun, humorous and next level affectionate and loving for their family. But they are not for everyone. They are known as Primitive Hunters for a reason. I thought I knew about hunting dogs - having grown up with whippets and lurchers who like to chase - but quite frankly nothing on earth compares with the prey drive of a Podenco and it can be very stressful to live with.
If you are thinking of adopting one, don’t hesitate to get in touch I’m always happy to chat about Podencos!
Sir William
Incredibly sadly, Sunny was only to be with me for a very short time. We discovered that his kidneys hadn’t formed properly and he passed away, from kidney failure, aged just two and a half, in August 2019
We made sure that every minute of his short life was filled with love and my goodness he returned that ten million times over.
More heartbreak followed. Almost exactly a year later. In August 2020, just two days before my son was born, we received the devastating news that Irene Allen, who had become a dear friend, had suffered a brain haemorrhage and died shortly afterwards. This was a monumental loss to all the Podenco and extended rescue community and most of all, for her husband Steve Allen. He continues with their mission. To bring Hope to the Podencos of Spain.
Meanwhile ..
…In my home - the Podenco love continues. My second Podenco, Cherry, also adopted from Hope For Podencos, hasn’t left Stanley’s side since the day he was born. Together we are teaching the next generation about love, kindness and respect for all beings.
In Loving Memory of Irene Allen
17th August 1957 - 17th August 2020
