A Journey: Adopting a Galgo

Celebrating My 20th Visit to Scooby

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 02:23:00 +0000

Darrell and the Scooby Galgos

My 20th Visit to Scooby in Spain — Meeting a Special Little Black Dog

It has been almost two years since my last visit to Spain and Scooby. I’m way past due to update my blog with new adventures. Pardon my long pause. I’ve been lazy. But here we go! Better late than never.

In late April, 2022, my husband, Darrell, and I took another fantastic trip to Spain, Scooby and some other Spanish destinations.

Our first night, we stayed downtown in San Diego, close to the airport. It was a fun area, with lots of great restaurants and bars. But the road that the hotel was on was so busy and noisy, and with the anticipation of our trip, we didn’t sleep at all. We were up very early and caught a Lyft to get to our American flight to Philadelphia. We had all of the appropriate COVID paperwork done ahead of time. All went well. We arrived in Philadelphia on time and had a decent layover for our next leg to Madrid.

Darrell had an aisle seat and I was in the dreadful middle seat, which was not so bad with my flight partner to hug. We arrived early morning in Madrid and everything went smoothly to get us through immigration.

Madrid!

We took a cab to our hotel, but there was a lot of construction in the area, so the cab left us near Puerta del Soul We had a bit of trouble locating our Hotel Francisco 1, but once we did, we found it to be a delight. It was such a beautiful and well appointed place, and for a small fee, we got early checkin and a superior room with a huge balcony and super views. The hotel was in a prime area, with access to many restaurants and shops. We enjoyed two nights there.

View from our hotel patio

View from our hotel patio

The third day, we left early morning to take the fast train to Medina del Campo and Scooby. When we arrived at the Medina station, the very kind attendant called a cab for us, and we went to my favorite hotel there, the Reina Isabel.

The staff there is like family, and they greeted us warmly. They had never met my husband, so it was extra special. And their lovely daughter was working at the desk, which was another surprise. We had a larger, very nice, clean, comfortable, quiet room, with a fridge. Had time to freshen up, and then took a cab to Scooby.

Sometimes, it’s difficult to get a cab to get to or from Scooby. The very kind daughter always helped us with cabs. In fact, one day, Mother’s Day, she and her brother came to Scooby to give us a ride to the hotel, letting us know we are like family. I love them so much!

Back at Scooby

It’s always exciting to pull into the driveway at Scooby. Just before you enter the gates, Fermin’s dogs come to the front fence to greet you with tail wags. You hear all of the familiar sounds of the dogs barking.

We entered the gates and experienced all of those warm and familiar feelings of being back where you belong. Said our greetings to the staff and volunteer friends who were there. We met up with friends from Spain, the UK and Slovenia, After that, it was time to visit the animals.

There were many dogs of all sorts: galgos, podencos, mastins and mixed breeds. Each and every dog wants to meet and greet you. Tails are wagging, the dogs are gathering and jumping up on the fences and walls, hoping for your love and attention. It is such a wonderful feeling to be so wanted and welcome!

Scooby Galgos

Scooby Dogs

Scooby Galgo

Each day, we got up, had a nice breakfast at the hotel, and took a cab to Scooby. We visited the local Dia grocery store for supplies and brought our lunches to the shelter. For dinner, we walked to the local restaurants in Medina.

On this visit, we mostly socialized with the dogs and did a bit of cleaning.

Scooby Galgos

Darrell in Rita’s Paddock

Galgos Priscilla and Sting (Henry) now living in CA

A Special Little Black Dog

In Spring, 2021, Scooby posted photos of an extremely sad looking fuzzy mix black dog that they picked up from the streets of Zamora. She looked young, and soon delivered eight puppies when she was at the shelter. She appeared to have mange and was severely neglected. My heart went out to her and her puppies. I posted her photo, asking someone to adopt her. No one did.

Rita when she first came to Scooby

Rita in her paddock at Scooby

Rita was hard to catch at Scooby

I asked a friend from Slovenia to check on her in Fall, 2021. She was still there with one of her puppies. She sent me photos. I wasn’t sure about adding her to our pack because she was extremely shy. When I visited the shelter in the Fall of 2021, she was still there. She was in a kennel with a mixed bunch of dogs of all sizes and doing so much better. I vowed that if no one adopted her by next visit in Spring, 2022, we would. No one did. So we did!

Before our Spring, 2022 trip, I convinced my husband that we should adopt her. Her name was Ranja, but I renamed her Rita, after my Mom. One of our primary goals during our visit was to socialize and get to know her. She was in a large paddock with several other mix dogs, at that time. We could barely catch her to pet her. So we went into her paddock and sat and waited for her to come to us. The third day, Darrell was able to grab her and we both were able to pet her.

Later, we learned from a volunteer vet that he took care of Rita and her puppies. All were adorable and adopted before they left the shelter. He treated all of them for skin conditions before they left.

We had Rita’s DNA tested. She’s a 21 different breed mix, most prominently German Shepherd, which you can’t see in her, except that she is a very good watch dog, and some of her puppies looked to be Shepherd. The others looked just like her.

We weren’t able to bring Rita home with us on that trip because of COVID and airline restrictions. Fortunately, our good friends at S.A.G..E. (Save A Galgo Espanol), were able to bring her to San Francisco, in June, 2022. We drove up to the Bay Area to get her.

Rita has been with us for over 1 1/2 years now. It took a while, but she has become relaxed and at home with us. She is loving and sweet. We are so happy to have her here! From a momma dog on the street who had eight beautiful puppies, that no one wanted and no one could touch, to our girlie girl who loves to be loved.

Animal rescue: this is what it’s all about!

Scooby Days

While we were there, I celebrated my 20th visit to Scooby, over the past 11 years. My friend, Melissa Beamish, from the UK was also there and celebrated her 11 year anniversary of animal rescue volunteer work. There was a small gathering of Scooby volunteers and staff to celebrate with pizza and snacks. It was such a nice get together, in the Scooby dorm.

We ended our visit with a last trip to Scooby to say our goodbyes and headed out very early morning for the Madrid airport. Next stop: Mallorca.

A Few Days in Mallorca

We wanted to do something special on this trip to celebrate getting through the pandemic, so we booked a four day trip to Mallorca. The plane trip from Madrid is only one hour, and the vacation was very inexpensive. When we arrived, we felt very James Bond to be there. The Island is much larger than imagined, and it has everything you would want. The people are warm and welcoming to tourists. In the area where we stayed, we discovered that most all of the tourists were from the UK. In fact, most of the restaurants, bars and entertainment cater to UK vacationers, making it easy to fit in and communicate.

We had booked an all-day tour to see the Island, but it didn’t work out. Cancelled and refunded, thankfully. So we mainly hung out in our area near the beach. There were plenty of good restaurants and a wonderful walkway along the beach where we visited various hotels, shops snd eateries. People watching was fun too.

We stayed at the ME Hotel in Magaluf on Mallorca. The package price was good, through Iberia Airlines, the hotel was well-appointed, as expected. Overall, we loved it, had an excellent time and would return.

Flying into Mallorca

Our beach on Mallorca on a Cool Day

Night View of Mallorca from our Room

Our beach on Mallorca on a Hot Day

Mallorca Sunset

Back to Madrid

We returned to Madrid for two days before returning home. I booked us a very nice room at the Jardinis de Sabatini, near the Royal Palace. Another great place to stay, and close to so many fun things to see and do. We had fun exploring the area and immersing ourselves in the culture.

COVID tests were still required to fly, so we went to a local clinic for the tests, passed and traveled home. Flew through Charlotte on the way home. Feels like they can’t handle large international flights. Very tedious.

Finally made it home to our pets, who all did well with us being gone for over two weeks.

Thankful for another great adventure to visit Scooby and more, having Darrell with me, seeing all of the great staff and volunteer friends, being with Rita, and a fun few days on Mallorca.

Thank you for reading my blog. World Galgo Day is February 1st, where we remember the plight of the Spanish Galgo. Please consider a donation to Scooby via G.R.I.N. (Galgo Rescue International Network), http://www.galgorescue.org/, and please be sure to note that it’s for Scooby.

A Tribute to Bless, the Galga Who Changed My Life

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 04:19:00 +0000

Bless’ Adoption Photo, 2011

Where it all Began

Twelve years ago, I made a trip to Spain to volunteer at the Scooby Shelter in Medina del Campo, and to get my first adopted Galga, Bless. We had her for 12 years, from May 2011, until we lost her to cancer on February 16, 2023. Little did I know at the time, but this trip and this Galgo would change my life forever. My Journey with Bless over the past 12 years is documented in this blog: http://adoptingagalgo.blogspot.com. This is her final chapter.

In 2010, we lost our first Greyhound, Daisy, to Osteosarcoma. We were looking to adopt another sighthound, and I had already decided that I’d like to rescue a Spanish Galgo. I had learned about Scooby from a friend, so I wrote to inquire about adopting. In early 2011, I selected a beautiful Galgo, named Bless, based on her adoption photos and description, filled out the adoption papers and was later approved.

One of the volunteers was going to Scooby in April, and offered to meet up and help me bring Bless home. I booked my flights and everything came together for my trip. I was in Spain for several days, and worked at the shelter for five days. Had such a wonderful experience and was hooked on going back again and again over the past 12 years.

Scooby, My Heart Place

I had never been around Galgos before that first trip. What I learned is that they are the most beautiful and gentle dogs I’ve ever met. The situation in Spain is dire for them, as they are bred and used for hunting, and then discarded in cruel and neglectful ways at the end of every hunting season. From having Bless and my other Galgos, I’ve learned that they make the best, most loving and affectionate pets that anyone could have.

Bless with Her Mates at Scooby, 2011

Bless Was Truly a Blessing

Bless was the quintessential Galgo. She was a beautiful blue brindle, with a sleek greyhound- like body, almond-shaped Spanish eyes, and a very long tail. She was friendly, sweet, gentle, calm and always a lady. She got along well with all people, all of our other dogs, and even two of our cats.

She was an ambassador for her breed, as she was one of the first Galgos brought to the U.S.A. during that time. She attended a few Greyhound reunions and introduced many to the magnificent Galgo breed. Since then, many, many Galgos have been brought over from Spain and adopted into loving homes in this Country, which is absolutely fabulous, and what we hoped for.

Bless, the Galgo Ambassador

Bless’ Life

She loved to eat. Any time I was cooking in the kitchen, she would show up to see if there was something for her. I called her my “sous chef”. She was the cutest beggar in the World. If you had food, she would come up and gently plop her head in your lap, looking sweetly at you with those sweet Spanish eyes, asking for a morsel or two. Who could resist?

Bless, the Sweetest Beggar Ever

She loved to be outside. She had a way of walking very slowly, as she went out, explored and then came back in. We called her “mosey” because she had no sense of urgency. She would go to the door and bark loudly, beat on the door with her paw, and do a little dance, when she wanted to go out. She especially liked to wake up Dad/Darrell in the middle of the night, when she wanted to go out.

Bless, Her Last Visit Outside

She loved her home and family. In her younger days, she was a good watchdog, alerting us whenever someone approached our home. Her favorite places were our bedroom, in her bed, and in the living room, in another of her beds. She loved to be with us and her pack. Sometimes, she would move her bed to be nearer the action.

Bless, Our Guardian

Losing Bless

On Christmas Eve, 2021, she became very sick, not eating and being sick to her stomach, We took her to an emergency Vet and waited over two hours in our car (during COVID) while the Vet checked her. She relayed that something serious was going on with her, and that we should have tests done to learn more. We opted to follow up with our regular Vet the following week. They did an ultrasound on her and found that she had two large cancerous tumors, one near her spleen, and also Cushing’s Disease. They recommended that we treat her with a prescription and some herbal supplements. They said that the cancer was aggressive, and did not recommend an operation. They could not estimate how long we would have her, but they said three months to one year was likely.

For over two years, we gave her these medications, which we are convinced extended her life and increased her quality of life: Ursodiol (prescription), I’m-Yunity (herbal), Yunnan Baiyao Jiaonang (Chinese Herbal).

The Cushing’s Disease actually made her hungry, so she seldom lost her appetite. She had a few bad days where we thought about taking her in to the Vet, but overall, she had a very good quality of life for those two years, which was a miracle to us.

Two weeks ago when we awoke, we found her laying by our bedroom door, where she had tried to ask to go outside. She had collapsed. Her back legs had no strength, and she couldn’t stand without help. We continued to help her stand, and she still walked, albeit very shakily. Then she stopped eating, with the exception of a few morsels here and there. She then collapsed few more times and cried out to us. We’ve been through this many times, and we knew that it was time to let her go.

We called the same mobile Vet who helped us with Sara’s passing few years ago, and set an appointment for the next day, so we’d have one more full day to spend with her and say our goodbyes. The Vet came in the early afternoon. He was so kind and gentle with her and us. She laid on one of her beds in the living room. He gave the first shot to relax her, and then gave us time to say goodbye. When he returned, he gave the second shot. She left peacefully and painlessly. We had more time to say our final goodbyes. He gently took her to his car. We had her body cremated and will have a paw print for our memories.

Bless’ bed in our bedroom remains empty. The other dogs avoid sleeping there, as they knew it was hers. Every time we walk into the bedroom, we look for her sweet face, as she was always there to greet us for so many years. She was such a big part of our lives. She gave us so much love and joy, and we feel so very blessed to have had our beautiful little Scooby Galga Bless as our pet for so many years.

Bless in Her Favorite Bed in our Bedroom

We go on now, missing our Girl, knowing that she is in a better place, pain free and happy. We know that she’s waiting to mosey to greet us when we, too, arrive. We love you and will miss you forever, sweet Bless. Rest well, my Love.

Bless, February 2023

Rest Well, Bless, Our Love

A Tribute to Brody, 9/2014-11/2021

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 03:14:00 +0000

Brody and Bless

This is a tribute to our Greyhound, Brody, who we lost to liver cancer three months ago. It has taken me a while to write this because it has been so difficult to lose four of our five dogs over the past three years; two in the past year. We continue to grieve.

We adopted Brody over seven years ago, from Greyhound Friends for Life (GFFL), NorCal, in September 2016, after we lost our Greyhound, Wilma, to Osteosarcoma, a few months prior. Barbara, from GFFL selected Brody for us. He was a big, goofy, sweet boy, rescued by super GFFL volunteers, from the horrendous race track in Tucson, AZ.

Brody loved to fetch

Brody was a big boy — the largest Greyhound we’ve ever had, at 75 lbs. We called him our, “Gentle Giant”. He truly was. He had a very excellent temperament, and was so easy going. He loved to play with tennis and doggy balls, and he loved to fetch. He would hide the balls in corners and behind objects in the yard so that the other dogs wouldn’t take them. He ran like the wind in our front and back yards. He ate like a horse and loved his treats. He was such a happy soul. His favorite place was on our sectional sofa, lying upside down, sleeping with a big grin on his face. As he grew older, sometimes he couldn’t hold it and would go into one of our bathrooms and aim to pee in one of our toilets. Hilarious!

