From Spain to Central Florida Homes: Veteran Foster Kenneth Wright on the New Wave of Rescued Spanish Greyhounds
For years, the greyhounds arriving at Florida adoption groups came from American racetracks.
Courtesy of Dogs Life ExpressDeltona, Florida
Today, with commercial greyhound racing nearly gone from the United States, many rescues have turned their attention to a different dog: the Spanish greyhound, or galgo.
Kenneth Wright, a veteran and owner of Dogs Life Express, has seen that shift firsthand. After more than a decade of fostering, transporting and adopting out retired racing greyhounds, he now puts nearly all of his rescue efforts into galgos through Greyhounds In Motion, a Winter Park, Florida, rescue where he volunteers.
In Spain, galgos are bred for hunting, and many are discarded once they can no longer keep up with younger dogs, sometimes as early as two or three years old. When Spain passed a sweeping animal welfare law in 2023, hunting dogs were excluded from its protections, according to reporting at the time. Spanish rescues, including SOS Galgos, 112 Carlota Galgos and Galgos del Sol, work to save as many as they can.
Many of those dogs are then flown to Miami and transported to Central Florida, where volunteers foster them until they are adopted.
"For a lot of these dogs, the rescue groups in Spain are the only chance they have," said Wright. "By the time they land in Miami, they've already been through more than most dogs ever will. Our job is to give them a calm, patient start."
Wright owns two retired racing greyhounds and three galgos, and four of his five dogs came from Spain.
Many rescued greyhounds and galgos have never lived inside a house, so stairs, sliding glass doors and slick floors can all be unfamiliar. Wright recommends laying runners on smooth floors, marking glass doors so they are visible and guiding dogs up and down stairs one step at a time.
"They're gentle, quiet dogs, and they learn fast once they feel safe," Wright said. "Patience in the first week makes all the difference."
His rescue work also led him to found Dogs Life Express, a veteran-owned online dog supply business with a mission of giving back to the rescue community.
More information is available at dogslifeexpress.com.
About Dogs Life Express
Dogs Life Express is a veteran-owned e-commerce company offering dog supplies for owners of all backgrounds. Owner Kenneth Wright brings more than 10 years of experience with dog rescue, including fostering and transporting retired racing greyhounds and Spanish galgos. The company's mission is to improve the lives of dogs and the people who love them while giving back to the rescue community.
Company announcement, published as provided by Dogs Life Express. Its claims are the company’s own and have not been checked by KC Metro 24.
