Southeast Michigan animal welfare group rescues Spanish Greyhounds from Spain

Animal welfare group rescues Spanish Greyhounds from Spain

Used for hunting rabbits, as many as 50,000 a year are killed or left to die after the three-month hunting season is over in Spain.

(FOX 2) - A rescue group in Metro Detroit is saving greyhounds before they were killed after serving as hunting dogs in Spain.

The backstory:

Some 50,000 of these dogs are killed or left to die each year, according to the folks behind this rescue. Now, 15 are stateside, rescued by groups across the country, including right here in metro Detroit.

Max, Ligero, Lupita, Rosille, and Ari are Spanish greyhounds, saved from a terrible fate.

Used for hunting rabbits, as many as 50,000 a year are killed or left to die after the three-month hunting season is over in Spain.

For nearly 25 years, Dr. Karen Michalski of Serenity Animal Hospital in Sterling Heights has taken on the painstaking process of rescuing them.

"The cost of getting these dogs here is quite high, and there have been so many obstacles put in front of us since Covid. Everyone wants to be a middleman, and the cost gets really high," said Michalski.

This batch flew into Chicago, and we met them on their first night in the frosty mitten.

"A lot of these dogs come to them with broken limbs, open wounds all kinds of problems," said Michalski.

Skinny, but safe and soon ready for adoption.

What's next:

They’ll be up for adoption soon. Dr. Karen says, ironically, that Spanish greyhounds are lazy dogs. They like to lounge but do need the occasional run and they’re great family dogs.