The History of Galgos en Familia is tightly linked to its founder Vera Thorenaar, who started her journey and immersion into the difficult situation of the galgo since 2008, and came into contact with a Dutch association that dealt with adoptions for abandoned galgos.

Dedicated to the translations, to getting her work known in Spain and being a link between said association and other associations dedicated to the protection of galgos in our country, she started to write her personal blog to explain the difficulties experienced by this breed, to broadcast cases of abandonment and to retell her own experience as a foster career of galgos waiting for adoption.

From there, her work intensified, becoming a foster home not just for a few hours or days until their flights to Holland but on a more permanent basis, which meant a greater involvement for Vera in the recovery of the galgos in need. That’s how, Freedom, her first long term foster dog, arrived and awakening even more, if possible, Veras eagerness to protect these mistreated souls.

In 2010 the shelter was founded. Vera rented a plot of land with kennels already built from an old, unused boarding kennels and started to accommodate the first galgos, taken from various dog pounds in the province of Malaga and also those abandoned by their hunter owners that considered them useless.

During this time the shelter was managed almost exclusively by Vera, with help from her family, from which she has always received support. In april of 2011 various volunteers heard of the organisation and started to collaborate on a weekly basis, with the upkeep of the installations and the care of the dogs, which gave a great boost to the labour of Galgos en Familia.

Increasingly more volunteers offer to colaborate in the shelter, but it is after a demonstration against hunting with galgos and other dogs, when the shelter Galgos en Familia receive the help of numerous volunteers and then it really starts to function as a great team of people and that has helped the continuity of this inspiring project.