Happy, happy Brody

Brody became our alpha, and he was a kind one, teaching the others to be patient. He’d lie on the kitchen floor, as we prepared the food, and the other dogs followed suit. He was all love, and loved to be pet and cuddled.

Smiling Brody

He started to get picky about his food in October, 2021, and we knew that something wasn’t right. Later in the month, we took him in for an exam, then to a specialist, thinking something may be wrong with his heart. The ultrasound revealed that he had lesions on his liver, which indicated the very worst type of liver cancer that a dog can get. We ordered the recommended herbs to help support him, as we knew that this was best for him. Brody made it until mid-November. We went out for a bit for dinner. When we came home, he was lying by the Christmas tree, almost comatose. He had been bleeding from his mouth. We knew that it was time to let him go, so we called the emergency vet. They took him in right away and very gently and kindly put him to rest. We know that he would not have made it through the night.

We cried our eyes out that night and beyond. We so miss our big boy every day. A few days after his cremation, we received the plaque with his paw print and a few bits of his beautiful black and some white fur.

Since he left us, we adopted a beautiful Borzoi rescue from South Korea, Joy. She has helped heal our hearts from, yet another, loss of one of our beloved dogs.

Brody, we miss you so much. You were taken way too soon. You deserved to have more time here with us. But we know that you are in God’s loving arms, waiting for us to hug you once again, and to throw your favorite ball so that you can fetch it. We love you forever, sweet Brody.

Rest well, sweet Brody

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings. Levi sends happiness.

Our lovely first Scooby Galga, Bless
Our handsome Scooby Podenco, Levi

Celebrating My 19th Visit to Scooby - Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 21:50:00 +0000

Scooby Galgos

So Good to be Back at Scooby

Madrid's Chamartin Train Station

The fourth day, it was time to rise and shine to catch the early train from Madrid to Scooby, in Medina del Campo.  Caught the fast train from Madrid (one hour), then took a cab directly to Scooby.  I cannot tell you how much joy I felt when the taxi drove up to the entrance. The sights, sounds and smells brought me right back to my roots. I took some time to tour the sanctuary, meet old and new friends, and visit the animals.

Me and my Galgo Mix Buddy

I Wondered How Much Things Had Changed After Two Years

Headed to the Hotel Reina Isabel in Medina to unpack, get some dinner, a few groceries and some rest.  I love that little hotel and the staff.  I was so delighted to see that most all of the same people work there, as they have for years, and that they made it through the virus safely, thus far.  It was as clean and comfortable as ever, and I slept like a rock.

I was curious to see how Medina del Campo would be since the virus struck.  It was very much the same. Most all of restaurants and shops were open, and I was happy to see that a new Gadis grocery store opened and was very close to the hotel. Most days, I bought food there and made lunch and dinner instead of going out.

Downtown Medina del Campo

The Scooby Animals

Such Wonderful Animals to Love

It was so great to be back at Scooby, as I wondered how things would be after the devastation of the virus.  Lots of improvements, including fences, security cameras, new perimeter paddocks and even a puppy paddock. The staff made it through these difficult times and continues to do their good work of rescuing so many animals.


Enjoyed seven days at Scooby, getting to know the animals, cleaning, feeding, socializing and cuddling with them. I noted that there were several empty paddocks, which is quite unusual. But considering the impact of the virus, so many things have changed.  There were a few dozen Galgos, most of whom were reserved for transport and adoption.  There were also a few dozen Podencos, Bull Terriers, Mastins, and a number of mixed breeds, large, medium and small. There were a couple of dozen adorable puppies. There were many cats and kittens of all sorts.  On the farm, there were horses, a bull, donkeys, goats and sheep.  There were many chickens and my personal favorite, a white turkey, who was very friendly and sweet.


I Loved This Turkey! So sweet

The weather was really warm when I arrived in Madrid, and then in Medina del Campo, it became very chilly and windy in the mornings with gradual warming throughout the day.  The evenings were quite cool and the sunrises and sunsets were stunning. 

Back to Madrid

After my seventh day at Scooby, I caught the fast train back to Madrid. There was some confusion about which station to go to, as I wasn’t able to purchase my tickets online.  But I learned that you can purchase tickets at both stations.  The new fast station has a ticket kiosk and the old station has a clerk at the ticket desk.  The old train is for commuters and makes more stops. The new train takes one hour and only stops once in Segovia.  Ticket price is about 24 Euros each way.  Everyone wears masks on the trains and in the stations.  In fact, about 80% of the people wore masks on the streets, and you could not enter any public building without a mask. The train station employees were kind and helpful.

The Fast Train Station in Medina del Campo

I stayed two more nights at the same hotel, Atlantico, in Madrid.  It's close to great restaurants and shopping, so I had the chance to visit some old familiar places and discovered some new.

My Cozy Room at Hotel Atlantico, Madrid

It was amazing to see very long lines of people waiting to purchase their Christmas lottery tickets. There we many people out and about, and the Christmas decorations were up.

Found a Cool New Food Court with Views

The Long Line for Christmas Lottery Tickets

Had to have a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours before flying.  Was able to get my test, in my room at the hotel, for 45 Euros.  Had all of the necessary paperwork to exit Spain and enter the U.S.

The Journey Back Home

I so wished that I could have brought some dogs back for adoption, but the American Airlines embargo on cargo animals continued. Hoping it's over so I can bring some in the Spring. As it ended up, in the morning that I was to leave, I received a text from American that my flight to Dallas was delayed due to thunderstorms.  I had a chance to sleep in a bit.  Got ready and caught a cab to the airport near Noon.  Had a smooth flight with empty seats next to mine, allowing me to spread out.  Had a three hour layover in Dallas. Caught some dinner at the airport before boarding.  The plane going to San Diego was completely packed and had engine problems, delaying us for 45 minutes more.  We were the last flight to arrive in San Diego after 12 a.m.  I was going to catch a Lyft or Uber home, but no response that late at night, so I called my husband, who picked me up at the airport and brought me home. All of my dogs were so glad to see me, and I them.  Rolled into bed and dreamt about my trip.  It really was like a dream to be back in Spain and at Scooby, and I'm so thankful that I had the chance to go again.

Next trip to Spain and Scooby will be late April through early May.  My husband will be traveling with me this time, and we plan an excursion to Mallorca for a few days.  Hope to bring a dog or two back.  But not sure if we'll be able to.

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings. Levi sends happiness.

Our lovely first Scooby Galga, Bless
Our handsome Scooby Podenco, Levi

Celebrating My 19th Visit to Scooby - Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 05:57:00 +0000

Madrid

Can I actually go?

It had been two years since my last vacation anyplace, except one weekend in San Diego. I so wanted to go to Spain and Scooby again. Made reservations in the Spring, always watching how things were progressing with fighting off the virus. I checked in with some friends who had recently traveled to Spain and other parts of Europe, and they assured me that it would be safe to go.

So, with some trepidation, armed with double Pfizer vaccines and annual flu shot, the days inched forward. I had to make a final decision to go or not. The still small voice inside told me to go while I had the chance. I decided that I would go and started doing research on what I needed to do to prepare for the trip.

Spain issues a QR Code for Entry

Preparations for the Trip

First task was to check airline requirements. I wanted to bring a couple of dogs back for adoption, but American Airlines still had a cargo pet travel ban in place, and it seemed intimidating to deal with getting myself to Spain and back, let alone bringing dogs too. Next I had to find out what was necessary to enter Spain. I learned that you have to go to the Spain immigration site, register, enter your passport, flight, where you are staying and whether or not you’ve been vaccinated. If not, they require a negative COVID test within three days of your trip. They then send you a confirmation link. Then two to three days before you leave, you have to complete your registration. If successful, they send you a QR code that you show after you pass through immigration. I also used the VeriFLY app that American recommended, which made it easier to check in at the San Diego airport.

Yay! Flying into Spain

Traveling to Spain

The first leg flight to Dallas was completely full, and a three hour flight. They served soft drinks and biscuits. Masks are mandatory during all flights. There was no entertainment, save using their WiFi to view movies and listen to music. None of us could connect though to use it. Had a short layover, then boarded the very large plane to Madrid. The flight wasn’t full, so our middle seat mate was able to move to an aisle, giving me and my aisle mate extra room in the middle to stretch out. The plane had onboard entertainment, with individual screens for each passenger. During the long nine hour flight, saw a couple of good movies, “The Father” and an intriguing documentary, “The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52”. They provided a full dinner and breakfast service. The attendants were steadfast in enforcing the mask mandate. No one made any trouble on either flight.

Landing in Madrid

Good to be Back in Madrid

Arrived in Madrid a bit early, around 9 a.m. Easily moved through immigration, health check, where they scanned the QR code, and then to collect my baggage. Caught a cab to the very excellent Hotel Atlantico on Gran Via. Thankful that they let me check in early. Got settled in and took a much needed nap. Got up and did a good walk about to some of my favorite haunts: the Azotea del Círculo rooftop bar, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Mercado San Miguel, among others. The Hotel Atlantico also has two beautiful rooftop terraces that overlook the city. They even have turn down service, which is rare. What a lovely first day!

Lovely Madrid

Wonderful Excursions

Up early the next day for an 11 hour excursion to Salamanca and Ávila. We traveled by bus, with a tour guide. Both cities are so beautiful and have rich histories, landmarks and architecture.

Salamanca

Avila

Up early the next day for another 11 hour excursion to Toledo and Segovia. Again, traveled by bus with two tour guides, one for English and one for Spanish. Both of these cities are breathtakingly gorgeous and rich in history and architecture. It was yet another very excellent day.

Toledo

Segovia

Part 2: Back to Scooby (Stay tuned for more!)

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings. Levi sends happiness.

Our lovely first Scooby Galga, Bless

Our handsome Scooby Podenco, Levi

Losing My Heart Dog, Bones the Scooby Galgo

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 08:01:00 +0000

Yesterday, I lost my heart dog, Bones, to kidney failure. I met him and fell in love four years ago when I visited Scooby Medina in Spain, June, 2017. Here's the story of how we met.

He was very sick, with Leishmaniasis and heart worms, and they did not think that he would live. But I wanted to adopt him and try to help him with good medical care, so I asked for permission to bring him to the U.S.A. Was able to do so in early October of 2017. Here's the story.

This is my tribute to my beloved Bonesy, for whom I am shedding tears of sorrow every day.

From the moment that my Scooby friend, Melissa, introduced me to Bones, I fell in love with him and could not stop thinking about him. He was the most handsome Spanish Galgo, with his long nose, floppy ears, long tail, and sleek physique. Although quite thin, he had been on meds for over a month and was rehabilitating from Leishmaniasis, a horrible disease, which is a parasite passed on by sand flies in the Mediterranean. I later learned that he was from Murcia, in the South of Spain, and was taken to a rescue group who then gave him to Scooby in Medina del Campo, for transport and treatment at the sanctuary. They did not think that he would live, because his kidneys were failing so severely. After I met him and wanted to adopt him, I returned home to California, and inquired about adopting him, along with researching how to care for him, once I brought him home. Everything worked out, and I returned to Spain in September, 2017, to get him.

My regular vet and an Internal Medicine vet in San Jose helped to diagnose the right meds and food to help him recover and maintain. We had almost four wonderful years together.

A few months ago, I noticed that he was losing weight. He began to get picky about eating and often did not want to eat his two regular meals each day. A couple of months ago, he had a physical and blood tests, indicating that his kidneys were failing, Our vet recommended that he see an Internal Medicine vet, once again. With COVID-19, vet visits have been quite a challenge, as the demand is great, and it's difficult to get an appointment. We were on a wait list and able to get in a couple of weeks later. The vet determined that he was in Stage 4 of kidney failure and prescribed meds, supplements and subcutaneous fluids. It worked pretty well for at least five weeks, but we had to get more and more clever about what to feed him, as he did not want to eat much.

A week ago, it became clear that he was declining severely, not eating, losing more weight, drinking lots of water, peeing a lot, horrible breath, and sometimes diarrhea and throwing up. You know in your heart of hearts when they are leaving, and I just knew that our time was short.

Yesterday, he rallied earlier in the day, walking circles through the house and yard, visiting with us, somewhat disoriented, but seeming to want to see and experience everything, and to say, "Goodbye". I called a mobile vet who was to come at 2 p.m. today to put him to rest. Then, about 7:30 p.m. Bones declined severely, trying to lay down and falling down. His back legs completely gave out. After he took a bad fall in the backyard, I called our regular vet for an emergency visit. We took him in at 9:30 p.m. It was awful for my husband to have to pick him up and put him in the back of the car, as he was in so much pain. We sat on the tailgate with him until they brought the gurney around to take him in. We were in a private room for a while to say goodbye, and then the vet came in. She was kind and it was peaceful and quick, as she gave him one shot to sedate him, and then another that stopped his heart. We were looking into each others eyes as he left, and we told him how much we loved him and would miss him. In a few seconds, he was completely free. We hugged and kissed him and took his collars for our dog memorial shrine, and then left with our broken hearts. We did the right thing, and we know it. It's never easy, but when it's time, it is time.

Celebrating Who Bonesy Was

No one ever would have guessed how much character Bonesy had, and it came out, day by day, as he lived his happy new life with us.

He was silly and loved to goof around and tease with me by smiling, laughing, barking and pretend nibbling at me. He used to tuck between my legs when I was standing, like a little horse. He liked to play with toys and balls, He never barked or sang at Scooby, but he did with us and his pack here. His bark was a very deep and loud hound bark, like a lion's roar. He loved running like the wind in our back and front yards, and loved to frolic. He loved treats and food and hanging out in the kitchen to see what I was cooking, My favorite was that he would always come up behind me in the kitchen to nudge me from behind to let me know that he was there. He was pure love, coming to me many times each day and burying his head in my lap for love, cuddles and pets. He liked to sleep with us many nights, and just wanted to be around us all of the time.

Bonesy was love and he was possibly one of the most beloved Galgos who has ever lived. He has an Instagram account,,which we will keep to preserve his legacy. He has many fans and admirers from around the World. He was a humble, gentle soul, a true gentleman, and we shall miss him forever and ever, until we meet again on the other side.

Hasta Luego, my beloved Bonesy. Rest well, my love, until I see you again, as you nudge me to let me know that we are together again.

Hasta Luego, Sweet Sara

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Sat, 14 Nov 2020 04:17:00 +0000

Sweet Sara

Sara's Story

In May, 2013, I received a call from my local Greyhound Rescue group, Greyhound Friends for Life, asking me if we would be willing to foster a Galga, named Sara, who had been rescued from the streets of a small town near Seville, Spain. She was left to die -- emaciated, weak and unable to get up or walk. A group of wonderful volunteers rescued, fostered and brought her back to health. They think that she was used as a brood mom. She had scars all over her body, the worst of which was a "Z" brand carved into her forehead. My friend, Mora, fell in love with Sara from afar, and brought her to the USA, for which we are forever grateful.

