ANOTHER TRIP TO SCOOBY

We are here!

2011-05-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Well we did arrive on Friday and made our way to the shelter. The first thing we did was check on the dogs returning to the states with us. They are all loving and adorable and said they were looking forward to their new homes.

We had dinner at my favorite pizza shop "Pizza Roma" and had a few cervezas and some wine.

Saturday was quite a busy day at the shelter with cleaning paddocks and working in the clinic. We went out to dinner with the Fermin, the Dutch and English volunteers to a new resturant called "Bar Gloria". It was a wonderful time and they put all 14 of us in a separate room. The food and drinks flowed for a few hours and we enjoyed everyone's company.

Sunday was another busy day, cleaning, feeding and visiting the farm animals. While out visiting the farm animals, the sky opened up and we were soaked and frozen. We took shelter with the horse and donkeys. When it lightned up we started back to the main campus and got caught a second time, this time taking cover with a goose who was laying in her nest. She was not happy with us sharing her space. Finally it stopped raining and we headed home.

We finally came back to our room and are now settled in for the next 3 hours until we head back out to "Pizza Roma" with the Brits.

I will try to post pictures tomorrow of our dogs coming home but for now here is one one of the outdoor kitties.

Don't forget to visit "Lydia's journal" at http://www.everythingandthedog.com/eatd-journal and Daisy and Bob's Blog at http://blog.everythingandthedog.com,

We will try this again!

2011-04-28T05:40:00.000-07:00

Once more we will head to the airport with all the luggage and 4 crates. We are scheduled to leave Virginia at 12:30 today. Let's hope and pray we make it out to Atlanta. We are scheduled to fly out of Atlanta at 5:00 PM and arrive in Madrid at 7:30 tomorrow morning.

Keep paws crossed that all works out in our favor today.

Hopefully, my next note will be written from Spain.

Flight cancelled

2011-04-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

Well we arrived at the airport today at 1:30, checked our luggage and 4 crates and went to our gate. Our flight was due to leave at 3:55 and we never boarded until 4:45. We sat on the plane for 1 hour before they cancelled our flight to JFK, which caused us to miss our flight to Madrid. So home we went and hopefuly will fly out tomorrow.

Our flight is scheduled to leave at noon tomorrow and we will go through Atlanta. Let's hope the weather is good. We will arrive in Madrid at 7:30 on Friday morning. We are disappointed that we will be losing one day at the shelter.

Off on another trip to Scooby

2011-04-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I will be leaving for Scooby in less than 10 hours today-April 27. This year I will be going with 2 new volunteers. One is a board member of Scooby North America and the other is a volunteer who is also adopting a galgo.

We will be bringing home 4 galgos all adopted through Scooby North America. We can't wait for them to go to their forever homes. Their new homes are located in San Jose, CA; El Paso, TX; Ellicott City, MD; and Quakertown, PA.

Besides this blog, you can read an additional blog by subscribing to "Daisy and Bob's Blog" http://blog.everythingandthedog.com/. This is a wonderful blog even if they aren't writing about Scooby. Bob is so full of wonderful information I know you will enjoy reading his stories and advice.

See you soon from Spain!

A young girl saves a galgo from death

2010-09-23T06:55:00.000-07:00

Virginia R. of Spain was in her house when she heard the squealing of a young dog. She quickly ran outside and saw her neighber getting ready to hang a young galgo puppy. He had killed one of the man´s chickens. Virginia ran over and grabbed the young pup out of his arms to save him from his certain death.

She brought the young pup to Scooby on Friday, September 17. He was dirty and most of all scared. If anyone tried to touch him he screamed at the top of his lungs. Anytime you tried to touch his neck he hollered savagely. We left him alone for 24 hours to allow him to calm now and become acclimated to his surroundings. On Saturday we gave him a bath and he felt so much better although you could not touch his neck. We taught him how to walk in a harnass and named him Popcorn.

We moved him inside the Scooby store so he could spend time with us. Paula from Forever Home Greyhounds decided she wanted to bring him back to the USA. We asked Fermin on Sunday evening and he said "Yes".

On Monday, he was checked out by the vet and received some antibiotics, vitamins and his first vaccine. The vet estimates he is about 6-7 months old. On Thursday he received the remainder of his shots. He is also now walking on a leash, instead of a harnass, without any problem.

Below are some pictures of Popcorn, Virginia and her parents...
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Another day in Spain - Sunday, August 19, 2010

2010-09-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday and Sunday were Open Door days here at the shelter. Many people come to receive a personal tour of the 20+ acres of the shelter. At the end of their tour they get to shop and have a bite to eat and drink. On Saturday, 2 mastin puppies were adopted.

Everyday at Scooby is a different day. You don't know what your day will be like. To volunteer here you need to be able to go with the flow. There are six volunteers here (2 - Germany and 4 - USA) along with the shelter staff of 5. We all get along very well with minor communication issues.

Today, we received 3 dogs that were found on the streets of Medina and another that was hit by a car. The dog hit by the car is doing very well. He has a few small wounds and many abrasions. He is alert and resting comfortably.

