The Fairy Tale Story of One Spanish Galgo
Once upon a time there was a Spanish galgo. His history is lost because he was one of many, and he can't tell us about the first years of his life as a coursing galgo. We suppose he lived in a barn or shed, that he was fed scraps and bread, that he was taken to the fields to train and that when he was old enough, his galguero master brought him to many coursing matches. We don't know how well he ran, or whether he ran a second season. We don't know where he lived. We don't even know his age. We do know he survived.
We
met this nameless galgo in February 2003 at Scooby. He was still in the
isolation runs, one of many galgos crowding in at the end of the hunting season.
He stood there wearing a shabby coat that was barely staying on him. He
had a look about him that belied his pauper image. This galgo was special.
He carried himself with a grace that distinguished him from his pen-mates.
He was a king.
His
photo and the memory of his dignity stayed with me over the year. Then, in
December, I received an email from Belgium. Someone recognized a galgo
from the pictures on the Operation Scooby web site. Their friend had
adopted him. Yes, it was this very special galgo!
Martine
Van Gelder, his new mistress,
has shared the
story of his new life. Martine visited Scooby in September
and fell in love with this regal galgo. She adopted him, named him Muscan,
and returned with him to Belgium. Martine and her husband
Francis introduced him to their 4 cats and their other Scooby galgo, Zaïd.
It was a heavenly match and the two galgos live a life unimaginable in Spain.
Here is Muscan in his new life in Belgium (click all photos to enlarge)...
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And he lived happily ever after.