We never know how old the Galgos are, since so many are dumped or left to die, but we think that she was at least 6 1/2 years old. We wondered how she had endured so much; but after adopting her, we realized what a strong, resilient spirit she had. She was a very proud, strong Galga, whose spirit could not be broken. Here's her rescue and adoption story.

We fostered Sara for a few days and very quickly and decisively knew that we wanted to adopt her forever. It has been 7 1/2 years of pure love and joy with beautiful Sara.

Our hearts are broken, as we had to let her go yesterday, and we will grieve forever.

The Gift of Sara

Sara was one of the most intelligent, stoic, proud and loving dogs I've ever known. She was beautiful, inside and out. Her eyes were sad and soulful. Her fur became bunny soft, once she ate the good, healthy food we provided. She was the alpha of our pack of five dogs, three Spanish Galgos, a Spanish Podenco and a Greyhound. She was always much more of a people person, preferring people to other dogs. She tolerated the other dogs, but loved all people. She was always a perfect lady and a skilled huntress. Even just last week, when her health was failing, she caught and killed a rat in the backyard, and was prepared to bring the prize in to me, before my husband caught her and took it to the garbage.

She loved us, and was especially close to me over the past several months. She always had to know where I was. She visited me in our sun/workout room, and we spent quality time together, she watching me and relaxing on the futon and me doing the elliptical and yoga and sneaking in pets and kisses here and there. Sometimes, we would share a little snack and watch a good show together on the TV. She loved sneaking past the other dogs to come to the sunroom so that we could be together -- just us.

She loved our bed and sleeping with us. It was her favorite place. She and I would stay up late and sleep in together every day. She wouldn't go to bed until I did. In the morning, after Dad got up, she'd take his spot and we'd sleep in. She always had to cuddle, touch or hug. She slept under and stole most of the blankets. She would tell the other dogs off if they jumped up on the bed, as though she owned it. She loved to play with stuffed animals and relished her treats. She could jump two feet straight up in the air when she was happy. On our mostly sunny days, she loved to bask in the sun for 10-15 minutes each day. She sat in our chairs that dogs would not normally sit in, often taking our chairs when we got up. She was a force!

Saying, "Goodbye"

Over the past year, she has had labored breathing and some other issues with tumors on her chest and tummy area. We recently had three emergency surgeries to remove the tumors. They determined that they were cancerous, but not the type that metastasizes. We also had a cardiologist do a echocardiogram in early September, which revealed fluid around her heart. He said that there was a good chance that it was cancer, and if so, she'd have about 1-3 months. He was right. She still ate well, but she kept losing weight. She became much pickier about what she would eat, but we still were clever enough to think up dishes that she would eat, and hand-fed her.

She was doing quite well over the past few months, until yesterday. She had a restless, sleepless night. My husband woke me up early to tell me that he thought she was dying. She was listless and we could tell something was wrong. He put her on the bed next to me, and we didn't sleep, but we rested together. He kept coming in to check on her. When I got up a few hours later, I noticed that the base of her tongue and her neck were starting to swell and fill with fluid. Around Noon, her tongue looked so awful, and it was blocking her drinking, eating and breathing. I was afraid that it was going to burst, and it was bleeding. I said to my husband that I knew she was going to suffer, and that I had promised her that I would never, ever let her suffer. So we agreed to call a mobile vet to make an appointment to give her rest, which was set for 6 p.m. The waiting was intense.

Her tongue and neck became worse and worse, and we almost took her to our vet at 3 p.m. because it was so horrific, but we feared what the car trip might aggravate. She was very alert, so we decided that we could spend a couple of additional hours with her, comforting her, hugging and kissing her and telling her how much we loved her. We always wanted her to pass at home with us, her favorite place, so we held on and so did she. We played her songs, "Sara" by Fleetwood Mac, "Sara Smile" by Hall and Oats, and the beautiful song that reminds me of her life, which I played for her every night lately, "Clair de Lune". There was an exceptionally beautiful sunset, in honor of the exceptionally beautiful Sara.

The vet came precisely at 6 p.m. He was a very gentle, kind and compassionate person. He knew we had been through this before, but still explained every step. She was on our bed, resting comfortably. "Clair de Lune" played in the background. He gave the first shot, and she finally relaxed her breathing a bit. But she was strong and determined enough that she lifted her head several times to make sure that she saw both of us. After about 15 minutes, he came back in and prepped her for the second shot. Everything was very kindly, carefully and gently done. After about two minutes, she was gone. We were right in front of her, looking into her eyes, the whole time. She went so peacefully and it gave us peace. My husband bundled her up and took her to the vet's car. She was cremated and we will soon have her paw print to add to our shrine of other paw prints and collars from our other beloved pets who have passed.Yesterday was a very difficult and emotional day. Now we face the emptiness and loss knowing that we have to go on without our sweet Sara. She was such a presence and we will miss her every single day. We continue to cry our tears and look for her in her favorite places out of the corners of our eyes.

Sara, we will love you forever and ever, and look forward to the day that we will be reunited in Heaven. Rest well, my love!

19th Visit to Spain and Scooby Dashed by COVID-19

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 09:08:00 +0000

Wishing I Was There at Scooby

The Best-Laid Plans
Everything was set. We had our flights, hotels, rental car, pet/house sitter (my Scooby friend, Melissa, from the U.K.) and plans to meet up with three fellow Scooby volunteers from the East Coast, in Madrid. We were to leave on May 1st. We had planned to stay a few days in Madrid, then on to Medina del Campo and Scooby to volunteer, then on to Salamanca and Porto. After that, back to Madrid and side trips to Toledo and Segovia. My husband, who usually stays at home with our five dogs, was to join me on this trip. It would have been another dream vacation.

But all of our dreams were dashed weeks ago, as we saw the Coronavirus/COVID-19 taking over the World. It is so sad that so many have lost their lives and are so very sick, and that we cannot live our normal lives. Sadly, we don't yet see the end in sight.

I Miss My Scooby Friends, Margot and Nancy, Whom We Were to Travel With

I Miss My Scooby Friend Tony, Whom We Were to Travel With

I Miss My Scooby Friend, Melissa, Whom Was to House/Pet Sit
Here with Bones (She Helped Save His Life)

Celebrating My 9 Year Anniversary Volunteering for Scooby - This Year from Home
Nine years years ago in April, I visited Scooby for the first time, to volunteer and to bring back my first adopted Galga, Bless. (Our lovely girl is a perfect dog and doing great.) In total, Ive made 18 volunteer visits to Scooby, many times bringing dogs to the U.S.A. for adoption. It is sad that I cannot make my19th visit. Hoping for later this year or, more likely, Spring of 2021.

Our First Galga, Bless, is a Blessing

Why Galgos?
Often, I am asked why I go all the way to Spain to rescue dogs. The answer is: because I can and it is in my heart to do so. My love of Greyhounds led me to learning about the plight of the Galgos in Spain. I read an article in my Greyhound magazine, which caused me to research further. I was astounded to learn that thousands of Galgos are mistreated, abused, neglected, abandoned, dumped and killed every year, especially at the end of hunting season (in February), when they are deemed to no longer be useful by their Galgueros.

Many people think that, because they are related to the Greyhound, they are used for racing in Spain. They are not. They are used for hunting and coursing competitions between the Galgueros. They cruelly run their dogs on leashes beside their cars or motorcycles to 'train' them. They breed them at will, then cull the lot to select those they believe will be the best hunters. They don't feed them much because they believe that will make them better hunters. When they compete, they meet at large open areas, set loose a hare, set loose their Galgos, and whichever Galgo catches the hare wins, or rather their Galguero wins.

Galgueros Want to Win

When I first visited Scooby, which is in the heart of the Galgo hunting area, I noticed that the locals in Medina del Campo looked at us as kind of freakish. They watched us in the grocery stores, shops and restaurants, as though we were a bit strange. Why would people come from all across the globe to volunteer in rugged conditions to save dogs that many think of as vermin? I often think of it this way, which may help you understand. They are not seen as pets, they are a tool, like a farm animal, disposable. They do not matter, unless they can win.

The Mistreatment of Galgos is Often Called, "Spain's Shame"

Why Spain?
Nine years later, I do notice a difference. Whether they admit it or not, those of us who visit Spain, and rescue these dogs, have brought a lot of prosperity to the Country. Spain is so very lovely. Everyone should go there. After the U.S., it's my favorite Country. The people and the places are so beautiful. And please know that, like the U.S. here, many people in Spain do not agree with the animal abuse that happens there. It drives me bonkers when people judge all of Spain because of a few pockets of people. When Spain is open again, go there. It will change your life for the better.

I Miss My Beloved Madrid

Why Scooby?
I'm not sure if I found Scooby or Scooby found me. I reached out to a very kind Facebook friend to learn about adopting a Galgo. She sent me the contact information of a very kind Scooby volunteer. I corresponded with her, filled out the adoption papers and selected Bless. The biggest challenge with adopting a Galgo, or any animal from another country, is having someone to transport the animal to you. I decided to do my own transport for Bless. There were two other very kind volunteers going to Spain who invited me to join them. Everything worked out, and I was able to go. I fell in love with the place, the dogs, the cause and the rest is now a nine year history.

Being there is humbling and grounding. It is very basic work, cleaning paddocks and pens, socializing with the dogs and cats, helping with the food and transports, and doing whatever is needed. You can make such a difference each and every day, in very simple ways.

It's Hard to Explain, But This Place Feeds My Soul

Supporting Scooby from Afar
As you can imagine, all of the attention is on Coronavirus/COVID-19. People are hurting, and we need to help in every way that we can. But I believe that we can both help people and animals. If it is in your heart to help causes, such as needy animal shelters, do it! There isn't a whole lot we can do right now, while we are in lockdown. But on the other hand, we can do some very powerful things, such as help raise awareness, donate, help raise funds and advocate. Here are some great things that have been done recently to help Scooby:

Fermin Perez Martin, Scooby Founder and President, currently has a GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/en-estos-dias-de-coronavirus-necesitamos-ayuda?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR1Uur3f2Wzif3q_ZSkZN7THtDrhlkPDbeyS5t0qOUL5ALfedjX8K66uPhw
Huge applause to Christina Azharian Taylor and Dray Taylor, founders and guardians of the Daphne Legacy Tour non-profit, who raise funds and send volunteers to Spain to transport Galgos to the U.S. and place them in homes via Greyhound groups. To date, they have brought 100+ Scooby Galgos to loving homes. Amazing work! Thank you! https://www.facebook.com/daphnelegacytour/
Lucinda Read, Scooby Volunteer, had the brilliant idea of holding a virtual dog show for three needy shelters, one in Ireland and two in Spain, including Scooby, which raised a few hundred Euros for each.
Nancy Young Hanson, fellow Scooby Volunteer, and I held a Facebook auction in the Fall to raise funds for Scooby, which was very successful.
Many people have done birthday and other types of Facebook fundraisers.
Here's more on how to help Scooby: https://www.scoobymedina.org/en/help-us/how-to-help-us

Everything helps, so let's keep it going. If you have ideas, and you think that I can assist, please let me know.

In My Dreams
Some nights, my dreams of Scooby are so real, I feel like I've had another visit. For the Star Trekkies, I so wish that I could beam myself there whenever I want. For the Whovians, I wish the Doctor would pick us up in the TARDIS and drop us there.

Wishing I Was at Scooby

Until I can return, I will do what I can to help. I will love and spoil my two Scooby Galgos, Bless and Bones (Huesos) and Scooby Podenco, Levi, Galga, Sara, and Greyhound, Brody. I will donate my money and time whenever possible. I will help to raise awareness, advocate and be another voice for helping to save the most precious Gaglos.

Soon, Scooby, Soon

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings. Sara sends smiles. Bones sends kisses and hugs. Levi sends happiness.

Our lovely Galga, Bless

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara

Our regal Galgo, Bones

Our handsome Podenco, Levi

18th Visit to Scooby - I Love This Place!

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Sat, 29 Feb 2020 08:31:00 +0000

Sweet Scooby Galgo Waiting for Love

8 Years and 18 Visits to Scooby

My 18th visit to Spain and Scooby in September/October 2019, proved to be another very special, rewarding and fulfilling trip. I had the now-normal flight delay from San Diego to Dallas to Madrid and arrived a few hours later than planned in Madrid.

Madrid is One of My Favorite Cities

Met up with my travel companion, Nancy, at the cozy Hostel Barrera. Had a nap and then went to a lovely neighborhood tapas spot. Later that evening, we wandered in the neighborhood and stumbled upon a teeny cool old restaurant that had an excellent jazz band.

Super Cool Jazz Band We Stumbled Upon

We waited for our third companion, Margot, and let her settle in for our adventures. Together, we did so many wonderful and fun things, including visiting unique restaurants and bars, shops, sightseeing, tours, and we so enjoyed each other’s company.

My Two Lovely Travel Companions, Margot and Nancy

We traveled to Scooby Medina del Campo, on the fast train this time, my first. Drops you at a location just outside of Medina. Cabs are always inexpensive and friendly drivers locally. Easy to get to Scooby to meet the Staff and check in. Ended up that it was a very busy time of year for tourism in Medina. I think because this area of Spain is becoming popular for wineries. Luckily, I had booked a room at Hotel la Mota, prefer Reina Isabel, but all booked at that time. Margot and I shared a room, which was very affordable, and Nancy stayed in a Scooby Casa.

Scooby is So Special to Me

At Scooby, we met and loved as many animals as we could. We cleaned paddocks and helped wherever needed. There were other Slovenian volunteers there, doing very important medical work, which we are grateful for. We also met up with the Daphne Legacy Tour Fall team, who has now brought over 100 Scooby Galgos to the USA for adoption through greyhound groups. God bless them for this noble work that they do.

This is a very good time of year to visit the shelter. There are so many animals who need homes, and good work is being done every day to place them. Scooby has transports that go out monthly to European countries: Holland, Germany, France, Italy, Slovenia, among others. Canada and the USA are also very important adoption partners, which is heartwarming. Nancy, Margot and I met so many lovely animals, and we always have our specials in each paddock, usually because they need that extra love and protection.

Scooby Galgos Want Your Love

So Many Dogs to Love, I'm Always in Heaven!

Butterfly and Lucas Coming to California

I met my two Galgos, to be adopted via Greyhound Friends for Life, the most breathtaking Butterfly (now Lily Electra) and Lucas, the most handsome one. Lily was selected for adoption by a wonderful California couple, prior to my visit, and Lucas was selected by me because he needed to get out of the shelter and into a home ASAP. Both were a joy, even in the shelter, which says a lot about their temperament and character.

Butterfly, Now Lily Electra, Living the BIG Life in California

Lucas Was Adopted Quickly by a Family in Northern California

Back to Madrid

Nancy, Margot and I stayed a few more nights at another very fine hostel in Madrid, visited more super-cool haunts and had a blast. Nancy left one day before me and traveled through JFK, bringing more Galgos to the USA. Margot stayed another several days to visit the South of Spain for other adventures.

