On holiday with your dogs!

Yes it is possible and you can sponsor Scooby at the same time! www.hondenopvakantie.com/english.html  has a great offer: whenever someone books one of their holiday houses, Scooby will get a donation of 25 euro’s! So if you are still looking for a place to stay, please consider this house in France!

Once you have filled in the bookingform, please send an e-mail to info@takeyourdogsonholiday.com  and note that you wish the donation to go to Scooby.

Who wouldn't prefer to go on holidays with his dog(s)? Getting away from it all,  together with your pets? Enjoying nature? From July 2005 we are welcoming you and your four-footed friends in our holiday home in France. We welcome all your dogs and offer you two holiday cottages with  spacious gardens equipped with a fence of up to 2 metres in height.

         

Maldot & Dama

MALDOT is one of Scooby miracles. One year ago he was alone in a corner, away from the other dogs and far away from people. And now he runs with the rest, even leading them. He jumps when he sees you and puts his muzzle between your legs asking for attention. He was a sad and scared dog and now he is the happiest in his paddock. Of course, he will be happier with a family.But now, at last, and we feel so proud to say it, Maldot is ready for adoption.

DAMA is happy and playful,full of energy,shy just in the beginning,then an affectionate and nice dog.She is a bit nervous,she runs around you and jumps on you.But she is clever,really clever.She knows she has to be relaxed if she wants to be petted and,although it´s hard for her,she gets quiet and sits down.Dama needs an open space,long walks and running free.And,with some training,she will become a wonderful dog,even more wonderful than the cute dog she is already now.

Pobre

On the first day of my fourth visit to Scooby I’m happily scooping poop again. First the quarantine with an awfully lot of happy little dogs, than paddock 7.3 where all my big friends stay. After that it’s time for the renewed paddock 7.1, the paddock with the smaller dogs. Here are again many happy little dogs and puppies. And between all those jumping puppies is lying a dark grey curly dog, quiet in a corner. I think, I would do the same as I were you, in the middle of that noise, but I’ve got the feeling something is off. I walk towards him and he starts to wag his tail, but stays in his corner. Just to be sure, I lift him up and start feeling him to see if something is wrong. His belly does feel a little hard, he looks sad, he feels a little cold, but nothing that is obviously wrong. The vet also can’t see anything alarming, but decides to take him to the clinic anyway. It’s here that I hear that he had been adopted two years ago and is back in a shelter three days ago. The former owner brought him to Scooby because she didn’t have time for him any more. And it shows! His fur is matted with poop stuck in it, his dew claw has grown around twice, his penis is red and swollen and can’t go back inside without help and he can’t pee or poop normally because of a blockage in his intestines. But even worse, is that there is no light in his eyes any more. He is watching, but nothing happens in his eyes. The woman has literary and physically not taken care of him, no care and no love. And it’s such a sweetheart! He stays quiet and calm with a physical exam, carefully wags his tail when he sees you and let you pet him patiently. But those eyes. They speak a thousand words. Words of neglect.

Pobre, as we called him, is on medication now and he got a bath to rinse away that bad smell of neglect. Hopefully in time and with a lot of attention some light will come back in his eyes. Because a dog without that is just a miserable piece of nothing.

A few days later..

It's a big day for Pobre, the little dog that due to physical and mental neglect, lost the light in his eyes. After a few days of attention he was running around as he was the happiest dog on earth. Though, despite medication, he still suffers from a hard constipation in his belly and he still can not pee normally. The vet made an echography and found out that crystals have developed in his bladder and were blocking his urethra. That is why he is peeing by the drop, poor dog. That has to hurt a lot!

So today is the big day, he is getting his surgery. And I can be with him during the surgery, what is great but also a bit scary. Pobre became my favourite during the last couple of days and to watch him going under by anaesthetics and being cut open is of course a bit scary. But for him it's nice to have a familiar face around in the clinic.

So there we go, dog on the table, IV in, putting in the anaesthetics, intubate, shave, wash, getting ready for the operation. All routine work for the vet, but I can't take my eyes of his belly. It has to start breathing on his own, right about now. It can take a minute before a dogs starts breathing on his own after the anaesthetics are administered, but for me it takes hours. One minute, one and a half. Two minutes. Come on Pobre, breath! Inside I start to panic, but I try to stay calm, because the vet is not looking worried, he just continues with the preparation. But if he also stops and looks at his belly, it finally starts to breathe. A sigh of relief, from both Pobre and me. Thank god, he is still alive. We can start now.

