Galgo Español

The Galgo Español, or Spanish Greyhound, is a sighthound from Spain, bred to course hares and other game in open country. It looks much like the English Greyhound, which may descend from it, but it is built for stamina more than for a short burst of speed.

History

The name probably comes from the Latin Canis Gallicus, “dog from Gaul”. In the second century the Roman official Arrian described a Celtic sighthound, the vertragus, hunting hares in Spain in a way very like the Galgo does today, and that dog may be its ancestor. It is thought to have been crossed centuries later with Sloughis brought from North Africa by the Moors.

As the frontier between Christian and Muslim Spain moved south in the 9th and 10th centuries, the flat, open land of Castile proved ideal for hunting with fast dogs. The Galgo was then a noble’s dog, kept by the aristocracy on both sides, and medieval laws punished its theft or killing. A will of 1081 bequeaths a black Galgo, and 12th-century murals at San Baudelio de Berlanga in Soria show three dogs that look just like modern ones. Cervantes gives Don Quixote “a galgo for coursing” in the first sentence of his novel.

In the early 20th century Galgos were crossed with English Greyhounds on a large scale for track racing. The crosses were a little faster but lost their endurance over distance, and breeders gave up the practice. The purebred Galgo carried on as a village hunting dog. Kennel organisations have acknowledged the breed only recently, and in 2026 the Real Sociedad Canina de España counted it among sixteen vulnerable Spanish breeds.

Appearance

Males stand 62 to 70 cm and females 60 to 68 cm. Compared with a Greyhound, the Galgo tends to be smaller and lighter, higher at the rear than at the front, with the flatter muscles of an endurance runner, a shallower chest, a longer tail and a very long, narrow head.

There are two coat types, smooth and rough; the rough coat gives some protection against skin injuries in the field. Any color is allowed, including brindle, black, golden, toasted, cinnamon, yellow, red, white, and white with patches.

Care and health

Like many sighthounds, Galgos are a fairly healthy breed, though they are sensitive to anesthesia.

Welfare

Galgos are still used in Spain for hunting, racing and hare coursing, and there are many reports of cruelty by hunters and breeders. An estimated 50,000 to 100,000 Galgos and Podencos are killed each year, often brutally, and dogs that perform poorly have been beaten, starved or abandoned. A Spanish law in force since January 2022 recognises animals as sentient beings and requires owners to care for them properly. Rescue associations rehabilitate Galgos and find them homes in Spanish cities and in other European countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.