With sincere apologies to all those normal, civilised Spanish people who abhor the sadism of their fellow countrymen and the shame it brings to their country.
The Spanish Inquisition started in the late 15th Century. In Spain, of course.
It lasted for nearly four hundred years.
Probably the name best known in respect of the Inquisition is that kindly old monk, Torquemada.
Probably the two words most synonymous with the Spanish Inquisition are persecution and torture.
Victims were “questioned” in ingenious ways. Crushed, squashed, stretched, boiled, roasted, flayed, scraped, ripped, twisted, dangled …. there were many ways to make the last days of their life as excruciating, and their death as protracted, as possible.
You could say, I suppose, that the Spanish elevated torture to an art form.
Well, guess what? It’s still going on! Yes! Flourishing in the 21st century.
But the victims of this unspeakable barbarism are no longer Jews or those regarded as heretics. Now they are dogs.
Not vicious, powerful, aggressive dogs, but dogs with the gentle nature of Bambi, trusting, limpid eyed, obedient, wanting only to please.
These are the Spanish greyhounds, also known as Galgos, used by Spanish hunters known as galguerros. Abused by them. Ritually tortured by them in ways equally as inhumane as those once used upon people.
WARNING: DO NOT GOOGLE “GALGO IMAGES” UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE PHYSICALLY ILL AND HAUNTED FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
This is what a healthy Galgo should look like:
I am not going to go into graphic detail here. Many people would rather not know, and I hate having vile, sickening images popping up unexpectedly, unavoidably. For those interested in knowing more about the treatment of the Galgos, and their smaller companions the Podencos, you could visit http://www.galgonews.com/ and learn about the fate of the dogs, and the efforts of those fighting to defend them in the face of a Spanish government who seem to be doing fuck-very-little to stop the practices of their hunters.
One of the organisations working in the front line, in Spain, rescuing, caring for and rehoming the dogs is called Scooby Medina. They are currently caring for more than 500. Like most of us they are feeling the effects of the economic climate, and their situation is critical. Without financial assistance, without people adopting the dogs, they will fold by the end of the year.
We can’t all help financially, we can’t all offer a home, but we can, all of us, spread the word amongst our friends, worldwide to raise support and assistance for Scooby Medina, fighting the battle of good versus evil. And to let people know what happens in that country of sangria, sunshine, sombreros, the Alhambra. All those glorious tourist attractions.
The Spanish Tickler - no, it is not a condom wearing a sombrero.
The following letter has been received from April and Paul Carrier, right, at the 
