The good, the bad, and the incredibly frustrating parts of rescue are all often taking place behind the scenes. At SHUG we try very hard to share the first and to protect you from the other two. In our twelve years it has been our policy to never show the truly sad, painful, and horrifying images of dog rescue. We show the recovery, but hide the wounds. And that is true not just for the pain of our dogs, but for our volunteers, too.

Anyone who has volunteered with an animal rescue for any length of time has horror stories to tell. We don't share stories of our dogs' pain for two reasons. Firstly, we want SHUG's public presence (on the website, facebook, and instagram) to be a safe place for our supporters emotionally. Social media is full of painful images, day in and day out, and it takes a toll on our mental health. You won't find that here. The second reason is that it is part of SHUG's mission to help potential adopters understand that these dogs are not victims, they are survivors. We want you to accept a dog into your life as a member of your family. They are not a charity case and we do not want you to adopt out of pity. We want you to adopt one of our dogs because they will make your life better, and you can't imagine living without them.

But while we do not share the extent of our dogs' pain publicly, we're totally willing to expose our volunteers' angst! This has been a week of wild ups and downs behind the scenes at SHUG and I just wanted to take a moment to give thanks for the work of our volunteers--especially when a lot of that work is thankless and frustrating. But make no mistake, there was joy, too!

The good news is that we've had four (yes FOUR!) pups reserved to go to their forever homes this week. We are especially happy that our little IG couple Mark and Pandora have found a home. Their new family is traveling to get them in a few days and we are all so excited that they get to stay together.

We had several adopters apply for Mark or Pandora separately but as we got to know these two little dogs, we began to understand how important it was for them to stay together. We received a handful of applications from potential adopters interested in both pups. Some of those applications were "dead on arrival" and never made it past the first stage. Another was lovely--but not a good fit for these particular pups. There was one app that looked perfect and passed all of our checks...and then ghosted us. Then, finally, we found their family! After about 100 man hours of labor, but like childbirth, it's easy to forget about all of the work when you've got a happy baby in front of you.

Sometimes, though, all of that work results in empty arms.

SHUG receives calls and emails on a regular basis from dog owners who need to surrender their pets. One of the worst feelings is when we have to say no for whatever reason. Sometimes it's because we don't have a foster home available or sometimes it's a dog that we just aren't equipped to take. (So many beagles! Why??) But sometimes we move heaven and earth to be able to take a dog...and the owner has a change of heart at the 11th hour.

One of the most dangerous situations for any volunteer organization is when people try their hardest and still can't help a dog in need. When volunteers have changed their plans, cleared their schedule, and rearranged their lives to help a dog...and it all ends up being for nothing. It's a dangerous situation because that frustration poisons the fragile hope that every dog rescuer holds in their heart.

Next time, will they put in that much effort?

Hope is a fragile thing. Volunteers put literal blood, sweat, and tears into their work. They are the backbone of any rescue organization and I am constantly amazed at what they can accomplish. But when their hard work comes to nothing, it is hard.

So, to end this rambling post, let me just say that I see you. I see the work you put in for the dogs--even the dogs you may never get to meet in person. And I am so grateful.

Back in 2012, when SHUG was young (and so were we!) we made our supporters a promise. SHUG is a NO DRAMA ZONE. We're all about happy endings. We don't throw shade or post shocking pictures to manufacture outrage. Yes, some of our dogs may have seen rough days in the past, but each and every one of them is going to have the happiest ending we can possibly give them. Our volunteers literally travel across the planet to make that happen for each pup.

Along the way to that happy ending, we try to treat each person we encounter with respect. Volunteers and adopters make up the core of our community. Volunteers who transport and foster pups are literally the backbone of rescue. Dogs don't get saved without them. The same goes for adopters. If you've been through our adoption process, you know it's not fast nor easy--but we try to be transparent and keep everyone up to date along the way. We have a new application system that lets applicants see where they are in the process and we're up front about our requirements and about our dogs' needs.

There is a third group of people we interact with every day who--whether we want it to be true or not--are also an integral part of our community. The dogs we place are not wild animals. They (or their parents in some cases) were owned by someone. When they come to us it means that relationship didn't work out. Sometimes the causes are very clear. We have received dogs whose loving owners passed away or who were very, very sick and unable to care for their pets through no fault of their own. On the other end of the spectrum, we have received dogs who were seized by the police and their owners were judged unfit.

But after placing nearly 1000 dogs, it is clear that the vast majority of situations fall somewhere in the middle. The most important thing is always the safety of the dogs, but we also prioritize treating people who are surrendering--under any circumstances--with dignity. There are two reasons for that. First of all, from a practical point of view it doesn't make sense to shame people for accepting the help we are offering. If they can't take care of their dog, we want them to let us help. That is what we're here for. Shaming them just makes it harder for dog owners to reach out to us. That's how dogs end up on craigslist or dropped off at kill shelters.

And yes, this applies to breeders as well.

