Spanish Galgo

This very old greyhound with controversial origins would most likely come from a distant era, when he arrived in Spain with the Celts around the 6th century BC.

Although the Galgo has been known since Roman times, it is likely that he existed for much longer. Probably descended from Asian greyhounds, he was exported during the 16, 17 and 18th centuries to countries such as England and Ireland, to be used for hare hunting.

The etymology of Galgo comes from the name canis gallicus (Celtic greyhound) given by the Romans to identify the Celts' companion.

From gallicus, which later became Galgo, this dog is said to be an extension of the Asian Greyhound brought to the West by the Celts at the time.

In Spain in the Middle Ages, the Galgo was popular among the nobility and bourgeoisie as well as among peasants. Contrary to England and France where certain races were specific to the nobility, the Galgo was shared by all the inhabitants of the country.

However, he remained the favourite of the Spanish nobility.

During the 19 and 20th centuries, the Spaniards decided to cross the Galgo with the Greyhound in order to increase the speed of the Galgo.

Later on, breeders brought back the breed closer to the original selection, but the Spanish Galgo still kept the particular look of the Greyhound.

He is an excellent hunting dog that was first used to hunt hare, but also appreciated for hunting fox, rabbit and even wild boar.

He is also greatly appreciated for his fine qualities as companion dog, but he is often treated very badly in his country of origin, where he does not benefit from any protection, unlike other companion dogs.

Although most births are registered in Spain, a good number of these dogs are regularly adopted outside the country, mainly in France, Switzerland and Belgium, where they are increasingly protected to prevent them from being mistreated in their country of origin.