As soon as the abdominal wall is cut open and some fat is removed (his former owner did that one thing right; at least she (over) fed him), the vet suddenly says: “Surprise! We only have to operate one thing, feel…” So I pinch his bladder and I'm shocked, if feels very hard! So this is the so called obstruction we felt in his intestines. As soon as he cuts the bladder open the vet and I shout out some Spanish foul language, of course I won't repeat. What is that coming out of his bladder?! Something that looks like a stone or coral the size of a big mushroom, about eight cm long and three cm in diameter. Incredible. How can that have been build up in his small bladder? It must have taken months! And how he must have suffered. He must have been peeing with only drops (and pain!) for a long time. Poor poor dog. He again is true to its name: miserable.

Luckily his future is looking a lot brighter and more comfortable from now on. And when he will wake up from this surgery he will wag his tail even more than he already did. Sweet happy Pobre. All that remains is to find a new home.

Claire

WHEN A DOOR CLOSES…

Dear Scooby friends,

As you may already know, shelter incomes have notably decreased during the last months. Some Public Administrations do not consider us to be important or politically profitable enough. But do not get discouraged because when a door closes, another one opens.

 “El hombre del sombrero”, a shop in Valladolid, wants to do its bit by giving a 10% discount on non-discounted items to all Scooby Friends and virtual adopters until 31^st/ 12/ 2012.

This is the address, you can’t miss it:

El hombre del sombrero

C/ Montero Calvo  nº13

47001.- Valladolid

Tlf.: +0034 983 047 417

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/elhombredelsombrero

In order to take advantage of the discount, just show your Friend card or adoption certificate. We would like to say to “El hombre del sombrero” thank you very much for your generosity and encourage any other shops willing to help us to get in contact with us. Remember: if you help Scooby, “El hombre del sombrero” helps you!

Official letter from the EU Parliament

Dear Galgofriends,

Our efforts on the EU front have not been in vain! Yesterday, the members of the European Parliament sent the official letter to the President of Spain, which we have inserted below. Though it does not address the issue of indiscriminate breeding, it strongly addresses the political neglect of the horrendous cruelty inflicted upon the galgos.  Their call for an urgent response cannot remain unanswered!

Furthermore, and especially important to gain more exposure within the EU, Miss Liotard presented an extensive written question to the EU Commission yesterday. Here not only the cruelty and neglect, but also the indiscriminate breeding and dumping is a topic of concern. Through this question, the plight of the galgo is once again highlighted on the European political stage.

Without your cooperation and support it would not have gained this attention. To increase the impact and visibility, we would like to ask you to post the letter on your website. We therefore send both the letter as well as the translation of the written question to you as attachment.

For our Spanish friends, we are working on a translation, but this might take a bit longer.

Hopefully the response from both the Spanish government as from the EU Commission will not take too long. As soon as we have further news, we will let you know.

Once again, thank you very much for your efforts and support.

Warm regards,

Letty Ubbink

PR-team  Greyhounds Rescue Holland

Letty, Linda & Lex.

www.greyhoundsrescue.org

Please use the Zoom (CTRL and +) in case you cannot read it.

Question for written answer

to the Commission

Rule 117

Kartika Liotard

Is the Commission aware of the atrocities inflicted upon the Spanish greyhounds, known as galgos, which are bred indiscriminately in Spain and, following this,  those dogs that are deemed of lesser use are burned alive, doused in acid, hung or dumped ?

Does the Commission consider these practices within the limits of art. 13 of the Lisbon Treaty, which obliges member states to take animal welfare into full regard?

If the Commission refers to the second part of art 13, which refers to cultural traditions, to refrain from any action in this matter, so claiming that the killing of galgos would be such a cultural tradition, does the Commission therefore claim that cultural traditions give permission to all kinds of animal cruelty? Is there, according to the Commission a limit in this?

Is the Commission aware of art. 337 of the Spanish Legal Code, which prohibits animal cruelty and which is now punishable as a crime?

How does the Commission view the fact that enforcement of this article, especially with regards to the cruelty against galgos, is almost non-existent.

Is the Commission prepared to urge Spain to enforce this art. 337 concerning blatant animal cruelty?

If the Commission does not see it as her responsibility to urge member states to enforce important national legislation, then why does she urge Greece to enforce the Greek tax legislation? Is according to the Commission animal welfare less important than issues with an economic interest?

Can the Commission deny that European subsidies are also granted to Spanish farmers who also play a part in the indiscriminate breeding and subsequent cruelties against galgos?

Is the Commission prepared to call upon the enterprises and farms that are being subsidised but take part in the abuse of galgos to refrain from these activities. Is the Commission prepared to call for financial santions against these enterprises?

Will the Commission propose a solution for the problem of abuse and neglect of the galgos in the new strategy for animal welfare? Will she consider even mentioning this problem?

If not, how does the Commission view the inherent value of this new strategy?