Me and Margot Having a Glass of Blue Wine in Madrid

Coming Home

Scooby’s Marcos brought my two Galgos to the Madrid airport and everything went very smoothly. Had a direct Iberian flight to San Francisco this time, which was a dream. Once we arrived, I waited for over 90 minutes for the dogs to be delivered in the cargo area. The Customs agents helped me expedite and then were so kind about checking their paperwork and passing us through. Margery and Bill were eagerly awaiting Lily’s arrival, and rock star Julie was waiting for Lucas, both just outside the gate. My Sister, Mary, and Brother-in-law, Dan, along with a special guest, one of my college housemates, Christa, all came to pick me up at the airport. We had a delicious dinner and then time to catch up. It was another magical trip!

Lily and Lucas Coming to Their Forever Homes in the USA

19th Trip Plans

Once again, another fulfilling trip, my 18th. Stay tuned for my 19th. Darrell and I plan to travel and meet up with dear Scooby friends (coronavirus permitting), Nancy, Margot and Tony and meeting up at the shelter in early May, with extra time touring Spain and Portugal. Melissa, my dear friend will house and pet sit for us. We wanted to bring 2-4 Galgos back for adoption via Greyhound Friends for Life, but have run into issues with our booking upon return. Still hoping to work with Iberian Airlines to be able to bring dogs back. Seems such a shame to go all of that way and not be able to save a few more precious souls.

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings. Sara sends smiles. Bones sends kisses and hugs. Levi sends happiness.

Our lovely Galga, Bless

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara

Our regal Galgo, Bones

Our handsome Podenco, Levi

Traveling to Spain? Consider becoming a Flight Angel and transporting dogs to the U.S.A.
Help Scooby build the NEW and much needed Puppy Shelter in 2020.

Adopting Levi, the Scooby Spanish Podenco

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 04:18:00 +0000

Levi

This story begins with the loss of our beloved Jake, an American Eskimo dog, whom I mourn every day since he passed in July, 2019. Call us "crazy dog people", because we are. Even with three Galgos and a Greyhound, our house seemed so quiet and missing something extra special without Jake.

I was looking at the Scooby dogs to select which I would bring back to the USA for adoption, and this young handsome Podenco/Galgo mix dog struck me as one that would be perfect. I inquired about him and reserved him right away, all of the time thinking that he would be for someone else, via Greyhound Friends for Life, my adoption group. As my husband and I discussed things, we decided that if the fates would bring him to us before my rescue trip to Spain in late September, we would adopt him as our own. Shortly thereafter, Michelle, from SAGE (Save A Galgo Espanol) offered a spot on a transport from Madrid to Los Angeles. I messaged her, and was able to get Levi on the transport with a very kind flight patron. Darrell and I drove to LAX to pick up Levi on Friday the 13th, 2019. Everything went well, and we were able to help with the other dogs transported that day.

Levi is so handsome

Levi uses our hot tub as his look-out tower

Levi has taken over the hammock in our back yard

Originally, we thought that Levi was a Galgo, but he is SO much a Podenco (mix), and I've always wanted to adopt one, so am delighted to learn about having this special boy in our pack. He is a riot! So much energy, life and love. He runs the front and back yards like they are his race tracks, loves to play with toys and has look-outs in high places, such as our hot tub and hammock. He plays and plays and plays. So much energy sometimes, that he makes us tired. He does chew things, which we are working on, But he is so doggone sweet and silly, with his endearing groaning with pleasure when he is happy, to his grunting like a piggy, when he is super happy in the mornings and when we return home.

We love our Levi, and we are so grateful to Scooby for saving him from a terrible fate, and the adoption, paperwork and airport transport, SAGE for the transport and flight patron, and everyone who helps support what we do to rescue these dogs.

He sleeps

All of us who are involved with this animal rescue work are committed to saving as many of these souls as possible from neglect, abuse, abandonment and death every year in Spain, all for the selfishness of hunting and for possessing the very best hunter. Let's save more of these precious souls in 2020. How to help.

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings. Sara sends smiles. Bones sends kisses and hugs. Levi sends happiness.

Our lovely Galga, Bless

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara

Our regal Galgo, Bones

Our handsome Podenco/Galgo, Levi

Traveling to Spain? Consider becoming a Flight Angel and transporting dogs to the U.S.A.

Joining Forces with Daphne Legacy Tour, 17th Visit to Scooby, April, 2019

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Sun, 08 Sep 2019 06:32:00 +0000

Scooby Galgos Look for Love

In April, 2019, it was my 17th visit to Scooby. This visit marks 8 1/2 years of volunteer work at Scooby. I spent a few lovely days in Madrid before taking the train to Medina del Campo. Stayed in a hostel near the hustle and bustle of Puerta del Sol, and saw the amazing Easter parade. I realized that it is a huge party area, and people are up until 6 a.m., so I downloaded a white noise app for my phone to drown out the hooting and hollering.

Easter Parade in Madrid

Last year, I was in touch with Christina Azaharian Taylor from Daphne Legacy Tour (DLT). She had formed a non-profit in honor of her beloved Galga, Daphne, whom she had adopted from a rescue group in Barcelona. Her mission is to work with Greyhound groups who want to adopt out Spanish Galgos into loving homes in the USA, and to transport them. Chris' organization is sponsored by Friends of Retired Greyhounds in Denver, led by Lee Simpson and a crew of dedicated volunteers who work with both non-profits to save and place dogs into forever homes. My greyhound rescue group, Greyhound Friends for Life (Barb Judson), put us in touch with each other.

Chris was contacting various Galgo rescue organizations in Spain, and many were skeptical because she had not brought lots of dogs to the USA. I introduced her to my Scooby Medina del Campo family (because, selfishly, I want Scooby dogs to be rescued), and all of the doors opened. She was able to bring 24 Galgos back on her first trip last year, and together, we brought 39 in April, 2019, who are now in loving homes. In October, 2019, 37 more will be transported to the USA, as well by DLT. Amazing work! God bless you all for saving these precious souls.

On this visit, I stayed in my favorite hotel in Medina del Campo, the Reina Isabel. Comfy and cozy always, and great staff. Chris and her husband, Dray, had rented a very large van, and kindly picked me and a few other volunteers up there in the mornings to bring us to the shelter, and then dropped us off at night. We had several very nice dinners together, as well as some excursions to Salamanca, Zamora and Madrid. Our main focus was on meeting and preparing the Galgos for their transports. We gave some baths, prepared kennels, Chris and crew did all of the much-more-complicated paperwork for all 39 dogs, which was a feat in itself.

Salamanca

Zamora

We returned on various flights over three days and the Scooby team helped us get all of the dogs and kennels safely to the Madrid airport, some traveling through Chicago, others through JFK in New York. Some of us met with new obstacles and red tape related to USA Immigration and Customs. Ended up that I was rerouted from Madrid to JFK to Chicago because American downsized all of their planes. Huge hassle. Had to go from Madrid to Chicago to San Jose, and paid an extra $1,000 for me and the two Galgos. I will provide a separate posting about tips for getting through the new rules for bringing dogs to the USA from another country.

The two dogs that I brought to NorCal were both adopted very quickly and are in their loving forever homes. I keep asking myself if I can do this work much longer, but after all of the dust settles and they go from rags to riches, I know that I can! Absolutely!

Pumuki - Adopted!

Estabon - Adopted!

Stay tuned! I am leaving for Madrid on 9/20/19 to bring two more Galgo souls to their forever homes. Meeting up with wonderful friends, who will also bring dogs to the USA. Will share our experiences with you when we return.

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings! Sara sends smiles! Bones sends kisses and hugs!

Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara!

Bonesey sends hugs and kisses!

Traveling to Spain? Consider becoming a Flight Angel and transporting dogs to the U.S.A.

Goodbye Jake - A Tribute

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 07:55:00 +0000

Jake
Our Sweet American Eskimo

This is Jake's story.

What is the tie to my galgo blog? He was a beloved and invaluable pack mate across all of our dogs and cats over the past 12 years, including Sophie, our black lab mix, Jocko, our Chihuahua/Dachshund mix, Daisy, our first greyhound, Wilma, our second greyhound, Brody, our third greyhound, Bless, Sara and Bones, our three galgos, and three of our cats, Cleo, Gabe and Frank. Sadly, we lost him on July 3, 2019, just two days before his 12th birthday.

I used to tell him his story, almost every day:

One day, I went to my yoga class at the YMCA in Saratoga, CA, and while walking to the room, I ran into two of the teens who worked at the front desk. They had the cutest little puppy that I've ever seen in my life on a leash, and he and I made a connection immediately. It was LOVE at first sight! I made ga ga over him and asked who he belonged to. They didn't know. He had wondered into the building and one teen who lived in the neighborhood said that he had seen him wondering around here and there for a few days. I kept thinking about him all during class, and told my instructor, Barb about him, and hoped that she could see him too. When class ended, I rushed to the desk to ask about him, and he was still with the staff in the lobby. Barb got to see him and scratch his belly, as he rolled over for love. I was convinced that whomever his parents were, they would grieve over losing the cutest puppy I've ever seen.

I asked the staff what they planned to do with him. They planned to put up Lost Dog posters and would try to see if they could find his home. They didn't know what to do with him overnight. We had three dogs at that time, so I offered to take him home for the night and take him to my Vet the next day to check for a chip. They agreed. I loaded him into the back seat of the SUV, and then called my husband to let him know about the surprise. "Guess what?" "What?" "Guess what I have?" "A dog." "How did you know?" "I know you!"

Jake was welcomed and fit right in with all of our three dogs immediately. He acted like he had always lived in our house. When Darrell came home, Jake greeted him at the door with the other dogs, as though he was always ours. That first night, we had him on our bed between us, and he slept like an angel, like he was always ours and belonged there. Of course, we fell in love with him.

The next day, I took him to the Vet. They checked, and he did have a chip. The Tech called the chip company to learn more. We found out that he had come from Oregon, and was registered there with the name Garth. They then put the Tech in touch with the woman who registered the chip. She worked for a Vet in Oregon. The Tech relayed their conversation. He had come from a puppy mill. He was a rescue, and the only survivor of his litter, as all had Parvo virus. He was a 100% AKC registered American Eskimo. The Vet she worked for nursed him to health, she adopted him and gave him to her sister, who lived in Saratoga. Her sister was going through hard personal times, had cats and was impatient with having a puppy. He was only six months old, and she put him out into the streets. I relayed that we wanted him. She said that if her sister did not respond within three days, he was our dog. Three days passed, and we even tried to call her, but no response. She didn't want him, which to me, was crazy. But it was our lucky day. We changed his ownership to us and renamed him, Jake, which suited him perfectly.

Jake was our angel dog. We always said to each other, "Where did he come from?" He brought so much joy, energy, fun, love and light to our lives, each and every day. He was a live wire, always playing, barking, wanting to give and receive love. He was my guardian angel. Whenever he went outside or we went anyplace, he would run into the house and look everywhere until he found me. He would not go to sleep until I did. He came to check on me numerous times every day or laid near wherever I was to watch over me. We had such a special connection. I had special songs that I sang to him, "How much is that doggy in the window?" and one that I made up, "You can keep the prettiest puppy that you ever did see." He would lay in my arms and I would sing him his songs. He loved stuffed animal toys and treats, digging holes, guarding his home, and barking at anything he felt like. We had 11 1/2 years of pure love and joy.

In September, 2018, we moved from Jake's original home in West San Jose, to Carlsbad, CA. We feel like we live in paradise here, and the dogs love it. Jake has had a glorious 11 months here. We noticed that he had been failing, but we did not realize how serious it was. Over the course of the past 4 weeks, he fell very ill and even with excellent Vet care, there was nothing that we could do to keep him here with us. Exactly one week ago, he passed away peacefully in his sleep. I knew he was leaving us that day, and stayed up until 2:30 a.m., singing him his songs, telling him his story, and telling him to let go, Woke at 5:15 a.m. and he was gone. We cried our tears and are still grieving. The Vet Tech came and took him for cremation. We have his paw print as another memory, along with those of our other babies we've lost. The music that his life brought us has stopped, and we go on alone without him. The World became lonelier last Wednesday when we lost another piece of our hearts.

Jake - Just a few days before we lost him :-(

Jake, we love you and miss you so much. Looking forward to seeing you in Heaven, our angel dog.

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings! Sara sends smiles! Bones sends kisses and hugs!

Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara!

Bonesey sends hugs and kisses!

Traveling to Spain? Consider becoming a Flight Angel and transporting dogs to the U.S.A.

Please support Scooby and Greyhound Friends for Life.

Sweet 16th Visit to Scooby in Spain, 8 Years of Love

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 07:52:00 +0000

Scooby Galgos

This was my 16th visit to Scooby to volunteer and to transport galgos to the USA for adoption, in late November, 2018.

Madrid Skyline

Decided to travel to Spain a couple of days early to spend some time in one of my favorite cities, Madrid, before my travel companions arrived. Stayed in a small apartment near Plaza Mayor, close to all of the action. Had time to catch up from jet lag and visit my favorite haunts. One of my friends arrived on day three and I stayed in a lovely boutique hotel for one night and day, as we waited for our third friend who flew in that evening. We all met at the airport, picked up our rental car and drove to Medina del Campo to the Hotel Reina Isabel to rest up for our first full day at Scooby.

Galgos Ready for Forever Homes

We spent five days at Scooby as volunteers, cleaning paddocks, socializing and loving dogs, helping with loading up a transport of dogs for Germany and unloading a bread truck with food for the dogs. It was a wonderful experience, as always.

We drove to Salamanca and visited for a few hours (cool city).

Salamanca

Then returned to Madrid and had a great BnB flat City Central, from which we walked to see many sights and experienced great restaurants.

We also had a heartwarming day trip to 112carlotagalgos.com to visit their lovely family, dogs and sanctuary in Malaga, southern Spain.

112 Carlota Galgos Yearning for Attention

All too soon, it was time to return home. One friend adopted two Scooby galgos, a boy and girl, and returned to California with both. Another took two to California for adoption via Greyhounds Friends for Life. That day that I was to fly, we learned that since the weather was too cold in JFK (NYC), they would not fly the dogs. Since I am retired, I decided to stay in Madrid until the weather got warmer in NYC. So the two galgos bound for NY had to wait back at Scooby, I waited and had an extended stay in Madrid for four days. Of course, it was so lovely being able to spend extra time in Madrid, and I even took a day trip to Toledo as well, which is one of the coolest places I've ever seen!

Beautiful Toledo

Once I was able to travel through JFK, it all went smooth. Scooby brought the two galgos to the Madrid airport, we waited and had some changes (as usual), we went through security with the dogs, I got to the terminal and had time for lunch, we boarded, and off to JFK. This time was a charm because I met a wonderful JFK TSA agent who had met the folks who were waiting for our galgos, and he helped me get the two dogs through Customs in seconds. The couple who picked up the two galgos were amazed, as was I, that everything was so easy. I had time to relax before my flight to SFO. Once in San Francisco, my Sister, Mary, and Brother-in-law, Dan, picked me up and I enjoyed a night with them in the SF Bay Area. Even had a tour of our old house we sold in July 2018.