We made it!

2010-09-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it safe and sound. We arrived yesterday, in Madrid, at 7:00 AM. Our flight was uneventful. The weather is beautiful over her. The first thing we did was go and see the dogs that would be coming home with us. They are all beautiful. We even picked our the last dog that will be coming home to Virginia to be adopted in Pennsylvania. Her name is Carmela and she is a black galga with some white on her face. She is 3 years old and a sweetheart.

I haven't been able to get out to take pictures because I have been sick since we arrived. I have very bad head and chest congestion. All I've been doing is sleeping. I finally went to the Pharmacy today to get some medication so I am hoping that helps.

Christiane arrived today from Germany and it is wonderful to see her. She will spend the next 4 days with us. Tonight we are going out to our usual pizza shop for dinner.

I will try to post some pictures tomorrow.

Love,
Diane

Next trip to Spain

2010-09-10T03:15:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been 1 year since my last trip to Spain. I am so excited to be going back that I am having trouble focusing on my day to day routines. I will be leaving on Wednesday, September 15 with 3 volunteers from New York State - my sidekick Paula, our comedy relief Julie (aka Patti) and a new friend Martha.

We will be meeting on Wednesday afternoon to fly to Spain. Over the next few days we will be packing not only our own necessities but tons of supplies that have been sent from volunteers all over the country. I am fretting over how I am going to pack everything; wondering if there will be room for my clothes. There are medical supplies, coats, leashes, collars, flea and tick medication and blankets.

I want to send a special thank you to Kelly and Diane and their little girl scout troup from Virginia, Kathy from Alaska, Norma from Florida, Joanne and friends from New Jersey and Pennsylvania for all the supplies you have sent to me and made for the shelter. The Scooby team and the animals are grateful for everything. I will be sure to hug as many of the animals as possible for all of you.

Lastly, I want to say thank you to Forever Home Greyhounds and PepperTree rescue for saving some of the animals so they can find loving homes in the US. Also, Scooby North America has adopted their first 2 dogs. One will be going to Canada and the other to Pennsylvania. We promise to safely bring all your animals home.

Well, I better get to work packing ;-)

Our Final Day at Scooby

2009-09-29T08:34:00.000-07:00

Well it is our final day at Scooby. The day has been bitter sweet. All of us cried today. Thank goodness not at the same time. The girls girls cleaned the quarantine area, Gayle did her medication round and I ran into town and did all kinds of other things that I don´t remember.

All the dogs are together in a large gated area.

They were all given baths today. The pictures below are of Paula and Gayle giving Trude a bath and one of her after her bath. She is a beautiful blue and white galgo. Trude will be going to Forever Home Greyhounds where she will receive medical attention for her spine.

On the other side of the compound Claire, Julie, Amy, and Ralf washed the remainder of the dogs. The pictures below are of Claire and Ralf washing Rafia who has been adopted in Washington State.

Tonight we are going out to dinner with Fermin, Sandra and some of the Dutch volunteers.

I probably won´t blog again until we arrive home. Stay tuned for our adventure home!

Love,
Amy, Claire, Diane, Gayle, Julie and Paula

Another day in the neighborhood

2009-09-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

Paula and I left for the US Embassy around 8:45 this morning. We got lost inside Madrid, so with 25 minutes left to spare, we tracked down a taxi driver to lead us to the embassy. We arrived 10 minutes before they closed. I dropped Paula at the door and began circluing until I found a parking spot.

We finished at the embassy at 1:30 and headed back to Scooby. We stopped briefly for lunch and arrived back at Scooby at 4:30. Paula began working with the girls and I worked with Fermin on the animals we are bringing home.

Tonight we will be laying low, eating baked potatoes with butter, cheese and salsa (yum!). I believe we will have lost weight by the time we arrive home.

Claire is very sick today. She drank some of the water without thinking.

Tomorrow evening we will have dinner with Fermin and Sandra.

Love,
Diane, Paula, Amy, Claire, Julie and Gayle

Another beautiful day in Spain

2009-09-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

We have been quite busy at the shelter. Last night we stayed up very late just talking and laughing. We had a sleep over with a beautiful spaniel-setter mix we would love to bring home.

She is one very, very sweet dog.

We went out for pizza last night and had a wonderful time. We came home and talked and laughed until 3 in the morning. I am so happy with the group of volunteers that joined me on this trip. Everyone is wonderful and we are enjoying each other. It is really a great blend of personalities and cultures. Every night has been like a big pajama party.

Today, we are here alone. The Dutch volunteers have gone to the mountains for the day. Fermin is at a family meeting so we are here with Christiana from Germany who is taking pictures for the adoption pages (www.scoobymedina.com).

Here are pictures of the galgo puppies coming home with us. The black and white is standing over the fawn. They absolutely love one another and are always snuggled together in a little ball. They are just darling little creatures.

Two of the mixed breed pups that were to come home with us are to large to carry on. So in their place are these two sweet creatures. They have quite the personality so they should be a joy on the plane (ha!). I think I will delegate their watch to Julie and Amy ;-)

Well the girls are all out bathing our dogs so I think it is time for me to go help!