Date:  3 oktober 2011

3 and a half legs pure zest for life

Today a very special dog has been brought to the shelter. Spanish people
found him abondened, took him home and tried to find him a home for quite
a long time. But nobody wanted him, so they finally asked Scooby to take
him. His name is Buddy and he was born with a crippled leg. That´s
probably the reason why it is not bothering him at all. He runs, jumps and
plays like any other dog at the age of app. 3 years as you can see in the
photos and video.But the shelter is not a good place for handicapped dogs
as they are always at the very bottom of the hierarchy. So we need to keep
them seperated what is neither nice for the dog nor it is for us, having
few space to keep dogs like him seperated from the others. As he fits in
every handbag there´s for sure somebody willing to give a loving home to
this cute boy, or not;-)???

Buddy will go to LSF who were present at the shelter when he was brought in. Thank you very much, dear friends from LSF!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRq1Pp0ORvE

My Trip to Scooby, by a US volunteer

Lydia Best, from Virginia US, volunteered at Scooby this past year and her story was published in Northern Virginia Dog magazine.  Have a look!  What great exposure for our shelter and our wonderful animals!  Thanks Lydia!

 ---

MY TRIP TO SCOOBY MEDINA, by Lydia Best

Several years ago I took a trip to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Southern Utah to volunteer for a week. That trip affected me a great deal. It showed me with nothing but hard work, perseverance, and generosity a small shelter can have a huge impact on society and become a roll model for shelters all over the world.

Shortly after returning from Best Friends, a good friend and client asked me to get involved with an organization called Scooby North America. Scooby North America exists exclusively for charitable and educational purposes as the voice between the Scooby Animal Refuge in Medina del Campo, Spain, and the people of North America. After volunteering at Best Friends, I was excited to be able to take some of what I learned and hopefully apply it to a shelter that could use a lot of help.

My involvement in Scooby North America was limited at first, but, this May, I had the

opportunity to go to Scooby Medina to take much needed supplies, volunteer in the shelter for a week, and bring back four dogs that had been adopted by individuals in the United States.

 

Scooby Medina is a privately-owned refuge, the largest safe haven in Spain for all sorts of animals. Scooby started out in 1987 as a shelter under poor conditions, providing refuge for the stray cat and dog population and the numerous Galgos (Spanish greyhounds) discarded mainly by the local hunters in the area of Medina del Campo, Spain. Tens of thousands of Galgos are bred annually in Spain in

the hope of producing the national competitive hunting champion. Medina del Campo is the focal point for those with a competitive hunting interest in Spain. For the hunters (known as galgueros in Spain), it has been an annual tradition to kill their Galgos by hanging them in mass in the local pine forests at the end of the season.

My experience at Scooby Medina was far different then any other shelter or rescue experience I have ever had. Their needs are so vast that nearly all day is spent just doing the basics like feeding the animals, cleaning pens, and caring for sick animals. We struggled to find the time to provide the animals the additional love, attention, and comfort that they all deserve. While I was there, the shelter didn’t have enough food to feed all the dogs because they were over capacity. Being over capacity is a good thing in that more animals are being rescued, but it also means that resources—especially monetary—get used up quicker.

Though the time I was there was emotionally and physically exhausting at times, it also was very rewarding. I truly got to work in an environment where I knew that everything I did was desperately needed. And when you are a volunteer at Scooby Medina, you truly do it all. I also cherished those moments when I could throw a ball for a dog or sit in a kennel run and just give these animals some good old fashioned love.

I left Scooby Medina with feelings of hope. Feeling that if Best Friends Animal Sanctuary can achieve all it has, then so can Scooby. Now that I’m back stateside, I need to spread the word about this amazing refuge, a place that without the help of people all over the world would not exist. A place that only wants to protect and speak for all animals.

For more information or to get involved,

please visit www.scoobynorthamerica.org.

Lyda Best (pictured), lives in Leesburg, VA, and owns Everything and the Dog, a company providing dog walking, pet sitting, and errand services to the Northern Virginia area. Reach her at www.everythingandthedog.com.

The Official Scooby Calendar 2012

The Official Scooby Calendar 2012 is now available in our shop!

The size of the calendar is approximately 29.7 cm x 42 cm (11 in x 16 in) and has a metal binding.  The calendar is very nice with 12 months of beautiful Scooby pictures. 

It is very useful because it can also be used as an agenda and there is enough space to enter appointments, birthdays or anniversaries.  It would make a perfect Holiday gift for every animal lover!

.Price: 17.90 Euro plus postage

Please send your orders for the calendar to: scoobyshop@scoobymedina.com

New Adoption Page...New Dogs

Please visit our new adoption page!  

Scooby Adoption Page  

It's based on a blog which will enable us to add and update dogs much easier than in the past... so we hope that this service will lead to more adoptions!
Please have a look and let us know if any dogs catch your eye! Many new galgos, mixes, mastins, shepherds... all great dogs, waiting for a home!

Scooby Adoption Page