COUNTRY: Spain
WEIGHT: 60-66 pounds
HEIGHT: 26-28 inches
COAT: Short, smooth
COLOR: Cinnamon, chestnut, red, black, brindle; solid or in combinations with white
OTHER NAMES: Spanish Greyhound
GROUP: Southern
The Galgo has an ancient history. He is named for the Gauls, a Celtic tribe that inhabited the Iberian Peninsula six centuries BC. Celts always appreciated good dogs, and they acquired gaze-hounds from the Phoenician merchants who plied the Spanish shores. Caesar conquered the area just before the Christian era, and Roman writers of the first and second centuries AD describe the sleek Galgo. Spain was overtaken by the Moors in the eighth century, and additional sighthounds could have been introduced from Africa at that time.
After the Middle Ages, the Galgo maintained type for centuries, especially in Andalusia and Castile. Farmers used him for guard work or for hunting rabbits. Spanish nobility also favored these fleet hounds for formal coursing of live game. Those used for coursing remained the purest in type.
In the 20th century, the Spanish began using the Galgo on the racetrack. Although these coursing canines could "turn on a dime" and maneuver well following live hare through rough country, they were not as fast on the straightaway as their English racing cousins. Imported Greyhounds were crossed with the Galgo to obtain more speed, and large numbers of the ancient Spanish breed were altered by this dilution. Fortunately, fanciers maintained the cause of the old Galgo type.
Today the professional racing dog in Spain is called Galgo Ingles-Espanol (English-Spanish Galgo) and is not the same breed recognized by the FCI and breed purists in Spain. Spanish and European breed clubs formed for the Galgo Es-panol are fostering the breed as a quiet aristocratic companion and a fine coursing dog. Specialty shows are offered for the breed. The Galgo is smaller than the English Greyhound, with a bit more stop and ears that hang straight down. He is a sturdier fellow, built for the demands of coursing and practical hunting.