Tomorrow I am taking Paula to Madrid to get her passport! Wish us luck.

Hugs,
Diane

We made it but it wasn´t easy

2009-09-26T02:44:00.000-07:00

We are here and we all had a good nights sleep. We arrived at the Madrid airport at 9:30 on Friday morning. We never left until 3 PM. Here is an account of what happened.

The flight was great and very smooth. Some of us slept and some stayed up through the entire flight. We arrived in Madrid and got through customs without a hitch, we picked up luggage and crates and headed to the rental car counter. This is where our day went to hell! Paula and I did all the necessary paperwork and we headed out to the cars. As we were loading everything into the cars, Paula noticed her purse was missing and Gayle was missing her laptop. Paula and Gayle headed back to the airport to see if they could locate the missing items. They had to report everything to the police.

Paula´s purse contained her passport, credit card, gps, wallet, etc. My the time Paula and Gayle finished filing a police report it was 3 PM and we were headed to the US Embassy in Madrid. We arrived at the Embassy and there was no place to park. At this point, we lost Julie and Paula and got lost ourselves trying to get back to the Embassy. We finally found a nice taxi driver that we paid to get us back to the Embassy in hopes of meeting up with Julie and Paula. When we arrived at the Embassy, Julie and Paula were no where to be found. We had no choice but to head to Scooby.

Thank goodness Gayle had the Medina Guide that contained instructions to get to Scooby. We had a manual transmission bus and I was the only one able to drive. It was quite nerve wracking because I was tired and found myself drifting. We finally pulled over so I could get something to eat and drive (Powerade and a snicker´s bar). We arrived at Scooby at approximately 7:00 PM. Met some volunteers and played with some dogs. There was also a surprise for me; Christiane from Germany was at Scooby. Christiane is in charge of the virtual adoptions for Germany and the Dutch countries. She also takes pictures for the adoption pages and the virtual adoption web pages. We had never met, only communicated through Skype, email and phone. It was wonderful to finally meet her and to be able to spend some time with her.

Although it was joyous to meet Christiane, our nerves were still very rattled because we left Paula and Julie behind in Madrid. We decided to take care of stress by going to the grocery store and shopping for FOOD, BEER AND WINE. When we arrived back at the shelter at 9:30, we were greeted by Paula and Julie. It was a wonderful, joyous reunion.

We went to our dorm, prepared our beds, ate, drank and laughed away our day until 12:30 AM. Fermin stopped by to visit us and welcome us all to Scooby.

We awoke at 8:30 AM and started working. Everyone has their jobs and they are all working very hard. There is so much to do and it is very hot here.

I will try to post some pictures tonight.

Love to everyone,
Diane, Paula, Gayle, Claire, Julia, Amy

1 day left

2009-09-23T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well everyone is packed and anticipating our flights. The majority of us will be leaving from Philadelphia tomorrow. We head to Atlanta where we hook up with 2 more volunteers and then off to Madrid.

Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.

Next stop: Medina del Campo and the Scooby shelter.

Hugs to all,
Diane

4 days and couning

2009-09-20T06:11:00.000-07:00

The stress is building up. Too much to do and not enough time. Today will be packing day! Medications have arrived; they will be divided up between 2 small shelters in Spain (Apanot and Las Nieves). We are delivering these for GRIN (Galgo Rescue International). Collars, leashes and coats have arrived from many individuals to take to the Scooby shelter. And thanks to many wonderful people, financial donations have arrived to help bring the dogs home and take over all these wonderful supplies.

We will be coming home with 12 dogs. 2 will be going to Los Angeles; 5 to South Bend, Indiana; 1 to Ohio; 1 to Virginia; 3 to New York State. Out of these 12 dogs, 6 are puppies. Three of the pups are only 9 pounds and will travel with us in the cabin.

Well it's time to get to work. More later.

2 weeks and counting

2009-09-09T03:44:00.000-07:00

Well it is only 2 weeks away and I will be leaving for Spain. This past weekend I picked up 2 airline kennels from Greyhound Angels. They are being stored at my sister's so I don't have to transport them from Virginia to Philadelpia. The crates are all nice and clean for some of the dogs coming home to the US.

Goods (coats, collars, leads) are coming in from various donors. We have even received some financial donations. Thanks to all of you.

I should know today what dogs will be coming home to the US.

Countdown to Spain

2009-08-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

On Septemeber 24, 2009, I will be leaving for the Scooby Shelter in Medina del Campo, Spain. I will be traveling with 5 other volunteers (Paula, Julie & Claire from Forever Home Greyhounds, NY; Gayle from Torrance, CA and Amy from Leaving Tracks, Inc., Atlanta).

Besides volunteering at the shelter we will be taking supplies from GRIN to the smaller animal shelters in Spain. Supplies will also be taken to Scooby.

Of course we cannot leave the shelter without bringing home some dogs. The dogs coming will be for adopters and foster homes here in the United States.