A young girl saves a galgo from death

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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