Hommage to Maria-José

The ones among you who are following the Scooby history for a long time already will for sure remember her, Maria-Jos , who has been working for Scooby for many years. A big animal lover, a hard worker, a good person. She was the kind of woman who could work like a horse but always took her time for a gentle stroke, a tender word to the dogs who needed it. Now she died from cancer, far too young at the age of 53 what makes all of us who knew her very sad. Below you can read an interview with her from 2007 in memorian of her.

 Maria-Jos , we will never forget you and all that you have done for Scooby and its animals.

 

Interview with MARÍA JOSÉ

If any one of you has come to the refuge at any time, there is a sure chance you will have met María José, a woman who is very much involved in the spanish media, who knows about all that is happening in the refuge and now (also) is working as a secretary in the new office. She speaks perfect French (she lived in Paris for a lot of years)  and gets along very well with the English speaking visitors. She comes in from Valladolid every day to come to Scooby.

For those of you that have not come to the refuge,, you will know her from the stories she has put on our webpage.  She has even begun to write her own version of the stories that are happening here, so the visitors of the website feel they are closer to all that is happening here..

In any case, we have asked her some questions so you can get to know her better:

Refuge:  How long have you been working here?

María José: .. don’t know, let me think.. I think about 6 years. I used to be a volunteer during the weekends, I got to know Scooby while I was working in an animal refuge in Valladolid.. (Working in a refuge is certainly a calling in her case.. ) and that refuge closed. A few dogs ended up here, and I followed them!

R: And then they contracted you?

M.J: well yes, the possibility came up when they needed someone to work for them.

R : What is your task here?

“Quitando excrementos, observas a los perros y aprendes de su comportamiento”.

M. J:  Task?  (laughing)  you want to say taskS because there are many.  What I do least of all right now is cleaning since we have help. This permits me to take care of the dogs, checking how the patios are doing, taking care of the food, all kinds of things, I go to collect the food… Ah.. and I also receive the visitors. And I am sure I am forgetting something

R: What hours do you work?

M.J: From 9h30/10h00 when I come in, untill I leave which is always a surprise, it depends on the kind of day but if all goes well around  18h00.

R: Between us: do you like your job?

M.J:  Yes (honestly)… it is true it is a lot of work but I like it .

R: What kind of people are coming here?

M.J: Difficult ones, of the kind that go:  I want to have a dog but don’t know what kind.. no not that one, can you show me another., people that bring a dog. It is funny to see that some are looking for an excuse, at this moment being allergic is a popular one they use, but also the kids. The galgueros however don’t need an excuse, they think that a “it doesn’t serve my purpose anymore” is enough.  Also we have people coming in that have found a dog somewhere.

R: Are there a lot of volunteers?

M.J: A lot of people call and some really do arrive, but in the end they don;t want to come. A lot of them do not want to clean up shit or really be with the dogs. I don’t really understand why they make the offer. The spanish volunteers are complicated and don’t tend to compromiso. The thruth is when you clean up their shit, you observe the dogs and learn from their behaviour. At the moment we only have two Spanish volunteers, one of them is Eva and she tends to the cats.

R: How come you are so dedicated to the animals?

M.J. I have always liked animals. We have always had dogs in the house. I am from Oviedo but we went to live in France when I was young, and later on we moved to Valladolid. When I got here I had no idea of the amount of abandonment and abuse of animals here. I got to know about the refuge where I worked before when I  went to pick up a cat. Then I got hooked, first as a member and later on as a volunteer..

R: Were you ever sorry you took that decision?

M.J. To be honest, yes. The truth is it is sometimes hard  but even when I am on holidays, I do think about my dogs

R: your dedication is high and your salary low I suppose…

M.J: It is not high no, but however small it is, it always gives me the feeling I am taking it from the dogs!

R: What is your relationship with the galgueros?

M.J: Nowadays I don’t get into arguments with them anymore. I have learned to interact with  them so now they treat me like any other gualgera. In the beginning I got very upset by what they said or did. I notice they seem to be a bit more “civilized”. The dogs are a little bit better, but they are still brutal with them ..