As the Spanish hunting season ends, galgos and podencos are dumped or worse, killed. Photographer Barbara van Zijll de Jong captures the pride, power and grandeur of these breeds.
s READ MOREAs a photographer, one of my specialties is taking pictures of animals, particularly dogs. I love to work with them for their honesty and sincerity. They are exactly who they are without pretending to be otherwise. I consider it my job to capture and visualise the appearance of the dog, as well as its character.
I once took on an assignment for a lady who owned two Spanish hunting dogs, or podencos. I’d never heard of the breed before, but I was caught by their graciousness, and their alien yet photogenic appearance. The lady told me she adopted the dogs and rescued them from death, because a lot of podencos are killed at the end of hunting season.
Triggered by her story, I went online and discovered how special the podencos are, and how ancient and tragic their history is. I also found another breed, the galgos, to have a similar story. At that moment, I knew I would make it my mission to show people how beautiful and fantastic these dogs are, and how much they deserve to be respected and treated well. That story became El Cazador, Spanish for ‘the hunter’.
Podencos are descendants of the Tesem, a semi-wild prairie dog from Egypt. Around 800-900 BC, the Phoenicians were the main traders around the Mediterranean Sea. It is said that because of them the dogs were spread out over several countries such as Spain and Portugal. As these locations were quite isolated, the breed stayed pure for a long time. Galgos are a breed of greyhound brought to Spain around 600 BC by the Celts from northern Europe. Today, both the podencos and galgos are used for hunting due to their enormous endurance, their maneuverability, and because they hunt with both smell and sight. Their instinct for hunting is congenital; neither breeds need to learn what their owner wants from them, nor how they have to do it. Also, they will bring their prey to an owner alive.
These remarkable dogs became showpieces for the nobility for centuries. Only the upper classes were rich enough to hunt for sport, so the dogs were a point of pride. Besides hunting, the breeds were also used in running races. This noble association meant the podencos and galgos were once highly respected, but everything changed with the introduction of English greyhounds, which were faster on flat surfaces and straight distances. Hunting changed, too. No longer was it a noble domain. In their new role, galgos and podencos became disposable products. Now, when a hunting season ends, the dogs who don’t perform well, or are too old, are destroyed and dumped in mass graves.
My pictures are not meant to openly criticise how people treat their dogs, but show the majesty of these natural born hunters—their pride, their grandeur, and their long historic background. That’s the reason I portrayed them in an almost 17th-century way, which signifies the Spanish golden age. I hope that because of my positive approach people realise that both galgos and podencos deserve a better fate.
—
All dogs in the photo-essay are rescued.
barbaravanzijlldejong.nl
We are thrilled to introduce Dog-Friendly, a collection of city guides for dog-loving people, created together with our long-time contributor, photographer Winnie Au, and fellow enthusiasts, indie publisher Hoxton Mini Press. Available for purchase here.
August 25, 2021
Have you ever imagined Amy Winehouse or Nick Cave as a Chihuahua, Neil Young as a Vizsla, or PJ Harvey as an Afghan hound? That’s exactly what San Francisco-based artist Michael Gillette has done through his unique illustration project, blending beloved, iconic music legends, both past and present, with their dog counterparts. Pack of Dogs, our first foray into book publishing, is a celebration of pup and pop culture for music and dog lovers alike.
August 25, 2020
Prince Ali Casino – Code bonus sans dépôt et guide complet Vous êtes arrivé sur la page qui répond à toutes vos questions sur le prince ali casino no deposit bonus code. Que vous soyez novice ou joueur régulier, notre objectif est de vous expliquer concrètement comment profiter du bonus sans dépôt, quelles sont les…
October 16, 2026
Guide pratique du casino Prince Ali en ligne Présentation générale de Prince Ali Casino en ligne Prince Ali se positionne comme un casino virtuel qui veut séduire les joueurs français en combinant une large sélection de jeux et des offres promotionnelles attractives. Le site propose à la fois des machines à sous, du live casino…
October 16, 2026
Spinsy Casino – Guide complet du code promo et des offres Pourquoi choisir Spinsy Casino ? Spinsy s’est rapidement imposé parmi les casinos en ligne francophones grâce à une plateforme moderne, un catalogue de jeux riche et des promotions régulières. Les joueurs apprécient particulièrement la clarté des offres et la transparence des conditions, deux critères…
October 16, 2026
Simsinos 76 Casino – Guide pratique pour jouer en toute sécurité 1. Inscription et création de compte sur Simsinos 76 Casino La première étape pour accéder aux jeux du Simsinos 76 Casino consiste à créer un compte. Le processus est pensé pour être rapide : il suffit de renseigner son adresse e‑mail, choisir un mot de…
October 16, 2026
Simsinos Casino Review – Tout ce que vous devez savoir 1. Présentation générale de Simsinos Le site https://simsinos-official.net/ se positionne comme un casino en ligne moderne, dédié aux joueurs français. Son catalogue rassemble plus de 2 000 titres, parmi lesquels des machines à sous, des jeux de table et un live casino animé par de vrais…
October 16, 2026
MadCasino Online – Guide complet pour jouer en toute sécurité 1. Inscription et création de compte sur madcasino online La première étape pour accéder aux jeux de MadCasino est de créer un compte. Le processus d’inscription est volontairement simple : il suffit de renseigner une adresse e‑mail, choisir un mot de passe et accepter les…
October 16, 2026
Guide pratique du madcasino bonus – Tout ce que vous devez savoir en 2025 Qu’est‑ce que le madcasino bonus ? Le madcasino bonus désigne l’ensemble des offres promotionnelles que le casino en ligne propose aux nouveaux joueurs comme aux habitués. En général, il s’agit d’un crédit de jeu gratuit ou d’un pourcentage ajouté à votre…
October 16, 2026
mr pacho casino no deposit bonus – Guide complet pour les joueurs français Vous avez entendu parler du mr pacho casino no deposit bonus et vous vous demandez comment en profiter sans perdre votre argent ? Ce guide pratique vous accompagne pas à pas, de l’inscription jusqu’au premier retrait, en passant par les exigences de mise…
October 16, 2026
Guide Pratique du Casino en Ligne GÓDZ Pourquoi choisir le casino en ligne GÓDZ ? Le casino en ligne GÓDZ se démarque surtout par sa licence délivrée par l’Autorité de Jeu de Malte, ce qui garantit un cadre légal solide pour les joueurs français. En plus de la conformité, le site utilise le cryptage SSL…
October 16, 2026
Avis Casino Godz : Guide complet 2024 1. Présentation générale de Godz Casino Godz Casino se positionne comme un site de jeu en ligne destiné aux joueurs français, avec une offre qui mêle casino traditionnel, live casino et paris sportifs. Le catalogue comprend plus de 2 000 jeux provenant de fournisseurs réputés comme NetEnt, Microgaming et…
October 16, 2026