Since my trip, both of the galgos that my friend adopted are doing great, the two brought back by my other friend are doing well and will soon be ready for adoption, and the two that I brought to NYC are in loving homes and doing fantastic.

Handsome and Shy Gabino

Handsome Pilo

I am returning to Spain and Scooby in April to work with a wonderful group of 7 volunteers who are part of the Daphne Legacy Tour, a non-profit whose charter is to transport rescued galgos from Spain to the USA. We will bring a record 30+ galgos to the USA between the 8 of us, and all will go to Greyhound groups and will be placed in loving homes. I am so proud and happy to be part of this group, and I thank Christina and Dray for all of their efforts. They are true Rock Stars, as this is not easy!

Please stay tuned for more updates and information.

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings! Sara sends smiles! Bones sends kisses and hugs!

Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara!

Bonesey sends hugs and kisses!

Traveling to Spain? Consider becoming a Flight Angel and transporting dogs to the U.S.A.

Please support Scooby,Greyhound Friends for Life, and Daphne Legacy Tour.

Spring 2018: Best of Times with Marie in Germany and with Nancy and Nancy in Spain

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Sun, 02 Sep 2018 07:54:00 +0000

Spring 2018 Trip

Galgo Puppy :-)

In April, 2018, I made a visit to my dear friend, Marie in Aachen, Germany, and then met up with my two other dear ones, Nancy Young Hanson and Nancy Waddell, fellow Scooby volunteers, in Medina del Campo, Spain. I am so overdue in telling you about this wonderful trip.

Germany

Me and Marie!

Flew into Aachen via SFO to London. Great flight with extra seat in between made it more relaxing. Fun to be in London for a brief time. I so want to spend more time there! Crazy gate change had all of us running to our connection to Aachen. All worked out and, once again, had an entire row to myself on the connection. Arrived to meet up with my dear, Marie and beloved Scooby dog, Abba, at the airport. I'm always so delighted that Abba remembers me, every time I visit. Dogs have such an amazing memory! Marie and I had such a wonderful visit, as always. I had a lot of time to rest and catch up on sleep, while she tutored her pupils on the piano. Brilliant work, and she loves and cares for each and every student so much. The highlight of this visit was having one of the best dinners ever with Marie's Mother in Trier. She had a very special 4 course dinner for us, and it was so fabulous. I will never forget it! We also had a lovely tour of Trier, which is a magical German village that everyone would love to visit. On the morning of my flight to Spain, we ran into terrible traffic on the Autobahn, which caused me to miss my flight by about 15 minutes. Marie came to the rescue and we had another unexpected day to enjoy together, which ended up being another gift. Thanks you so much, Marie, for your hospitality and for everything. Looking forward to our next visit!

Marie's Mom, Me and Marie!

Spain and Scooby

Since I had to change plans for my connecting trip to Spain, I decided to fly in as soon as possible, which ended up being late evening, and then booked a hotel room right by the train station, so that I could leave from Madrid to Medina del Campo early morning. Worked out great. Price was right, nice hotel and walking distance to the station. Got into Medina early afternoon, checked in, freshened up and met up with Nancy and Nancy, my two fellow volunteers from the East Coast, USA. We had a nice chat and then on to Scooby to meet the dogs! We spent some time there, as they had already been the day before, and then went back to the hotel and town for dinner and then rest. Two lovely companion travelers, and we all had so much fun! :-)

Happy Scooby Galgo :-)

We had a fulfilling visit and time working at Scooby. We met and fell in love with the dogs, cleaned pens, socialized them and helped where needed. For all of us, it is soul food to be at Scooby with the animals.

Scooby Galgos Going to Forever Homes :-)

Surprise Trip to Segovia

Much to our surprise and delight, our friend, Sabine, who lives near Medina del Campo, offered to take us on a special trip to Segovia, one of the most beautiful places that I've ever seen! She picked us up at the hotel and took us on the grand tour of the entire village. It was unbelievably gorgeous! Thank you so much, Sabine, for this wonderful, magical day! :-)

A Few Days in Madrid

We had three nights in Madrid, staying at a wonderful Hostel, downtown, that Nancy Young Hanson booked for us. Loved the staff, place, room, peacefulness and so economical. What a find! We walked all over town and into interesting places that I've never been. Madrid is so walkable and safe. I always feel at home there. We went to the Prado Museum and enjoyed our day there, as well as visiting our familiar haunts. We saw another excellent Flamenco show, visited some very cool restaurants and bars that Nancy Young Hanson had the genius to find, and had a fabulous time.

Our Hostel

Me and Nancy and Nancy :-)

Flamenco Show in Madrid

Bringing Timon and Aurin to California

On this trip, I brought two very handsome galgos to the USA, Timon and Aurin. I had met Timon in June, 2017, and knew that he was a very shy male, found with a little girlie puppy, Nymeria, who has a wonderful life in Vancouver. They thought he may be her daddy. To date, he is still being fostered and will be placed in the perfect home in NorCal. Aurin is the other galgo that I brought, and he has since been adopted to a wonderful home in NorCal. We traveled from Madrid through JFK and then to SFO, and all went well. We brought both dogs to our home for one night, and then Julie, from Greyhound Friends for Life, picked them up and took them to Windsor. Both are happy and doing well! Thank you GFFL!

24 Scooby Galgos Come to the USA!

On another note, we had the good fortune to join forces with Daphne Legacy Tour Group, headed by Christina Azharian Taylor. She and her partners rescued and brought back 24, yes 24, Scooby galgos for adoption in the USA. Their efforts were astounding and we love them so much for loving and finding loving homes for the 24, including Jayne, adopted by Christina and Dray. We love you so much! :-)

Timon!

Aurin and Timon!

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings! Sara sends smiles! Bones sends kisses and hugs!

Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara!

Bonesey sends hugs and kisses!

Traveling to Spain? Consider becoming a Flight Angel and transporting dogs to the U.S.A.

Please support Scooby and Greyhound Friends for Life.

Bringing Bones Home

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 06:43:00 +0000

Scooby 14th Visit: On a Mission to Bring Bones Home

My Bones, My Heart

Gotta Get Bones!

In September, 2017, I returned to Scooby to bring my heart dog, Bones (Huesos), home to California. It was another of my very best trips to Spain. The weather was perfect and all travel went smoothly. In my previous blog posting, I wrote about Bones and how I had fallen in love with him. Fermin, Scooby President and Founder, agreed that I could adopt Bones because he knew that I would take excellent care of him and he would have such a great life with us in California. Off I went on another Scooby adventure!

NOTE: Follow Bones on Instagram: BonesTheScoobyGalgo. Hoping to get enough followers to raise funds for Scooby.

Bones When Rescued from Murcia

Bones Looks So Sad and Sick - But.... He is a New Man Now!

Bones was rescued by Scooby from Murcia in the Spring of 2017. Of course, he was surrendered by his galguero, I guess. He was a horrific case of neglect, with Leishmania and was heart worm positive. They did the one month Leishmania treatment on him at Scooby, but his kidneys were compromised. They did not expect him to survive.

Enter Margie Easter, friends with super-hero volunteer, Melissa Beamish, in June 2017. Melissa introduces her special Bones to Margie and she falls deeply in love with him -- so much so that she left and decided to go back to Scooby to bring him home, if he could make the long journey to California, half-way around the World. Fermin had more blood tests run on Bones and I reviewed them with my local Vet to ensure that he could make the trip. He felt that they could truly help Bones, so I booked my ticket and returned in September to get my Boy!

Melissa is the One Who Saved My Bones for Me - Thank You!

Journey to Scooby

Had a smooth flight on American Airlines from SFO to JFK and then on to Madrid. Took the train from Madrid to Medina del Campo and then a cab to the comfy Reina Isabel Hotel in Medina, freshened up and then Melissa fetched me from the hotel to Scooby.

Downtown Medina del Campo

The first place we visited was Bones' pen in Quarantine #9. He remembered me! It was such a joyful reunion.

Melissa took me around to visit all of the dogs and shared their most interesting stories. I was tired because of the 9 hour time change, so she took me back to the hotel and I turned in early to get a good night's rest and to be ready for my first full day at Scooby.

Days at Scooby

I am Going Home!

Galgos All Ready to go to Forever Homes

Gorgeous and Friendly Brother and Sister

Fantastic days at Scooby, working with Melissa and the other volunteers. Lots of loving for the dogs, cats and other animals, including visiting the farm horses, goats, sheep, cows, ducks, geese and perimeter dogs.

The Scooby Farm

Special volunteers this visit included four ladies from Slovenia, two from Belgium and a couple from Switzerland. Everyone worked so hard and seemed to enjoy their experience at Scooby.

Bones is Spoiled by the Belgian Volunteers

Bones Being Spoiled by the Slovenian Volunteers

Nymeria: A Happy Story Resulting from My Blog :-)

Nymeria (was Linda) Now Lives a Grand Life in Vancouver, Thanks to this Blog!

I met Linda (now Nymeria) in June 2017 on my Summer visit to Scooby. She had come with an older male galgo, Timon. Everyone assumed that he was her father, but who knows? He was very shy and she was a firecracker puppy, all full of joy and play. She looks to be a podenco mix and is gorgeous. Serendipitously, a woman in Vancouver found and read my entire blog. She so wanted to adopt a Scooby dog, and she specifically selected Linda for adoption. We spoke on the phone. I told her about Scooby and the adoption process and she was determined to get her girl. During my June visit, I spoke with Fermin about her wanting to adopt her in Vancouver. There was a good chance that she would have gone to Holland within the week, but with the Canadian contacts, lots of effort from the adoption Mom (even a GoFundMe) and other things, Linda, now Nymeria, lives happily in her home in Vancouver, B.C. I could not be happier about the outcome! (BTW - Timon still needs a home. He is an excellent boy. Check him out.)

Morena (now Lilly) Adopted by My Friend, Mora

Morena (now Lilly) - Selected by My Friend, Nancy, in June, Brought Her to California
My Friend, Mora, Fostered and then Adopted Her

Another happy story! When we were at Scooby in June, my friend, Nancy, selected this very sweet girl, Morena, and was determined to get her adopted. Since I was returning in September, she was the perfect choice to travel with Bones to California. Ended up that my friend, Mora, fostered and then adopted this girl and she is living the BIG life in her new home. So happy! :-)

Bones and Me

Here are gratuituous pictures of me and Bonesey at Scooby. I love him SO MUCH!

I Love Madrid!

Took the train from Medina to Madrid. Once again, I stayed two nights at one of my favorite hotels, the ME in Madrid. They even upgraded my room so that I had a view of the Plaza. Did a huge walk-about and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

The Journey Home

On this trip, I flew American Airlines from Madrid to JFK to SFO. All went well! The young Steward at the JFK airport was golden. He even took us to a dog park so that I could take the dogs out to refresh them for the second leg of the trip to SFO. It was another very long day, but it was worth every single second to get two precious souls to their comfy and loving forever homes.

Thank you to to Scooby for saving these two lovely galgos. Thank you to Melissa for saving Bones for me. Thank you to Nancy for selecting the very special Morena/Lilly, and to Mora for adopting her. Thank you to Yoshi for saving Linda/Nymeria.

Next

I may have great news about a possible linkage with UC Davis Vet School. Stay tuned!

I will be visiting Scooby again in late April to volunteer again with Nancy!
Bones is doing fantastic! Cali Boy! Look at him!

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings! Sara sends smiles! Bones sends hugs and kisses!

Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara!

Bones, Our Handsome Galgo

Traveling to Spain? Consider becoming a Flight Angel and transporting dogs to the U.S.A.

Scooby is in My Bones - My June 2017 Visit to Spain

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 21:45:00 +0000

Meet Huesos (Bones) - We Fell In Love and He's Coming Home with Me In September

Visit #13
I returned to my favorite animal shelter, Scooby Medina del Campo, in Spain in June 2017 to volunteer and to bring back two galgos for adoption through Greyhound Friends for Life, our San Francisco Bay Area rescue organization. This was my 13th visit to Scooby, and one of the very best volunteer trips I've ever experienced.

Nancy and Me - We Met at JFK in New York and Flew to Madrid Together.
Perfect Travel Companions!

Travel Companions on Another Adventure
Nancy, my Scooby buddy and fellow volunteer, traveled from Pittsburgh, and I flew from San Francisco. We met at JFK in New York and flew to Madrid together. We had great seats at the back of the plane, where we could stretch out and chat to our hearts content -- which we certainly did! The trip seemed short because we always have so much to talk about.

When we arrived, and during our entire trip, it was HOT. It was in the 90's and 100's (Fahrenheit) every day. We picked up our bags and jumped into a cab to get to the Chamartin train station. Once there, we bought our tickets and had a chance to grab a quick bite before our train arrived. We were thoroughly enjoying our journey from Madrid to Medina del Campo (about a 90 minute trip), when suddenly, the train began to lose power. I think that the extreme heat was the issue. The train started and stalled several times. When they could not go forward any further, they backed up the train to a tiny village, Santa Maria de la Alameda, and asked everyone to disembark. There was no one there to help any of us, so everyone headed up the hill and settled into a friendly little tapas restaurant for a cold drink and some food. We weren't sure what to do, so I texted Jacinta, who was visiting Scooby from Holland, and she kindly offered to make the hour drive to pick us up. We all had a nice time traveling back to Scooby and getting to know each other a bit more. Jacinta is truly a super hero to have come all of that way to help us. We can't thank her enough!

Santa Maria de la Alameda,
Teeny Tiny Station Where our Train Broke Down Because of the Intense Heat

Nancy and I Spent a Couple of Hours in the Local Tapas Bar Waiting for Jacinta to Rescue Us

We Saw El Escorial on the Way to Scooby - The Residence of the King of Spain - Most Impressive

Nancy and I Stayed Two Nights at Hotel Reina Isabel in Medina del Campo and
The Rest of the Nights in the Comfy Scooby Dorm

We were super tired, so we opted to go straight to the hotel to check in, freshen up and take a nap. We talked about meeting for dinner, but I was wiped out and decided to sleep until morning so that I'd be fresh for our first full day at Scooby. Nancy is an adventurer and decided to go into Medina to do a bit of exploring. We met early in the morning for coffee. Jacinta picked us up at the hotel, took us to the grocery store and then to Scooby, where we all stayed for the next several nights.

There Were Storks Nesting On Two of the Churches in Medina.
They Must Have Been Hot up There on the Roof. It Was a Scorcher!

