Meet Big Dog.

This sweet boy has a fascinating breed history, and if we actually had Brand Ambassadors, he'd be our man for PupRepublic Tummy Tamer. 

 

We came across Big Dog when his owner, Lizzie, wrote to us in 2021 to see if she could buy Tummy Tamer out in France, where they had recently moved. We duly posted some supplies to Big Dog, and he sent us his photo and his story when it was delivered.

Big Dog is a Galgo,  a rescue dog who was 9 when we first heard from him in 2021. We'd never heard of Galgos, and Big Dog's story was heart-wrenching. Galgos, a.k.a. Spanish Greyhounds, are one of the most persecuted breeds anywhere.  Earlier this year, Spain finally passed a law stating that dogs are sentient beings, but Galgos were excluded, on the grounds that they are mere 'tools' for Spain's ancient hunting tradition. They are often tortured and left to die when they can't hunt any longer. 

When Lizzie and Mike adopted Big Dog, he was used to a diet of old bones and stale bread, so having Tummy Tamer in his medicine chest meant he could gradually explore more interesting and nutritious meals. 

Recently Lizzie and Big Dog wrote again, after he had been a little too adventurous when scavenging in the Brittany countryside. 

 

 

Apart from his occasional tummy troubles, Big Dog was doing well, playing with his toys and zooming around the house and garden. Lizzie had owned whippets before, working and showing them all over Europe. Big Dog is a whole new experience for her. She wrote:

"Big Dog is unexpectedly different, as I adjusted to him I realised his intelligence was formed over many hundreds of years and honed to a high level by living naturally in packs of working sighthounds highly prized by nobility but with little close human contact.  

 

Big Dog has never needed any formal training because he quickly adjusted to living with us and understood how to conform to our way of life. He is consequently just naturally and willingly obedient - what a joy!!  I have never met this before in any breed, other than in those trained over many generations for a specific task, such a sheepdogs and gun dogs.  Galgos still depend on the hunting skills they acquired a couple of thousand years ago and I have great respect for their wisdom."

When we adopted Big Dog I took him to Nantes University Veterinary School for a once over, Galgos sadly often suffering from a variety of diseases and conditions as a result of neglect and semi-starvation once they are rejected by their owners as useless throwaways.  

He had a thyroid problem and impaired liver function which needed keeping an eye on once he’d been allowed to settle into his new life.  I researched into the best diet for him to my mind and we both enjoyed showing him the Breton countryside and such oddities as rain, that really was a shock for him!  He sees hare and deer from time to time, and just loves the red squirrel population!  He was tested again a few months later, thyroid back to normal and liver functioning perfectly in spite of some permanent damage.

So there we are, a very happy Galgo his nightmares long-forgotten, living life to the full and teaching many people about the sad fate of so many of his breed."

And that's a happy story if ever there was one! We had another email from Lizzie An interetsing post-script. She said Big Dog had had a more serious infection which needed a vet visit. When Lizzie told the vet about Tummy Tamer, the vet commented that the fact it's based on Montmorillonite was interesting, as this refined clay comes from that part of the world, and that it was a good thing for Big Dog to be taking regularly as needed.

We love finding out about our customers, and learning about interesting breeds and their stories, especially when a very sad tale has a happy outcome. 

 To find out more about this beautiful breed:

http://www.galgorescue.org/spanish-galgo#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20Galgo%3F,of%20daylight%2C%20exercise%20and%20affection.