SHUG has accepted dogs from many breeders over the years. Often the dogs they ask us to take are mixed breed "oops" litters. Sometimes they're embarrassed to admit they had an unplanned pregnancy, or sometimes they just don't have the network or knowledge to place mixed breed pups. We're also very happy to accept special needs pups that, again, a breeder may not know how to place. In some cases the breeder might make a business decision to euthanize a special needs dog and we are more than happy to step in and take over that dog's care and find them the perfect home.

The bottom line is that we're not going to second guess an owner's decisions or try to shame them for asking for our help. SHUG exists to help these dogs and we are grateful when owners entrust them to our care. We realize that this is not necessarily a common philosophy among rescues.

That brings us to the second reason that we always strive to treat those surrendering their dogs to us with dignity...we love these dogs. And no matter what has happened along the way, we know that they wouldn't be with us if they weren't with their original owner first, especially if they were a breeder.

Many of SHUG's core volunteers were originally Greyhound adopters and our group was very much based on the racing Greyhound adoption model. In that network, dogs were bred and trained to be racers. When their careers came to an end, they were smoothly transitioned by their owners or kennel managers to adoption groups, where they found homes. It wasn't always a perfect system, and there was tension between the pro- and anti-racing activists. But everyone's goal was an orderly handoff between breeders and adoption groups to keep the dogs safe.

SHUG has always been neutral when it comes to Greyhound racing. By the time we were founded in 2012, the industry was already shrinking rapidly. The vitriol and drama and the millions of dollars that went into the pockets of lobbyists who pushed through the 2018 Florida legislation were all unnecessary. The resulting chaos--further exacerbated by the pandemic--made everyone's jobs a little harder but in the end all of the dogs ended up where they needed to go.

The same is true for the Galgos and Podencos of Spain. Hunting with dogs, just like bullfighting, has been on the decline in Spain for well over a decade. After a long, bitter struggle, the ambitious new animal welfare laws at the national level were finally passed earlier this year with hotly contested exemptions for hunting and bullfighting. Within days Valencia, the fourth most populous region of Spain, passed their own version of the law without the exemptions. Even before the passage of these new laws, the rate of surrender for dogs in Spain was less than half that of the US.

The bottom line is that we can't love pure-bred dogs and hate breeders. Whether these are dogs bred to race or hunt, all of the things we love about them come from the same place. We can't love racing Greyhounds and hate Greyhound racing. The two literally can't exist without each other, as adopters are coming to find out. If you think it's hard to find adoptable Greyhounds today, just wait a few years.

Likewise, we can't love Spanish dogs and hate Spain. Bred to run through the fields hunting wild hare, the Galgos and Podencos are a fixture of the Spanish countryside that many Spaniards now recognize as a symbol of their country and culture. 50-60% of Spaniards support applying the new animal welfare laws to all dogs--even if it means the end of hunting.

Yes, there are bad breeders. Breeders are human and there will always be bad humans. The undeniable fact is that there are humans who hurt dogs, by design or by neglect. Whether they're breeders or football players or unsupervised children. Our goal is to stand for the dogs and be ready to help them find new homes when their current ones fail, for any reason. There are groups who ban adopters with kids. We aren't going to do that, and we aren't going to hate all breeders, either.

At SHUG we're all about love for dogs--and hate for no one.

Last month Spain passed a law that has been in the works since 2017. This new law defines animals as sentient beings and declares that their needs must be considered when it comes to civil disputes like divorces. Things move slowly here, but they do move.

There is hope for the Galgos in Spain.

Gin and Tonic

On the first Sunday in December, two Galgos were found in southern Spain with their microchips cut from their necks. Named Gin and Tonic by the (very British) volunteers at the shelter, their story is not unique--but it is becoming rarer. As is often the case, when laws are passed they don't always have the results their authors intended. Spain requires that all dogs be microchipped so that they can be identified...which can result in further injury for dogs who are deliberately abandoned.

But this story has a happy ending. Not only were the police immediately involved in Gin and Tonic's case, but the ever growing network of dog rescuers in Spain jumped into action. SHUG was contacted and we were able to bring Gin and Tonic to The Ugly House, where they have learned about couches and soft beds. Later this month they will be flying to the west coast where Gin has a home waiting in Canada and Tonic is heading to a foster (with intent??) in Oregon.

Wally and Tigger

When we moved into our property here in the Alicante region, we quickly realized that one of our neighbors had Galgos. This is a rural area, surrounded by farmland and these Galgos were not living the life of pampered pets. In fact, they were often seen running down the road without collars, dodging cars and harassing the neighborhood cats. When we asked about them, the owners offered to sell them to us...for 1000 euros.

It was a campaign that took several months and involved enlisting the help of the other neighbors on our road, but eventually the two galgos were surrendered to SHUG. Wally and Tigger, as we've named them, are now getting the treatment that they need to be healthy, happy boys and will soon be looking for their own forever homes.

There are happy endings for the Galgos in Spain.

The Galgos are Spain

We know there are still tragedies here. There are dogs who are not treated well, who are hurt and in need--but there are people here working to solve these problems. There are small shelters and large shelters and fosters and transporters. There are people who volunteer and there are people who donate.

