Dog abandonment remains a persistent problem in Spain. Despite legislative advances and awareness campaigns, shelters and rescue organizations continue to receive animals at an alarming rate. During the year 2025, a total of 285.000 dogs and cats entered shelters across the country.According to the latest study by the Affinity Foundation, almost 60% of those animals were dogs, representing more than 169.000 animals in need of a temporary or permanent home.
Behind these numbers are stories of rescue, of volunteers who give their all, and of animals that, after being discarded, find a second chance far from Spain. The animal protection association Galgos del Sur, based in Villafranca de Córdoba, has been rescuing abandoned dogs, especially Andalusian greyhounds and podencos, since 2010.which are discarded after the hunting season. In the first half of this year, this animal shelter has rescued 209 dogs, a figure that is already approaching that of the entire previous year.
The figures for abandonment and its causes
The Affinity Foundation study, titled “He Would Never Do It,” breaks down the reasons why families give up their pets. The main reported cause is unwanted litters, which account for 15% of abandonments., a direct indicator of the lack of sterilization of dogs and cats Closely following are loss of interest in the animal (14%), changes of address (12%), the end of the hunting season (10%), and behavioral problems (10%). These figures highlight that, despite greater awareness, abandonment remains the primary means of violating animal rights in Spain.
Isabel Buil, director of the Affinity Foundation, highlights the importance of this annual barometer to understand the magnitude of the problem. The situation is at a standstill and the flow of income to the shelters continues unabated.Despite the fact that the overall balance shows an almost imperceptible decrease compared to 2024, animal shelters operate under high care pressure and an alarming lack of resources, which means that almost 4 out of 10 entities do not have any paid employees and half of the centers operate with fewer than ten volunteers.
Rescues and adoptions: the case of Galgos del Sur
In southern Spain, the Galgos del Sur association has become a benchmark in the fight against the abandonment of hunting dogs. Ninety percent of the dogs they collect are greyhounds or podencos, which arrive at their facilities after being “discarded” by greyhound owners at the end of the hunting season.Javier Luna, co-founder of the animal shelter, explains that they no longer only take in dogs in February, but now receive animals at any time of year, even in summer. Many of these dogs are surrendered directly by their owners, others are rescued after being found abandoned without a microchip, and they sometimes collaborate with the Seprona (Nature Protection Service of the Civil Guard) in cases of confiscated hunting packs.
Once at the facility, which has capacity for up to 120 animals, the dogs are treated and rehabilitated. The adoption process is rigorous: a pre-adoption visit is conducted to ensure the animal goes to a suitable home.Whether in Spain or abroad. If the adoption is in Spain, volunteers throughout the country arrange the visit; if it’s abroad, local animal welfare organizations collaborate. The animal travels neutered, microchipped, and with a clean bill of health, in a specialized transport vehicle. From Córdoba, many dogs have found families in countries such as The Netherlands, where animal awareness It is very high and abandonment is almost non-existent.
A success story: Pumba, five years waiting for a home
An example of this hope is the story of Pumba, a dog who spent 1.825 days (five years) at the Sa Coma Animal Protection Center in Ibiza. Pumba has been adopted by Marjolijn Coenen, a Dutch woman who offered him a second chance and a new life in her country.The Ibiza Town Council’s Animal Welfare Councillor, Manuel Jiménez, celebrated the adoption and emphasized that “every animal that leaves Sa Coma to start a new life with a family is great news.” Jiménez also expressed his gratitude for the work of the Ibiza Abandoned Dogs Foundation, who works tirelessly to find adoptive families, especially for dogs classified as potentially dangerous (PPP), which have more difficulty being adopted on the island.
Pumba’s case reflects the reality of many Spanish animal shelters, where animals can spend years waiting. The councilman appealed to the public to visit the center and meet the dogs and cats still waiting for a home.International adoption has become a common way to find homes for these animals, especially in northern European countries where responsible pet ownership is more deeply rooted.
Visibility as a tool: the book by Andrés López
Meanwhile, professional photographer Andrés López, specializing in animal portraits, has decided to capture twelve years of solidarity work with abandoned and mistreated dogs in a book. The project, titled “Woof! Stories of Invisible Dogs”, will be released in September by the French publisher Dashbook The book will bring together photographs, stories, and personal reflections on work he has carried out for over a decade in shelters, rescue organizations, and foster homes. López has photographed nearly 15.000 dogs during this time, and the book aims to be a tribute to these often-overlooked animals. The author warns that if social media were to disappear, work like his could be lost, so the printed format guarantees the preservation of the visual and emotional memory of these dogs.
The publication will also include his critical view on abandonment, hunting dogs, those considered potentially dangerous, and breeding facilities. With this work, López seeks not only to showcase his work, but also to finance the continuation of his awareness-raising efforts.The first 150 people who pre-order the book will have their name in an appendix, and the author hopes the volume will help raise awareness of dogs waiting for a second chance.
Dog abandonment in Spain remains a structural problem that requires the involvement of the entire society. Animal shelters operate with limited resources, but manage to save thousands of animals each year, many of whom find homes in other European countries where animal welfare awareness is higher. Stories like Pumba’s or the work of Galgos del Sur demonstrate that, with effort and collaboration, it is possible to give these animals a new life. The publication of Andrés López’s book also helps to keep alive the memory of all those invisible dogs who, thanks to solidarity, cease to be so.