Melissa Introduced Me to Bones, and I Fell Head Over Heels for Him

Bones (Huesos)
When we arrived at Scooby, we settled our things at the Dorm, and then Melissa, super Scooby Volunteer, took us around to introduce us to the animals. She knew that I would fall in love with one particular galgo, named Bones (Huesos) who had been very sick with Leishmania, an illness that is not contagious and is spread via the Mediterranean sandfly. He was so thin, and his kidneys had been impacted. He had been through one round of treatments, prior to my arrival, but the staff did not know whether he would survive. I took him for walks every day, fed him sausages, sat in his kennel and gave him pets and love. He worked his charms on me! I found it difficult to leave him, and thought about him all of the time after I left Scooby. Spoke with my husband to discuss adopting him, provided he was well enough to make the trip to California. We took it one step at a time. Scooby did more blood tests to see if he had improved. I asked my vet to review his results, and he felt certain that he could make the trip and that we can treat him here. I so want to give him the very best life possible for however long or short his time will be. He is a dear and sweet boy -- always wagging his tail, loves people, very mellow and easy going. I am traveling back to Scooby in mid-September for another visit, but primarily, to bring Bones home with me. I am so excited to give him a great new life. I'll keep you posted regarding his status and progress. Bones is now on Instagram: BonesTheScoobyGalgo, if you want to follow him. We'll be posting photo and video updates regularly.

Bones Will be Ours - Bringing Him Home to California in Late September

Bones is Absolutely Irresistible - All Joy and All Love

Volunteer Work and the Scooby Animals

One of the highlights of every day was when Nancy and I helped Melissa with taking care of the dogs who were in the infirmary. We cleaned their pens, fed and watered them, took them for walks and showered them with treats. We really got attached to these dogs, and are happy to know that most of them are now in their forever homes.

In addition, we spent lots of time cleaning kennels and paddocks and socializing dogs. It's always such a pleasure to get to spend quality time with these lovely animals.

Every Day, Nancy and I Cleaned the Infirmary Kennels, Took the Dogs for
Walks and Spoiled Them with Sausages

Proud Momma with Her Brand New Puppies

Nancy and Melissa Enjoying a Visit with the Very Sweet Puppies

Scooby Had So Many Adorable Puppies in June.
Many are Already in Homes.

It's a Pod Party! Aren't They Lovely?

It Was So Hot, Over 100 Degrees Fahrenheit.
The Dogs Rested Most of the Days and Were Active When the Sun was Setting.

Nancy with Two Lovely BIG and Friendly Dogs

Don't You Just Want to Hug Me?

These Galgos are Trying to Escape the Scorching Spanish Sun on This Very Hot Day

Nancy Enjoying a Visit with a Gaggle of Galgos

Did I Win the Cutest Puppy Award?

Tick Prevention

Melissa asked me, Nancy, Jacinta and our other fellow volunteer, Shantal, if we could visit most of the paddocks to put tick prevention medicine on each dog. What a great job! It meant that we had the chance to meet almost every single dog at Scooby. Having four of us really helped. We worked together to catch the dogs and to apply the medication to every dog. It's not easy catching the shy galgos, so we had to ask Melissa for help in some cases, as the dogs know and trust her. It was a fun couple of days doing this very important work, as the ticks can be horrible in the Spanish Summer.

Jacinta Helps Round Up the Dogs for Their Tick Preventative.
She is our Super Hero. She Rescued Us from the Town Where Our Train Broke Down and
Gave us Rides to Town. Such a Kind Friend!

Chantal Pets the Galgos After We Wrangled
Them to Put Tick Preventative on All

Only Melissa Could Catch Some of the Shy Galgos to Apply the Tick Preventative

Here's Sweet and Adorable Zuki.
She's Doing Great, Living with Fermin and is Very Happy!

Zuki Update
In my last blog entry, I mentioned meeting a lovely petite and sweet galga named Zuki. She had an infection that resulted in her losing her toes on both of her back paws. Fermin, Scooby Founder and President, adopted Zuki, and we had a chance to have a short visit with her while there. She is doing so great and is very happy. I brought her two new pairs of shoes, which I hope she's been able to use since my visit.

Transport to Holland
I always feel so lucky when I get to help the Scooby staff and volunteers with loading up the van to transport dogs and cats to their new forever homes. On this visit, Nancy and I were able to help load up over 35 dogs and a cat for transport to Holland. Since this was now a couple of months ago, my heart soars to know that these animals are in homes. This is why we do what we do! Scooby saves hundreds of animals each year and frankly, I don't know how they do it with such limited resources. But they do it, and I am so thankful that Scooby is there to help so many animals that would never have a chance at a decent life.

Transport to Holland Today!
Melissa, Chantal and Ana Discuss Which Dogs Will be Going.

Hoover, Ana and Chantal Load Up the Dogs for Holland

Ana Says Goodbye to the Scooby Dogs as They Head to Their Forever Homes in Holland

Visiting the Scooby Farm

It's become somewhat of a tradition for all of us to take a nice long walk out on the Scooby farm grounds, where we visit the ducks, geese, horses, donkeys, goats, sheep and perimeter guard dogs. On our last evening, we all enjoyed our visit to the farm. There was a cool breeze, and it was a great way to relax and celebrate another fun and rewarding volunteer visit.

On Our Last Evening, Nancy, Melissa, Jacinta, Chantal and I Took a Nice Walk
at the Scooby Farm to Visit the Pond and the Large Animals (Horses, Goats, Donkeys, Sheep)

Here's Donald, the Scooby Duck - Rejected by the Other Ducks, He Lives with the Goats :-(

Nancy and Chantal Visit a Friendly Scooby Donkey

Jacinta, Nancy, Chantal and Melissa - Visiting the Scooby Farm and the Perimeter Dogs

Tapas with Scooby Friends
Scooby staff and volunteers gathered on one of the evenings for a goodbye party for the vet, who was moving on to another position. It's so much fun to experience the "real" Spain, with locals and friends who love to share stories and memories.

Goodbye Tapas Party for the Scooby Vet

Goodbye Dinner for the Scooby Vet.
Trevor, Melissa and Chantal Enjoy Some Tapas in Medina del Campo.

A Few Fun Hours in the Countryside and in Valladolid
Our friend, Sabine, lives in a small village about 40 minutes from Medina. We were fortunate to be able to spend time with her, visit with her dogs and cats, and see her lovely home. She then took us to see part of the Camino de Santiago Trail, and then into Valladolid, to meet a friend. We only had about an hour before our train was to leave for Madrid, but they were able to take us to four tapas bars that had some of the most interesting food I've ever seen. It was a short, but enjoyable visit. It was very kind of them to show us around their city.

Camino de Santiago Trail

Sabine and Nancy on the Camino de Santiago Trail

A Whirlwind Visit in Valladolid - Lovely City

Valladolid Had Some of the Most Interesting Tapas I've Ever Seen

A Few Fun Days in Madrid

Nancy always does a lot of research to learn about fun things to do while traveling. We had a blast and covered a lot of Madrid during our adventures. Highlights: celebrated my birthday with some great eats, drinks and shoe shopping, visited the very cool rooftop bar at Circulo de Bellas Artes, went to the Sunday flea market, listened in on an excellent concert that we stumbled upon in one of the main squares, ate mushrooms, peppers and shrimp and drank cava and sherry at some specialty tapas restaurants, saw a flamenco show, and visited the museum of modern art.

Rooftop Bar in Madrid,
Círculo de Bellas Artes

Stumbled Upon an Orchestra on the Plaza

The Gigantic and Fun Madrid Flea Market - Sundays

Figures at the Seaside, Pablo Picasso

Sipping Sherry at La Venencia - A Must Visit

Pride Celebration in Madrid

The Beautiful Madrid Skyline

Dante and Azafran
Two Scooby galgos, Dante and Azafran, made the trip back to California with me, and thanks to Greyhound Friends for Life, they are in their forever homes. Our journey from Madrid was not without the usual airline drama. When I arrived to check them in with American Airlines, they said that the plane that was to take us from JFK to San Francisco was not large enough for the dog crates. The Madrid rep spent an hour with me, trying to find an alternative route. Finally, he verified that we could fly from Madrid to LA and then to SFO. Thank goodness! That worked and we made it back safely.

Dante - One of the Two Galgos That I Brought Back for Adoption in California,
Through Greyhound Friends for Life.
He is in His Forever Home.

Azafran - The Second Scooby Galgo that I Brought Back to California
for Adoption Through Greyhound Friends for Life. She is in Her Forever Home.

Next Trip September 13

On September 13th, I'll travel to Madrid, take the train to Medina del Campo, and then work at the shelter for a week. My friend and fellow volunteer, Mora, will be joining me mid-trip. We'll spend a few nights in Medina and then a couple in Madrid to relax. Very excited to return, to bring back Bones and three other galgos for adoption.! I'll take lots of photos and share afterward.

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings! Sara sends smiles!

Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara!

Traveling to Spain? Consider becoming a Flight Angel and transporting dogs to the U.S.A.

Please support Scooby and Greyhound Friends for Life.

12th Visit to Scooby, Winter 2016 - One of My Favorite Places on Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 07:18:00 +0000

I'm Hungry!
A Favorite Photo Captured at Scooby, as the Galgos Await Dinner

Dusting off my keyboard to write you about two things: a fund raising auction that my friend and fellow volunteer, Nancy Young Hanson and I held for Scooby earlier this year, and my most recent trip to Spain in November 2016.

Our Fund Raising Auction Raised 2,000 Euro for Scooby

Gorgeous Hand-made Coat Donated by Maja from Slovenia

Nancy Young Hanson and I wanted to help Scooby with financial support, so we hosted our first-ever Facebook auction in February. Items were donated by generous volunteers from around the World, including Slovenia, Scotland, Spain and the USA. We raised 2,000 Euro, which was donated to Scooby in Spain via PayPal. Thank you to everyone for your support. We plan to hold another auction later in 2017, so please stay tuned!

Back to Scooby to Volunteer!
Had my 12th visit to volunteer in November 2016 and brought back two gorgeous galgos for adoption, Aria and Solace, who are available for adoption. Contact Hound Sanctuary for more information.

Darrell Easter with Aria and Solace Scooby Galgos
Available for Adoption Through Hound Sanctuary in Oregon

This was another perfectly wonderful trip. Why do I do this?

It's About the Animals

Who Could Resist?
Met This Handsome Galgo on my Winter Visit to the Shelter

It's plain and simple, I've been traveling to Spain twice each year for the past six years to volunteer at Scooby and spend precious time with the shelter animals, to help however is needed, and to bring dogs to the U.S.A. for adoption, where they literally go from rags to riches. So many happy stories about the dogs that have been adopted. It truly warms my heart!

Stop... in the Name of Love!

Um... Does this Make My Nose Look Big?

We are Politely Waiting for Our Cuddles

Meet Zuki!
She is an Adorable Tiny Galga.
Lost Toes on Her Back Feet from an Infection.
Bringing Special New Shoes for Her on My Upcoming Visit.

It's About the People

These are MY People.
They are Scooby Staff and Volunteers.
I Love Them and Love Spending Time with Them!

Every time I visit Scooby, I marvel at the fantastic staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to support the shelter. It is difficult work, and these folks come from local Spanish communities and many other countries to help care for the animals. They are unsung heroes that care so much about doing the right thing. I am honored to know them and to have had the chance to work with them on my volunteer visits. Thank you. You are the best of the best!

It's About the Place

Spanish Sunrise

Spanish Sunset

Medina del Campo Train Station

I love Scooby and I love Spain. There is something about spending time with hundreds of animals in a shelter, way out in the countryside that brings you right back to what matters in life. It grounds me. It is delightful, yet at times, it is very difficult. I dream about it all of the time when I'm away, and I cannot wait to return. It is the real deal...

Next Trip June 16
Nancy Young Hanson and I will meet up at JFK on June 16th to travel to Madrid. We'll take the train to Medina del Campo, and then work at the shelter for a week. We're spending four nights in Madrid to relax, where I'll spend my birthday, and we'll be exploring that great City once again. Very excited to return! I'll take lots of photos and share afterward. Will be bringing two lucky galgos back to California for adoption via Greyhound Friends for Life.

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings! Sara sends smiles!

Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara!

Traveling to Spain? Consider becoming a Flight Angel and transporting dogs to the U.S.A.

Please support Scooby and Greyhound Friends for Life.

Spring Fling 2016 - Celebrating My 11th Visit to Scooby

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 04:36:00 +0000

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:21

In April, I celebrated my 11th volunteer visit to Scooby in Medina del Campo, Spain. Two friends joined me on this trip, Mora Gozani and Nancy Young Hanson. We all met in Madrid and then drove to the sanctuary. Here's the story of our travels!

Scooby Galgos in the Paddock Enjoying the Spring Sunshine

Hola, Galgos!
You are the Reason that I Love this Special Place

First Stop: Germany to Visit Marie

Once again, I was able to make my first stop in Aachen, Germany, to visit my Scooby friend, Marie for two days. We had a special time, as always. Marie and friend, Julie, cooked me one of the best-ever traditional German dinners the first evening. The next day, we visited the Eifel and went for a hike in the hills and along the river. We were on a trail that led to a quaint village with a huge castle. Our reward for a challenging uphill walk back was to stop at the church, which has a cafe that serves famous and delicious pea soup. They also took me to the storybook village of Monschau, where the best mustard in the World is made. Of course, I bought another crock to bring back home. It was a short visit, but rich and fulfilling being able to spend time with Marie, who always teaches me new things and is one of the very best people that I know. Thank you, Marie!

Marie with Abba and Lucy (Aachen, DE)

A Very Nice Hike at the Eifel in Germany.
Delicious Pea Soup Afterward.

Looking at the Village from the Castle (Eifel, DE)

A Storybook Town Where They Make the Best Mustard in the World (Monschau, DE)

Next Stop: Madrid

Met Nancy and Mora at the airport. We loaded up the car and headed out. It was so much fun to finally meet Nancy in person. (We're Scooby Facebook friends.) We all got on so well and had so much to talk about.

Detour: Madrid Shelter Visit

We took a detour to a place that my friend, Helena Zaloña Laguna showed me last year, when I was stuck in Madrid for three extra days due to issues with KLM airlines. That place is the Madrid Animal Shelter. Helena was away on vacation and could not meet us there, but she set everything up so that they knew we would be visiting and had a tour guide that spoke English ready to greet us. The facility is so well taken care of and has many regular volunteers. They love each and every animal and treat them as someone special. I am very proud of these folks and the work that they do. Helene is a big part of this. Thank you, Helene, staff and volunteers at the shelter!

Next Stop: Medina del Campo and Scooby

After the shelter visit, we drove to Medina del Campo, stopping along the way to have a meal at a small restaurant along the freeway. These little hole-in-the-wall places have some of the best food. We all enjoyed our meals, and then it was on to the hotel to check in. We stayed in the Hotel Reina Isabel again, which is perfectly located, inexpensive, impeccably clean and has a warm and loving staff who always treat us well.

Once we were checked in and freshened up, made our way over to Scooby. To me, it's always like a dream when you drive up, do the turnaround at the potato chip factory, see the tiny Scooby sign, drive the dirt road leading to the entrance, and then, "Ta da" you see all of the familiar sights, hear the dogs barking, roosters crowing, donkeys hee-hawing, horses whinnying, cats meowing, birds singing and the Spanish breezes blowing. Feels like home.

Love this! Two Galgos and a Podenco Spy Hopping

Nancy Young Hanson
Scooby Facebook Friends for Years.
We Finally Got to Work Together at Scooby!

