Today we are talking about Scooby, the shelter and sanctuary we visited with the ARISTOPET team, and we will be sharing the images with you to try to transport you, even if only for a moment, into that reality. The outstanding human team dedicates time and effort to ensuring that all the animals have a better life while they are there. They have a clear goal of finding a home for all their residents, and this is where we want to contribute in our own small way by helping raise awareness of this shelter and trying to find homes for all of Scooby's residents. You can also help by sharing this post or welcoming one of them into your life, although you should always be aware of the work and time involved and make a responsible adoption. We assure you that sharing your life with an ARISTOPET is one of the best experiences and a source of true love you can feel.
First of all, we would like to thank Irene, who makes sure that we stay up to date through social media on everything that happens at Scooby and who introduced us to Fermín, the president of this shelter for more than 25 years. Hoover gave us a fascinating guided tour of the entire center and carefully explained the situation of each of its residents and the facilities. Miriam and Frank, along with many others, take care of Scooby - people from many parts of the world who help out day by day.
We spoke with them, and this is what they told us about the shelter:
Scooby has been providing shelter to abandoned and mistreated animals for more than 25 years. It was founded by several women in response to the number of abandoned dogs in the Medina del Campo area (Valladolid). In the 1990s, Scooby exposed the atrocities committed against Spanish greyhounds, and its work became international under the leadership of its current President, Fermín Pérez. Today, foreign funding and adoptions in countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Germany are crucial to the NGO. For the first time, in 2015 the number of adopted dogs and cats exceeded the number of animals taken in, with 1,138 adoptions. National adoptions increase every year.
Today, it is the largest shelter in Spain; more than 1,000 dogs and cats live at its facilities. It has centers in Medina del Campo (Valladolid), the city of Valladolid, Zamora, and Palencia.
80% of the dogs rescued by Scooby come from hunting. Most are dogs “discarded” by hunters and greyhound hunters who can no longer make money from or benefit from them, mainly greyhounds and podencos.
The mass breeding of these animals, carried out in the hope that a winner will be born among them, means that our work never ends. It is thanks to international adoptions that we can continue rescuing animals. Every year, we make more than 15 trips to Europe to take our animals to their new homes. In addition, more and more adoptions are taking place in the United States.
Scooby rescues approximately 600 greyhounds a year. Some are surrendered by their owners, but most are picked up while wandering abandoned. Many arrive injured or after being run over, requiring veterinary care and, in some cases, very expensive surgeries. The psychological effects in these cases are also significant.
After a great deal of effort, most greyhounds are adopted; only those that are deeply traumatized tend to remain.
Podencos and mixed-breed dogs, the sick and the elderly, are not so lucky; these are the so-called “invisible dogs” that spend years at the shelter and may even end up dying here.
On the other hand, the Scooby Sanctuary provides a permanent home for 200 farm animals who are victims of industry, entertainment, or any kind of abuse. Horses, donkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, cows, rabbits, raccoons, hens, geese, ducks, etc. These animals are not put up for adoption, and we try to ensure that they enjoy a long life in the best conditions possible at the sanctuary.
Scooby is funded mainly through donations, memberships, and merchandise sales. It also provides abandoned animal collection services in several municipalities, including Palencia, Zamora, Salamanca and its province, and Medina del Campo.
Fermín, president of Scooby
http://www.scoobymedina.org/es/index.html