I have seen people online commenting about "hating Spain" because of the plight of the galgos here. That is not the message we want you to take away. Yes, there are dogs in need here. There are people in need here too. Spain as a whole has gone through rough times. When we started working with the dogs here, the unemployment rate in Spain was 25%. It's now down to 15% but it's still one of the highest rates in Europe.

Spain was in turmoil for most of the 20th century, including a civil war and the reign of a fascist dictator who was friends with Mussolini and Hitler. The amount of progress that Spain has made just in my lifetime is astounding. And that progress has included strides toward protecting the welfare of Spain's dogs.

We are all moving forward together.

On this day--the Day of the Galgo--please don't hate Spain and love Spanish dogs. The Galgos are Spain. The very best part.

906 to be exact.

Our last dog of 2021 arrived early this morning at O'Hare airport in Chicago. Jasmine's journey to SHUG was not easy. This sweet saluki girl was rescued by one of our partners overseas, Team Inch based in South Korea. Like many dogs rescued by Team Inch, Jasmine was suffering from Heartworm and required months of treatment and recovery. While the volunteers in Korea worked to get Jasmine healthy, the team in the US worked to find her a foster home to come to when she was ready.

These days, flights are harder than ever to find. Just this week we've had three dogs miss their flights because of weather and airline changes and cancellations. While no one wanted to be at the airport on New Year's Eve, Jasmine had been waiting since August and this was the only flight available. It was only after her flight was booked that we found out that her customs clearance fees would be doubled because of the holiday.

Jasmine's expenses so far have totaled $3137. Those break down to $2007 in vet bills and $1130 in transport fees and kenneling costs in Korea before her flight. (SHUG reimburses Team Inch for all of Jasmine's expenses so that they can continue to help dogs in South Korea.)

Our original estimate for Jasmine's costs was just under $1500. When we realized we were going to go over that number (by a lot) we posted about Jasmine on facebook.

Sometimes people are the worst part of dog rescue. And sometimes they are the best.

You guys came through.

The post about Jasmine's flight raised $1407 and another $675 was donated directly through paypal.

When Jasmine is adopted, her adoption fee of $650 will mean that it only cost SHUG $405 to help this sweet girl find her forever home and get the life she deserves. We'll cover that amount through application fees and the money we make from the SHUG shop.

This is how rescue works. Volunteers with SHUG and our awesome partner organizations around the world do the hard work of nursing dogs back to health and getting them ready for their forever homes. Your donations and support provide the funds to pay for their expenses (mostly transport costs and vet bills). And together we provide better lives for these wonderful dogs.

And next year we'll do it all again.

Thank you for supporting SHUG's mission. Have a wonderful New Year and we'll see you back here in 2022.

This week SHUG had two events planned. We cancelled one and are going ahead with the other. As the director, the final call was mine.

The event still happening on Saturday is our Indianapolis Meet & Greet. This is the event's third anniversary and the volunteers who run it have it down to a science. All interactions are socially distanced and our volunteers are vaccinated.

Perhaps even more importantly, the volunteers who run that event and the members of the public who come to see the dogs are all local and members of the community. The same people tend to come month after month. Our volunteers recognize them and have confidence that they know (and will abide by) the rules in place to keep everyone safe. If you're in Indy, come out and say hi!

The second event scheduled for today and tomorrow is Greyhounds in Gettysburg. GIG was cancelled last year and like many sighthound people, I was really excited to finally get to see everyone. I was also scheduled to be one of the speakers tomorrow.

The decision not to attend GIG was a personal one for me. I have a young daughter who would have been traveling with me and at the end of the day, that was the deciding factor. For those of you who are attending, I hope everyone has a great time! You can buy the SHUG 2022 Calendar at the booth for the Senior Sighthound Sanctuary.

It's been a weird couple of years and we've had to make a lot of these decisions. The bottom line is that SHUG is a volunteer organization and the volunteers have the final call. Today I'm sitting at home while a lot of my friends are having a blast. I miss you guys! But we'll see you next year.

Because at SHUG, we're here for the long haul.

This week a potential adopter withdrew their application because they thought that flights were "on hold indefinitely". Dogs flew last month. Dogs flew last week. Dogs will fly next month.

We cancel events that are fun and exciting, but the real work--finding homes for dogs--has never stopped. When COVID first hit and the tracks started closing, SHUG's volunteers braved eerily empty roads to move 30 Greyhounds in a day. During the course of COVID we've fostered four--or is it five now?--litters of puppies. Dogs are getting spays, neuters, vaccinations, surgeries for broken legs. Dogs are going to foster homes and dogs are going to forever homes.

SHUG doesn't stop.

We make the hard decisions--and hope they're the right ones--because we're in it to win it. The dogs depend on us, so we have to make sure that we're making good decisions not just for this weekend and this event, but for the dogs who will need SHUG to be there for them five years from now.

This month is SHUG's official 9 year anniversary. As we approach our 900th dog, we've learned a thing or two. The last two years have been weird, but we're still kicking.

So no matter what you chose to do tomorrow, please be safe. We're sticking around and we hope you do too.