New trip to the Netherlands

Another time Scooby has made the trip to the Netherlands to bring a total of 35 dogs that had been adopted, and who, thanks to the help of these new families will have the opportunity to enjoy a new life. Fermin and Simonetta were the ones in charge of this trip, leaving Medina del Campo at 18.30 and arriving at Astrid’s shelter in Balkbrug at 1 in the afternoon on Saturday, having driven about 1700 km.

The arrival was a very emotional moment, since some of the adopters were there and helped us unload the dogs together with Astrid and the other volunteers.  One of the adopters was there who had already adopted a dog from Scooby on a previous occasion and now had adopted another one, and she was there together with her dog to pick up the new addition. It is incredible how well our animals adapt to their families and their new country.

After resting a bit, which they really needed, Fermin and Simonetta went on to a small village in Belgium where they could sleep and get rested to start the return journey. And on Sunday, after getting up very early, they went to the warehouse of the Association  Les Galgos de Ardenne Bleue where they picked up a lot of donations, mostly food for the animals of the Scooby shelter.  It is really incredible and admirable what the volunteers are doing and the donations they are collecting. We are always saying that but their work is really very important, feeding our animals is a big part of the expenses so receiving donations of food is a big help for us. Therefore we really want to say THANK YOU and we are eternally grateful.

After another large number of hours travelling back, at 4.30 in the morning,  Fermin and Simonetta arrived at Scooby Medina, safe and sound with the mission perfectly accomplished.

To  all the adopters, donors and volunteers: THANK YOU SO MUCH for adopting our animals, your work and your donations.

                        

Healthcare Advice

Compared to other dog breeds our galgos have very sensitive skin.  On our walks this "paper" skin and their high speed is often the reason for serious injuries.  Pleasant outings are often enough followed by a visit to the veterinarian's office.  In addition, the healing process of our beloved dog breed can take quite some time.

Using natural honey as a means for cicatrization is a traditional and very efficient method.  Honey does have antibacterial and antifungal characteristics.  Due to its high viscosity, honey can be applied very well to wounds between two gauze pads.

This method is recommended for superficial wounds that cannot be treated surgically.  Obviously antibiotics should also be administered and the wound should be cleaned regularly with a disinfectant.  When the gauze pad is renewed twice daily, the result is impressive. Guido

Cedron and Tito

Hi,

My name is Tito, I am 26 years old, from Uruguay and since three years I live in Badajoz.  I am a circus performer and my travels brought me to Extremadura and that's where I stayed.

This is the story of Cedron:

Cedron is a galgo, one of the tallest I have ever seen. I adopted him just a few months after arriving in Spain, and he has been with me for two and a half years. I got him out of the doghouse in Badajoz, where he stayed in very sorry circumstances, it was after the end of hunting season, and as we know the doghouses in Extremadura are filled with galgos and podencos then.

When I saw him at the doghouse all four of his feet were infected, he could hardly walk, had no hair on his chest and lost one of his fangs, he had a lot of wounds on his back and weighed 15 kilo less than he does now.

It was the first dog I helped after arriving in Spain and the first galgo I held in my arms.  Cedron, besides having been hurt also kept his distance, he did not play, did not interact with nobody and you could tell that he had only been an instrument for hunting because he didn't react to anything else but "let's go". Seeing he was a dog that needed re-education and a lot of help, he conquered me in a few days and I decided to adopt him until he was at peace again.

The first month consisted of giving him loving care, showing him how beautiful love is and starting to trust. Teaching him to enjoy himself and play, we ran beside each other, rolled around on the grass, we gave each other loving bites and tugged a piece of cloth, each one on a side. Every time I went to a friend’s house he came with me and slowly he started to feel secure enough to interact with people. Until he got over his inhibitions completely and turned into an animal that loves to greet people, be petted, to enjoy the company and to invite them to play.

On the other side, with dogs it was completely the opposite, Cedron started to feel more insecure all the time, get stressed and be afraid of them. It started with barking at them from a distance, grunt, and on various occasions, when I tried to let him interact with other dogs, we had very bad moments where he even bit other dogs, hurting them.

Seeing Cedron’s needs and the fact that we did not get ahead with the help I was giving him, I decides to take some obedience training classes. We spend 10 months with Sonia, a trainer from Badajoz and we worked hard, very hard. His fear, the stress, the huge amount of excess energy that he had being a hunting dog, his insecurity, etc. The work we did with him and are still doing is always based on positive things, always with little treats and the exercise on a bicycle so he can get rid of all his energy and does not get stressed.

