Fundación Benjamín Mehnert (FBM)

Fundación Benjamín Mehnert was started in 2000 by Gisela Mehnert, who named it after one of her own rescue dogs, a Doberman cross called Benjamín. Her focus on galgos began while volunteering at a shelter near Madrid, where she took part in a galgo rescue and adopted her first galgo, Bianca. In 2008 the foundation moved to the farm at Granja de la Concepción, outside Alcalá de Guadaíra in the province of Seville, where it built the shelter it runs today.

The shelter is home to around 600 animals, most of them galgos that have been abused or abandoned. During the hunting season, from November to February, numbers have reached as many as 1,000 dogs. The foundation estimates that around 150,000 dogs are abandoned in Spain each year at the end of the hunting season, and that around 60% of them are galgos.

The site covers almost 20,000 square metres. It includes a veterinary clinic and hospital, a rehabilitation unit for dogs recovering from serious injuries, quarantine and isolation areas, a puppy zone, kennel buildings and large exercise patios. There is also a lecture hall for education talks and a guest house for volunteers who come from other parts of Spain and abroad. The clinic is also open to the public.

Most FBM galgos are adopted outside Spain, with adoption partners in countries including France, Germany, Belgium, Italy and the United States. Alongside rescue and rehoming, the foundation reports abuse and campaigns for responsible ownership. You can adopt, foster, sponsor a dog, volunteer or donate through its official website.