As far as dogs are concerned everyone sure has a taste of his (or her) own. Some are particularly fond of the little ones, others like their dogs big, bigger, biggest. Some like dogs to be a little feisty, others rather have a nice, uncomplicated one. Then there are the fans of the long nosed dogs and those who prefer stump noses like boxers and mastins.
Of course it’s much the same at Scooby – one would never think of going there if one wasn’t a big animal lover (and in particular dog lover) in the first place – but each and every one of us sooner of later falls for one particular dog, has one paddock he or she likes best, a favourite cat in the cat house or a soft spot for the feisty raccoons, our lovely donkeys, the horses, and, and, and…
But there is one spot at Scooby that is much loved by probably everyone, who ever visited the place – and that’s our pensioners‘ home.
Since the pensioners‘ home was constructed our elderly dog gents and ladies have moved back into the garden and are the proud owners of a house with a terrace and a plot of land, something not even everyone of us is privy to.
Every now and then they have guests, galgos and other dogs, who are recovering from an operation, in need of treatment or who just have to come to terms with having been abandoned by their family. In the garden they live a life of comfort in their little house, with couches and dog beds all for them, the biggest perk of all being in the best zone at Scooby, as everyone going from the caravan to the patio, the kitchen or the bath room has to pass „their property“ to get there. Which means having more visitors than all other animals at Scooby, which of course they enjoy visibly!
Our oldies are very touching by all accounts. And what makes them touching is not just their age, but the fact they actually lÃved that age – many of them coming from a past wrought with horrible experiences. They were abandoned in their senior years, their owners died and the owners‘ families didn’t want the dog as heritage, they had tumours or other diseases and all of a sudden their humans wouldn’t spend another penny on them to have them treated, some came from other shelters to receive treatment and stayed.
Many of them needed time and effort to learn how to trust us, humans, again. But they made it, and much credit goes to Ana, who visits them and cares for them regularly.
So now our oldies live at Scooby and put their friendly spell on everyone. Each of them giving his best to get some cuddles – and succeeding.
So without further ado, here are our „regulars“.
In the men’s departement are:
Pancho, a smart looking hunting dog, with only one eye left, after a cold hearted human tied him up to a traffic sign where he sat, helpless, and got hit by a car on top of that. Despite his experience Pancho is a merry fellow who wags his tail all day and loves humans.
Maldot, the shepherd grandpa, who transformed from being a shy underdog in the paddock into the proud chef of the garden.
Brox, our mastin mix, who awaits visitors from a lying position but has an ability to move with staggering speed when someone mentiones weeners.
Frank, a very handsome long-haired shepherd, who might come across a little grumpy sometimes, which doesn’t keep him from following every visitor’s heel in order to get his cuddles.
And in the ladies‘ team we have:
Laguna, the beautiful shepherd lady, who would love to play fetch with a ball all day and has a contageously happy disposition.
Gorda, who always guards the door, so she misses out on none of the action and who just loves to roll herself in puddles and play with water. She is guaranteed to make you laugh when you‘re watching her.
Felipa, our dignified elderly lady with her typical lower lip, who despite her high age won’t pass on doing her rounds for the day before going back to a quiet spot to have a rest.
And Gabriela, our mastin lady, who has become somewhat of an icon for Scooby and never seizes to amaze everyone who has the pleasure of seeing her in her full, majestic, rather massive beauty for the first time. She is a big fluffy oaf but shares Brox’s capacity of developing staggering speeds when food is involved. We have eyewitness accounts of her taking an actual sprint. By the way, our Gabriela can be supported in her lazy daily life by means of a virtual adoption!
Together they are the ones that make our volunteers looking forward to walk through the garden and have their share of cuddles before starting the daily chores and spending hours after work with the oldies in the evening. Some of our volunteers actually come over for the Christmas holidays to celebrate with our oldies, a table and chairs for human guests are ready in their house.
If you would like to get to know our oldies personally, just come and visit Scooby.
We are looking forward to having you!