Cedron has changed incredibly, now he is a dog that can walk unleashed, that goes off but comes back the second you call him, he sits down, lies down, does not walk into the road, stops at corners, it is incredible, the more you demand from him, the more he likes it. He trusts me unconditionally and even more so he trusts himself seeing the gigantic steps he has taken.

He is now playing with all the dogs, if he doesn’t like any of them he will keep his distance or he will look at me and indicate he doesn’t want to interact. The thing that I think is unbelievable is that he is communicating so clearly, he lets me know when he wants to eat, when he wants to go out, with which dogs he wants to play and which he only wants to say hello to.

Sonia, the trainer, said that his problem was his insecurity, that he didn’t know how to relate with other dogs because of the life he had. Galgos tend to adapt the character of Cedron to achieve getting ahead and being the first one to bark or bite, or just the other way around and they become scared and suspicious.

The most important thing is that Cedron now is a dog that has plenty of confidence in himself and knows who is in charge. We don’t use the system of treats anymore, we exchanged it for love, and every time he has a very good moment he feels the love, and the best part is that he understands, he used to claim his treats after doing something well, now he is coming to be petted…;-)

My life is the circus and I travel a lot for my work, and whenever he can, Cedron will travel with me, he is very must used to travel long distances, he gets into the car, lies down and gets up again to get out. But a lot of times he has to stay in a temporary home or a friends house and he doesn’t like it. As you know for dogs time does not exist and you can tell from Cedron that he is always afraid to be left behind.  I don’t think it is right what people are saying:  “and now that he is fine why don’t you keep him. With all the time and money you already spend on him “

If there is something I do not want it is him having to adapt to my lifestyle. I also think I do not want to love him in the egotistical we they teach us: “I love you and I need you with me”  Very much the contrary, now that he is very well I do think it is the best moment to let him go to find his destiny and let him find his place where he can enjoy life with a person that can really see how awesome, intelligent and adorable he is.

I am proud of what we managed to achieve together, the way we helped each other, what we learned from each other, for the times we spend together and the enormous change he went through and I will never forget that. I have dedicated all the time needed for Cedric to become what he is, and now I will spend that time in finding him the best place in the world for him to enjoy the peace he has found!

It really was very difficult to make this decision but I feel this is the best decision I can take. He has his passport updated, with all the shots, chip, he is castrated and is very well-behaved towards cats. He weighs 30 kg, is completely healthy and has no disease whatsoever, he even has donated blood for other dogs on several occasions. He is quite an athlete.. haha

Well this is the story, the short version at least of my friend Cedron!

It is very important for me to be very selective in who is offering to adopt him, I don’t want anybody to adopt him on a whim or that it is someone who doesn’t really have the time to take care of him, or does not have sufficient room for him. I think that if he leaves me, he will have to go to a better place,

I am attaching pictures of our travels, holidays and several other occasions so you can see my lovely dog. I hope to hear from you if we can count on your help to find him a good home and a person that can dedicate their time to him the way he deserves. Any way you can help us will be very much appreciated.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this message and very special regards

Cedron and Tito

3rd edition of the Scooby Day!

It is almost that time again, the 3rd edition of the Scooby Day!

When and where?

Saturday 11 October, 11:00 – 16:00, by the Geffense Plas (lake) in Oss, The Netherlands (Gielekespad 10).

What to see and do?

Everybody is welcome on the Scooby Day, with or without your dog(s)! The dogs can gleefully romp around on the beach and on the grass, and enjoy swimming in the lake. There are stalls of various organisations dedicated to improving the lives of foreign shelter and stray animals, and stalls with products whose profits go to these animals. Of course, the Scooby stall is present, where you can ask all your questions about Scooby, (virtual) adoption, volunteering, and donation, and where you can buy nice Scooby products. At the restaurant facing the lake all dogs are welcome. More information about the details of the day and the stalls present will follow.

What is Scooby?

The biennial Scooby Day is devoted to Scooby, one of the largest animal shelters in Spain. Scooby works to change attitudes among the people and offers a safe haven to among other animals, dogs and cats, which find a golden basket after all with the help of adoptants in The Netherlands and other countries.

It promises to be a great day, with something for everyone. We hope to welcome you on 11 October at this beautiful location!

PS: Do you want to be present as a stall keeper, but did not receive an invitation from us? Please, contact us via merelbirdy@gmail.com.