Mora is in Heaven Giving Love and Pets to A Gaggle of Galgos

My Love: Liviana

When we arrived at Scooby on Sunday, we were catching up on things with Melissa Beamish, and we heard the buzzer ring at the entrance gate. A galguero wanted to leave two galgos (male and female), but Scooby isn't staffed to take in animals on Sundays, so he was asked to return on Monday. He did return and surrendered the two lovelies. I fell head over heels for the white and black galga, named Liviana. He said that she was deaf, and I was so worried about her being in the shelter with so many dogs and not being able to get the audio queues from the other dogs (barking and growling). I took lots of photos of her and posted that evening. By the time I awoke in the morning, the Slovenian rescue group was inquiring about her and was certain that they would take her for adoption right way. Happy story: Livi lives in Slovenia with her Mum Eva, who adores her. She has a fantastic life with people who love her, and I'm over-the-moon happy for all of them. Eva sends me videos and photos of Livi from time to time, and my heart soars to know that she is so loved.

Liviana - I Love You and Wanted to Take You Home - Adopted!
You Now Have the Best Life in the World with Eva in Slovenia.

There were dozens and dozens of galgos and mixed breed dogs as well. I think probably the most galgos I've ever seen during a visit, which is heavenly to me. We worked together every day to clean paddocks and socialize the dogs. It was fun having two friends to share the workload, talk and fall in love with the dogs in every paddock and kennel.

Nancy was looking to adopt another galga, so we all enjoyed helping her figure out which would be her girl. She and Kiva selected each other, but the surprise is that another girl that she was partial to, Laila, also came to the U.S.A. and Nancy and Doug adopted her too! So now, Nancy has three Scooby galgas and one greyhound. Happy family!

We Bought Bags of Apple to Feed the Precious Donkeys

I'm So Very Frightened, But I Know Things Will Get Better

We Are 3 Very Frightened Galgos, But We Are Learning to Trust

Julietta and Leonardo

We met the two Scooby galgos that we would be bringing back to the U.S.A. for adoption through Greyhound Friends for Life, Julietta and Leonardo, two black and white beauties. They both were so gentle and loving. We spent a lot of time in their kennel getting to know them, taking photos and videos to share back home. Once they arrived, both were in a foster home within 24 hours and now both have been in their forever homes for several months. So happy for them. Thank you to Greyhound Friends for Life and Barbara for this partnership with Scooby!

The Lovely Miss Julietta, So Affectionate - Adopted!

Leonardo is Such a Sweet and Loving Galgo - Adopted!

The Castle

Nancy had never been to the Castle in Medina del Campo, so we made a visit. Always impressive and one of the best preserved I've ever seen.

Castillo de la Mota - A Must See - You Can See it from the Scooby Sanctuary

Next Stop: Back to Madrid

Madrid is One of My Favorite Cities

We left Scooby and spent three nights in Madrid. Had a fantastic time. Walked about, shopped, visited the art museum, saw a fabulous Flamenco show, ate great food and went to the gigantic flea market on Sunday. Nancy is very adventurous and introduced us to many new places, including a tiny little goldmine restaurant called, Takos Al Pastor. Food was delicious, inexpensive and the line forms outside the door every day before it opens. She also found a place that sells some of the very best caramels that I've ever tasted. Thank you, Nancy!

Highly Recommend Attending a Flamenco Show - Fabulous!

We Had So Much Fun in Madrid - Great Weather Too!

Tapas! Mora and Nancy Tried the Snails.
No Way for Me. ;-p

Next Stop: San Francisco via Dallas-Fort Worth

We set out very early on our journey home. Nancy was heading back to Pittsburgh via Chicago, and transported four dogs. Mora and I also took four dogs to San Francisco, two for Greyhound Friends for Life and two for Hound Sanctuary, which came from two other Spanish shelters. We had a nice meet-up with the folks who brought the dogs to us at the airport, Frank from Scooby and the other volunteers from the other organizations.

Things went smoothly in Madrid, we said our goodbyes and were off. Mora and I traveled through DFW. Once again, it was a nail-biter at the airport, as we only had a short time between flights and they took such a long time to get the dogs out to us. We still had to clear through Customs and then TSA. We were stressing, running and sweating the entire way. In the end, we made it to our connection with about 5 minutes to spare to load the dogs onto the plane and we were off. Once we arrived at SFO, my husband, Darrell, and another volunteer greeted us to pick up the dogs. We all headed out for home. Julietta and Leonardo spent the night with us and were picked up the next morning to go to their foster home. Mora, thank you for all of your help and support!

Madrid Airport - 4 Lucky Dogs Coming the U.S.A.

Great People Brought the Dogs to Us at the Madrid Airport.
They Patiently Waited for a Couple of Hours Before We Could Board.

It was another pleasant adventure. I never know what's going to happen on these trips, but it always ends up being good in the end. Recently attended our Greyhound Friends for Life reunion and had the pleasure of seeing four Scooby galgos there. Everyone loves these dogs and they have such rich and wonderful lives here. It's a very rewarding volunteer effort, which I'm honored to be able to do. Thanks to everyone involved for your support. We could not do this without you.

Next Trip: Leaving Friday, 11/18

I'm Scooby bound tomorrow morning. This is trip #12. Will be traveling solo this time. Flying in, taking the train and staying at the shelter. Looking forward to seeing and meeting the staff, volunteers and all of the animals. Very excited and always introspective before I go. Will share loads of photos and videos during and after my trip. Can't wait to return!

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings! Sara sends smiles!

Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara!

Please support Scooby and Greyhound Friends for Life.
Traveling to Spain? Consider becoming a Flight Angel and transporting dogs to the U.S.A.

Goodbye Wilma - Our Greyhound Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Sun, 26 Jun 2016 08:15:00 +0000

Saying, "Goodbye" to Our Greyhound Wilma

Wilma Gives a Wink

"Now I know I have a heart 'cause it's breaking." The Tin Man, Wizard of Oz

It is with deepest sorrow that I share the news that we've lost Wilma, our beloved greyhound whom we adopted almost six years ago from Greyhound Friends for Life (GFFL), We loved her so very much, and lost her to osteosarcoma on June 23. She was only 8 1/2 years old, and we hoped that we'd have her much longer. This is a tribute to Wilma - her story.

We lost our first precious greyhound, Daisy to osteosarcoma six years ago. We knew that the void left would be heartbreaking and decided to adopt another greyhound right away. We looked at the GFFL website and I picked out this silly black and white girl who seemed so full of life, and her name was Wilma. We called to inquire about her and were able to reserve and adopt her. We drove to Auburn, California, to pick her up and bring her to her new forever home.

This is one of Wilma's Adoption Photos

It was so interesting to observe her when she first stepped into our home. She looked at everything, from floor to ceiling -- all of the pictures on the wall and even watched the television. She was so very intelligent and inquisitive. She was very young and therefore, there were some shenanigans. She counter surfed and broke a very expensive glass fruit bowl, chewed up the arm rests of our outdoor patio furniture and even fell into our swimming pool twice, before she learned to navigate our back yard. Overall, she adjusted very well very quickly.

Over the years, she assumed the alpha role. She was so silly and funny that it was kind of hard to believe that she could be the alpha. But she was the perfect one to lead her pack, Jake, Bless and Sara. She was kind and fair. She never had a mean bone in her body. She was pure love. She loved me and my husband, her pack and pretty much everyone. Wilma was the consummate social butterfly. She attended greyhound reunions where she made everyone laugh when she stopped at every stop along the way on the obstacle courses and ran backward after running half-way on the race run challenges and had to be pulled out of the fencing. I took her to many, "Bark in the Park" events and parties, where she was truly the Belle of the Ball. Everyone loved her. She gave sugar kisses, wanted to meet everyone and got along with any and all other dogs, no matter what breed. She loved everyone.

Wilma and Bless in Their Favorite Place... Our Bed

I loved her beautiful eyes, her sweet little greyhound snout, her black and white tuxedo coat, her delicate lady nails and her bunny soft fur. She truly stood out of the crowd in so many ways. She loved to sleep with us in our bed. She was a snuggle bug and always wanted to get under the blankets and then would settle in to "spoon" next to us. She would let out the loudest sighs of joy when she settled in to sleep. Wilma grunted with pleasure when you itched her ears and rolled over to roach to show her belly so that we would rub it. In her daily routine, she would always be the first out the patio door to bark at the squirrels and run around our pool counterclockwise (her race track). She would boss Jake around because he was sillier than she was. She would also lead roos and pack howls on a daily basis, particularly in the last month or so.

Wilma was One in a Million

In late November 2015, I noticed that she was favoring her right front paw. It became more pronounced by January 2016, so I made an appointment with the vet. They checked her over thoroughly and did X-rays, but they didn't find anything and thought that she had pulled muscles in her shoulder. Then, when I returned from my trip to Scooby in early May, I noticed that she was not doing better, but rather limping more. Took her back into the vet and they still could not find anything. She was on anti-inflammatory and pain meds. Three weeks later, she was worse. I had been through osteosarcoma before and just knew in my heart that she probably had it. This time, our vet visit confirmed that the X-rays revealed osteo in her shoulder. There were some drastic and expensive options, but my husband and I decided a long time ago, after going through this with Daisy that pain management and quality are the best ways to proceed, and when the time comes, we must let them go.

Sara and Wilma Relaxing

Our family and friends were so supportive through this trying time. Some amazing things happened. First, a Facebook friend reached out to me to offer advice regarding natural cancer cures that I know helped Wilma live a few more days and improved the quality of her time. She also gave me lots of tips regarding recipes that helped Wilma maintain without wasting away. Another Facebook friend surprised me with beautiful digital art framed photos and greeting cards with Wilma's images. And my Scooby partner and dear friend, Mora came to visit us every week to hug and kiss Wilma. I was truly overwhelmed by their caring and generosity! Who does these kinds of things these days? Truly amazing!

Digital Artwork from an Angel Friend, Gwen :-)

For the last three weeks, I was with Wilma almost 24x7, with some sanity breaks in between for dinner and phone meetings for work. Fortunately, my manager allowed me to work from home to be with her.

Over time, Wilma became picky about eating, and then stopped eating altogether the last day. The pain increased to the point where we gave her meds every 2-3 hours at the end. She would have a rally of a few good days and then one or two bad days, where she declined -- peaks and valleys. Although I hated to think about it, I had a date set in my mind to make the decision about scheduling the appointment to let her go. This is a defining moment, one of the most difficult decisions of our lives. When she got to the point where she sobbed to herself in pain, I knew that it was time. She told me. I made the call to schedule that dreaded event. One of my dear friends had suggested that we might want to call a mobile vet instead of taking her into the vet's office. After I thought about it, I decided that it was the best way for all of us. My regular vet recommended someone. I called him and made the arrangements.

On her last night, I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, sitting on the floor, kissing, hugging and petting her, telling Wilma her story, and how much we loved her. My husband had the chance to spend time with her too. We both spent her last day here loving her. My dear friend, Mora, came over in the evening to visit with her one last time. It really helped so much to have her here before we had to let her go. Then the vet called and said that he'd be at our house in about 45 minutes, around 8 p.m. Mora left and we spent those few moments laying with her and telling her how much we loved her and would miss her.

Wilma!

The vet arrived on time. He was so great; relaxed, casual, very caring and sensitive. He made us feel comfortable, and sat on the floor with all of us just like family. He took things one step at a time with us as we were ready, explained the process and asked for our permission along the way. In the end, I would not have it any other way than to have had him come to our home to have him release Wilma from her pain. After she was gone, he went outside so that we could let Bless, Jake and Sara in to be with her so that they would know. He then came back in. He and my husband took our girl out to his car and he took her for cremation. Her ashes will be spread in the redwood forest in the Santa Cruz mountains, nearby. We will also have a plaque with her paw print to honor her memory.

I cried so many, many, many tears throughout this entire time. At times, I felt like my head was going to explode with grief. It's like being on an emotional roller coaster that you can't get off. Every day you worry about your loved one and feel the ups and downs. You have hope and then you don't have any hope at all. Two days have passed since her passing and I'm feeling more and more at peace. We gave Wilma all of the love and great life that she deserved. She gave us so much love and joy in return. She was one very special greyhound and we shall miss her forever and ever.

Rest well, Wilma Easter. You are loved forever and ever!

Thank you for reading my blog!

Please support Greyhound Friends for Life.

Scooby Visit, Winter 2015 - This Place is So Special!

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 04:49:00 +0000

The Beauty of this Scooby Galgo is as Stunning at the Spanish Sky

Right Back In Love Again!

In November, 2015, I made my 10th visit to Scooby Medina del Campo to volunteer, and to bring two galgos to California for adoption through Greyhound Friends for Life. This visit was better than ever in so many ways, but I also faced the most difficult journey yet bringing back the two dogs, all because of KLM airlines.

Coat Donated from Slovenia - Absolutely Regal!

The Journey to Scooby

This time, flew KLM airlines from San Francisco to Amsterdam. Easy flight with excellent service. Then on from Amsterdam to Madrid, arriving in the afternoon. Had booked a hotel to stay overnight in Madrid to rest up and get my supplies for Scooby, prior to boarding the train the next day.

San Francisco -> Amsterdam -> Madrid

Spent the First Night in Madrid - Such a Cool City!
Always Enjoy My Time There.

Took a nap and then headed out for a walk-about in Madrid, seeking a nice place for dinner. Went to one of my familiars and had a delicious local dish. Returned to the hotel to rest up for the trip to Scooby. The next morning, awoke with the sunrise and sought a Mercado, where I could purchase my food and beverage supplies to last the week at Scooby, since I would be taking the train, staying at the dorm and not going into Medina. It was Sunday, so most of the local markets wouldn't open until 11 a.m. or Noon, walked around and luckily found a hybrid type market with take-away food, groceries and even a restaurant. Was able to purchase everything needed (along with a few supplies from the USA that I had brought). Prices in Spain are always reasonable. I was set for the week.

Checked out of the hotel and headed for the Chamartin train station to get to Medina del Campo. Ate some lunch at the train station. Enjoyed watching the chess players who are there every Sunday, playing matches. Finally, it was time to board the train.

I've noticed that Spain is much better about security in transit centers than we are in the USA. Everyone's baggage is scanned and tickets verified, prior to boarding the train. As we embarked, an announcement came, "We will be serving lunch and dinner and showing two movies." What? The trip to Medina del Campo only takes about one hour. I panicked, thinking that I must have boarded the wrong train. When I checked, the final destination for this particular train was just north of Portugal, in the northwest part of Spain. Heart in throat, grabbed my essentials and headed for the food car, where I was able to clarify with the staff that I was on the correct train. Can't tell you how relieved I was to see the Castillo de la Mota and Medina del Campo. From there, I caught a taxi to Scooby, which is only about 2 miles away from the train station.

There is something that rests my soul when I see the Scooby grounds, smelling the pleasantries of the potato chip factory, seeing the Scooby sign, driving up the driveway, seeing the first sights of the animals, hearing the barking, and then seeing the great people who work and volunteer. There are no words to describe how much I feel at home and at peace. It is truly soulful.

