Although Mrs de la Esperanza never lived or worked there herself she set up the shelter wishing to alleviate the problem of the many stray animals in Spain.
For the last 20 years the dogs were cared for by a couple who lived on the premises. But as they were getting older they were not able to care for the animals anymore. In response to this Mrs de la Esperanza, being president of the foundation, contacted Scooby in Medina del Campo 4 years ago in order to secure the future of shelter.
And so the partnership between the shelter and Scooby began. Fermin became president of the foundation and therefore assumed responsibility for the management of the shelter. The shelter may not be sold and remains the property of the foundation.
Mrs de la Esperanza still lives in Valladolid today and she's around 87 years old. However her health is failing and there are fears the worst.
It's clear that she will be leaving behind a precious legacy for the animals. Many dogs have found shelter here and many have been adopted. Many have probably died during the course of all these years but not as stray dogs on the side of the road. Each rescued dog has found a better life!
Last June the couple who ran Mrs de la Esperanza’s shelter decided to stop due to their age and the dogs from this shelter were transferred to Scooby. Now it is our intention breathe new life into the Scooby shelter.
Thanks to the Internet and social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tuenti, the people of Spain have become more aware of all the abandoned dogs and the lucky ones who make it to a shelter. This means that more people who want a dog, think about adopting from a shelter. Valladolid is a big city with many potential adopters.
Due to contracts about catching stray dogs with other municipalities such as Zamora, Cuellar and Salamanca, more mix breeds have come to Scooby. It is important to have these dogs rehomed as soon as possible.
There are also still many greyhounds up for adoption and people are beginning to see all the suffering these graceful animals have endured and what fantastic pets they can be.
It's idealistic to expect that all the dogs will be rehomed within Spain, although for some of them this will be possible. Therefore ongoing help from abroad is needed.
Many dogs have been rescued from the 'perreras' (killing stations) by foreign and Spanish aid organisations. These dogs must have a safe refuge until the day they move to their new homes.
Because more often than not, dogs that already have been reserved have been killed by the ruthless management of the perreras anyway, because they take up space. Space that is being paid for when a new dog comes in, and the space that the existing dog takes up doesn’t bring them more money.
All of these organisations and other interested parties may rent an affordable kennel at Scooby for the short or long term, or even permanently. And the shelter is also for dogs whose owners go away on holiday, or for those who can't look after their pets and are looking for a temporary home for them. These animals are also welcome at Scooby.
We hope to find the financial resources that we need to do the necessary refurbishment work. Much remains to be plastered and painted — but as they say here: poco a poco and if it doesn’t succeed today, then it will manana! Your help is essential and is greatly appreciated!
The best case scenario would be to give the larger Scooby complex in Medina del Campo, with its 400 to 500 dogs, a little financial support so the the dogs there can benefit from it too! We're going for it.
Cobie
