It is a matter of fact that male Galgos are sitting in shelters like shelf warmers. It is already not easy to find a new home for the female dogs because there are many, many dogs not only in Spain but also in all shelters in Europe and around the world waiting for their human food dispenser. But the situation for male dogs is even worse. Scooby has brought this to the attention of all organizations they are cooperating with. The cry for help was successful but the situation in general did not really change.

What is the reason to prefer female dogs over males? Do people fear that males are not so devoted to their owners? Or is it because people think that 2 or more males always will have trouble with each other, fighting for the top position in the pack? Or do the male dogs and their marking of their territory give amateur gardeners among us dog owners sleepless nights?

I think there are as many different reasons as there are different dogs in this world. My partner and I decided to take a risk and adopt more than one male. We already had one “girl”, an Italian Maremmano Abruzzese, and a male street dog from Greece. So, we adopted dog no. 3: a Galgo from Spain. It took its time for them to make clear which dog has what position in the pack but there never was a problem between the males. And since the Galgos showed us what great dogs they are and how soft, sweet, and devoted they can be, we decided to give another dog a chance, this time a Galga.

Only after a short space of time, it was clear that the 2 girls don’t get along and the Galga had some very serious psychological problems. It was really hard for us to make the decision but in the Galga’s best interest, we had to give her back to the shelter. But we still wanted to help and adopted another dog. This time, we chose a male Galgo. No, that’s not actually correct. The dog chose us! Also, he found his place in our pack and all dogs are happy with each other. They play and run in the garden, more or less share the couch with us human beings, and even the bed is not a taboo for one of them who prefers the bed over the basket. All this does not mean that there are no problems at all.

The main point of “discussion” is food. The little “Greek” does not share anything, while the 2 Galgos have no problem to eat out of one bowl together or to lick the sauce from one plate together. And yes, these male dogs mark their territory in the garden. No spot of grass and no plant is safe. And even if this “work of destruction” is painful for each amateur gardener, we have to ask ourselves: What is more important, a plant in the garden or a poor creature in a shelter? Grass can be sown again; a plant can get replaced easily. But being in a shelter and sitting behind bars cannot make up for a place in a family and their caring love. Think about this and have this picture in mind before you decide whether you should adopt a male or not!

Ralf Kastenholz

Adoption parent from Switzerland