Barcelona Greyhound Track Reopens as a Centre for Contemporary Arts
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

GalgoNews.com
March 2010

In 2006 the Meridian greyhound racetrack in Barcelona was finally closed, with the help of Anne Finch of Greyhounds in Need and Fermin Perez of Scooby Medina. It is now in the process of being redesigned into a contemporary arts centre, which opens on 12th April.

Over 100 neon signs have been erected around the city of Barcelona to publicize the new centre, and feature four dogs which ran on the racetrack; three now have new lives as companion dogs, adopted through SOS Galgos, one is still with a foster family.

The Council of Arts (Conca) those this idea from nine projects submitted and, surprisingly, the two men who created the designs had no knowledge of the annual holocaust of galgos. Finding the dogs was no easy matter, as the dogs used had to have run on the racetrack and been winners, but the men are proud that their idea is both symbolic and gives dignity to the breed and

Sadly, despite the closure of the dog track, galgo racing continue in other parts of Spain, some of it underground, and many of these dogs suffer similar abuse to the hunting galgos.

The transformation of the former greyhound track is being carried out in two phases, the first one is now complete, the second one will open in 2011.

Well done to the two designers and SOS Galgos for this wonderful project.

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