Before I left, I recorded a video to show you what it's like. Hope you enjoy it!

Scooby in 11 Minutes

Scooby in 11 Minutes - What It's Like to be at Scooby :-)

Took the Train in from Madrid and Stayed in the Scooby Dorm. Very Cozy and Comfortable.
Many Serenades from the Dogs During the Day and Night ;-)

Being There
Stayed in the Scooby dorm this time. Had it all to myself. It was comfy and cozy. Only thing you have to get used to are the daily and nightly serenades from the dogs, their barking, growling, crying and restlessness. The dorm is wall to wall with the quarantine kennels. Ear plugs and ear phones may be used as necessary. ;-) After a short time, I always get used to it, and it becomes part of the complete immersion experience that one will never, ever forget. I actually miss it and dream about it after I leave.

Once you arrive, you are in another World and on Scooby time, which is quite interesting because it goes by all-too quickly, but at the same time, seems like it will never end. The first day, I generally go around to meet the staff, volunteers and animals, and then learn from the staff how best to help with assigned chores. It seems that there is never enough time to spend with each and every dog, but it all counts with them.

I Fall in Love so Easily... I'm a Sucker for the Galgos!

Enjoying a Visit and Clean-up with the
Paddock 1 Galgos

Who Could Resist This Galgo Puppy?

Scooby Icon, Old Amelia, Still Loves to Sun on the Patio.
She Truly is More Loving than Ever These Days.

Scooby Attracts Many Beautiful Souls
I have met some of the best and most lovely people at Scooby over the past five years. They are selfless souls who truly care about animal welfare and are making a huge difference with their efforts. It is amazing to me that we all come together across the World to help with this worthy cause. We are all different, yet have so many things in common - mainly, our love for the animals. It makes my soul richer to know these people, and I thank all of the volunteers who give of themselves so unselfishly to help: Spain, Italy, Holland, Germany, France, Slovenia, UK, USA and any country that I may not have mentioned. So proud to know you all!

On this visit, I had the chance to work with volunteers Ana (Spain), Melissa and Veronica (UK), and Frank (Holland), as well as the superb Scooby staff, which includes Fermin (Scooby Founder and President), Pablo (manages Scooby), Simonetta (does so many things, I can't begin to list), Nilcelio and Marcus (cleaning, food and many other things) and others who work tirelessly to take care of the animals and facilities.

Why are the Dogs Barking?
Because this Galga Decided to Climb Out of Her Kennel and Jump on the Roof.
Pablo to the Rescue!

Ana (Spanish Volunteer) and Melissa (UK Volunteer)
Discuss the Status of the Oldies that Reside in the Scooby Garden

Veronica (Volunteer Veterinarian from the UK) Checks in on the Oldies

The Saddest Dog at Scooby Finds Happiness

When I first saw this young boy in the quarantine, he was desperate for attention. Screamed very loudly in mental anguish, to the point where I just had to spend time with him. He was so sad... matted worse than any animal I had ever seen, dirty, nails way too long and the poor soul has a defect where he walks on his pads and not on his complete feet, which I understand is very painful. I pointed out this dog to Fermin, and he asked me and the others to make sure that he was groomed and his nails cut. Now I just needed someone to help...

Enter Frank (Holland Volunteer). I found him cuddling this dog in his kennel and recruited him to help me. Frank located grooming tools and we worked on this dog for several hours, over two days. Veronica (Volunteer Vet) trimmed his nails. He looked so handsome and much more comfortable, proud and confident after our efforts. The happy story of this dog is that he was fostered by Fermin for a while, but now is in Holland, likely in a loving home at this time!

This Dog was Extremely Neglected :-(

The Poor Soul had the Most Horribly Matted Fur and Nails that had
Never Been Cut :-(

Frank (Holland Volunteer) and I Gave Him a Make-over.
It Took Several Hours.

Here's the Dear Boy After His Make-over

The Saddest Dog Becomes the Happiest. :-)
He Now Lives in Holland.

Podenco Love!
Scooby now has more Podencos than ever, and I'm loving it! They are so much fun - very curious and affectionate. Here are some fun peek-a-boo photos from Paddocks 1 & 2.

This Dear Old Grandma Podenco Loved the Sun and Sleeping in the Oldies Garden. She Reminded me of Yoda from Star Wars ;-)

Bringing Stewie and Guelo to the USA
Months prior to my trip to Scooby, our Greyhound Friends for Life group had contacted me to ask if I could possibly bring back a puppy, Stewie, to his adoption home in Berkeley, California. We worked out the details with the Scooby staff, had some drama with getting the carrier, but it all came together. Here is Stewie's story:

Stewie is a mix, Galgo and likely German Shepherd. He and his brother, Peter were found in a gypsy camp, thrown away in a garbage bag with their two Galgo sisters and two other puppies. :-( Two of the puppies died, but the two sisters were adopted via Scooby. Stewie is in California and Peter, his brother, is now in Germany. At least four of these precious ones went into happy homes. I am very sad for the other two...

Stewie Was Adopted by Jack & Greg from Berkeley California.
I Brought Him to His Forever Home and Fell in Love with Him.

Stewie is Smart, Loving and a True Companion Dog.
He is a Galgo Mix.

Stewie and His Brother Peter.
Stewie lives in Berkeley California.
Peter is now Living in Germany.

Meet Guelo. He's a very sleek and handsome boy who came from the Madrid Shelter via Scooby. He had been in the shelter for quite a long time, so the volunteers were delighted to see him get adopted in the USA. I had the chance to get to know him a bit. He was a bit skittish and shy, but curious. I believe that he will learn to trust and become the perfect pet.

Handsome Guelo

KLM Airlines - I Will Never, Ever Fly Your Airline With Pets Again
This was the most difficult journey back to California from Madrid ever with the two dogs, Stewie and Guelo. I specifically chose KLM airlines because, a) everyone said that they were so great about transporting animals, and b) I knew that they would fly them to the USA, even though it was Winter and the temps were low. How could anything go wrong?

Well, it ended up being a huge drama trying to fly the dogs to California. It all started when I arrived at 3:30 a.m. at the Madrid airport for my return flight via Amsterdam to San Francisco. Helena, the kind Scooby volunteer, and two other volunteers, came with the two dogs around 3:45 a.m. We then waited for the KLM Customer Service desk to open. When the KLM Manager opened the counter, we were first in line. I handed her all of the paperwork that we normally provide: Spanish passport, rabies certificate, certificate to travel in various temperatures, other vaccinations. She reviewed everything and then, much to our dismay, kept shaking her head and saying that we did not have the proper paperwork. Huh?

We had more than enough of the paperwork that the other airlines had required, yet she pulled out some sort of rule book and kept pointing to a statement that said that we needed yet another health certificate, a "green" paper, and that the dogs could not fly without it. I explained that the rabies and health information was in the passport and that no other airline had required this, but she stood her ground and ultimately said, "You can board the flight, but the dogs cannot without this paperwork." I appealed to her for assistance. Told her that I had paid extra to fly on KLM to fly the dogs. She took a hard line with me. I said to her, "I need you to help me. I am in a foreign country, trying to rescue two dogs who are going to homes in the USA. I paid extra to do this. Please help me." She did not answer and walked away from me...

Of course, I was furious, but very determined to work around the issue. Called Delta (partner airline through which I had booked my flights) to see what could be done. Their solution was to rebook me three days later on the same flight, but I had to have clearance to take the dogs, thus the three day wait. We also had to weigh and measure the dogs in the carriers (yet again), which was a huge hassle. They did not make this easy, and they did not try to help us at all. I wasn't sure what to do. Should we send the dogs back to Scooby and I would go back to Madrid to stay? Should I go back to Scooby with the dogs? Then Helena kindly offered to have me and the dogs stay at her downstairs apartment about 30 minutes outside of Madrid in Guadalix de la Sierra.

Thank God for Helena (far right)!
KLM Would not Allow the Dogs to Fly Out of Madrid to Amsterdam and Demanded Some New Paperwork.
As a Result, We Spent Three Extra Days in Spain, and Helena Let Us Stay with Her.

This is the Paper that KLM Insisted on Having for Transporting Each Dog.
Helena Took Care of this with the Veterinarians at the Madrid Shelter.
It Repeats What is Already in their Spanish Passports, and Costs 20 Euro per Document.
I had Never Heard of this Requirement from any other Airline.

There are Great and Kind People in this World
Thank God for Helena! Eventually, I was able to rebook my flight with the dogs and we returned to her place to have a restful nap. Her downstairs apartment was wonderful. When all of us awoke, she took me to the grocery store for supplies, and later she took me on a tour of the Madrid shelter. It was lovely! Guelo had come from here, so he was considered a rock star for winning the lottery and getting a home in California! :-) The facilities are impressive. The volunteers are magnificent. The animals are treated royally. Each and every animal is treated so well!

An Angel? During my stay with Helena, she also took me and Stewie on a hike in the mountains nearby. When she was at work (she's a helicopter pilot for the Spanish military), Stewie and I took a long walk to explore downtown Guadalix. She worked with the Madrid shelter Vets to get us the "green" health certificate that KLM required, paid the 20 Euro each for the dogs, and even drove me to the Madrid airport the night before we were to leave to make sure that we had all of the required paperwork. Once there, I paid for the transport of the two dogs as well. We should have been all set for the early morning flight the next day. Right?

Volunteer, Helena, Let Me Stay in Her Downstairs Apartment for Three Days.
She Didn't Even Know Me, but Opened Her Home and Heart to Help Me, Stewie and Guelo
While We Waited for Flight Clearance on KLM.

Helena's Downstairs Apartment was very Nice and Comfortable, with Gorgeous Views

Stewie was My Bunk Mate for 3 Days.
We had so Much Fun Exploring the Area with Helena!

Here's Stewie with Helena's Two Wonderful Dogs

Helena Took Us on a Hike at Parque Regional De La Cuenca Alta Del Manzanares: La Pedriza.
Beautiful Place and the Dogs Loved it!

Helena and Stewie!
He Crosses His First Bridge with a Little Help from a Friend.

Me and Stewie on Our Hike

Wild Donkeys in the Park

Downtown Guadalix.
Helena Said that a Famous Spanish Movie was Filmed Here.

A View of Guadalix on a Gorgeous Day

KLM Booking and Check-in Disaster - The Drama Continues

Even though we had gone to the Madrid airport the day ahead, paid and they had made copies of all of the dogs information and mine, I faced issues once again. We were first in line with Customer Service around 4:30 a.m. on the day of departure. Noticed that the rep was on the phone several times, so we knew something was wrong. Get this... after everything we went through, KLM only had one dog booked on my flight to Amsterdam and no dogs booked from Amsterdam to San Francisco. Unbelievable! The rep was able to get both dogs on the Madrid to Amsterdam flight, but there was no guarantee that the dogs would be accepted for the Amsterdam to SFO flight. I would not know until the KLM offices opened, which meant that I wouldn't know until my arrival in Amsterdam.

Lesson Learned: Don't Book Flights with Pets via a Partner Airline, such as Delta. They don't have the same policies and don't communicate with each other. A big fat mess! Go directly to the Airline that you are flying with.

Helena helped me get both dogs through Security clearance in Madrid. The dogs were taken to be boarded and I had to run to my gate as it was boarding. All seemed well for the Amsterdam flight. Arrived on time and was heading to my gate, knowing that I still was not certain whether the two dogs had been accepted for the flight from Amsterdam to SFO. As fate would have it, it was literally a mile from gate to gate and then my heart sank when I saw that there was a sea of people waiting to get through Immigration to get to the gates. During my wait in line, I called Delta to see if they had information regarding the approval for the dogs, but they did not know for certain. Got to my gate as they were boarding. Ground crew were very nice and were watching for the dogs to be boarded. Was in the last 10 people boarding, sweating it as to whether the dogs had been boarded, and finally, they did confirm. Nice flight to SFO. Great service, food, etc. All seemed well...

Once we arrived in San Francisco, I grabbed my bags and waited for the dogs. Waited and waited and waited -- for more than one hour. Inquired several times with angst regarding the two dogs. They could not find them! After much pacing and stress, they finally found them and the dogs were brought out. Loaded them onto the small luggage carts at the airport (no baggage handlers to help) and Guelo's larger-sized kennel kept falling off. I swear Guelo's fell off at least five times. It was truly a struggle all of the way. Had to get through Customs with the paperwork and then down two long hallways to get to where my Husband and the others were waiting for us. They could see me struggling via the airport cameras, but because of security, could not come to help. It was such a relief to see loving, happy faces once we got through security! We all hugged, and then we handed off the dogs.

Hallelujah! It all worked out! Determination and persistence truly pays off. Both Stewie and Guelo are now in their loving forever homes, and it was worth every single second to get them where they belong.

After all of this, I lodged formal complaints with KLM, the FTA, via Social Media and via their surveys. KLM did nothing to help or address the issues. I will not fly this airline in the future unless absolutely necessary, particularly with pets that are being transported. While their flights and crew are superb, their ticketing, booking and ground crews in various airports are a complete disaster with regard to customer service for animals. Perhaps they need training? Their gesture was to respond to me with a form letter, which had incorrect information. They never have offered to do anything to try to mend their mishaps. Very disappointing that they do not care - at all...

Guelo's "Happily Ever After"
Guelo was fostered by our Greyhound rescue group President, and was just recently adopted into his forever home. The great news is that Guelo, Stewie and every single Scooby dog that I've brought back over the past five years has been adopted into a loving, forever home. :-)

Guelo is Ready for His Long Journey to His Forever Home in California

This is Guelo Running in the Back Yard at his Foster Home in California.
Here he is with Bond, Another Scooby Rescue Adopted by
Greyhound Friends for Life President, Barbara Judson.
Guelo has been Adopted and is now in his Forever Home. :-)

Stewie's "Happily Ever After"
Stewie is now in his forever home in Berkeley, California, living a great life with Jack and Greg. They often send me updates and photos. He is truly one special dog! So happy for him.

Stewie - Ready for His Long Journey to His Forever Home in California

Recent Photos of Stewie.
Look How Big He is and So Very Handsome too!

It Was All Worth It!
Look How Happy He Is. :-)

Next Visit, April 2016
Next trip is booked! Traveling to Germany to visit Marie for a few days, and then on to Madrid to meet up with Mora and Nancy to travel to Scooby. We'll spend a few days in Madrid and also plan to visit Char and 112 Carlota Galgos in Malaga on a day trip. We will bring back two Scooby dogs for adoption via Greyhound Friends for Life: Leonardo and Julietta.

Leonardo will be Available for Fostering and Adoption
Through Greyhound Friends for Life

Julietta will also be Available for Fostering and Adoption
Through Greyhound Friends for Life

We also plan to bring one or two dogs from a pererra for Hound Sanctuary, now based in Oregon. Stay tuned for more information.

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings! Sara sends smiles! Wilma sends kisses and hugs!

Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara!

Our gorgeous Greyhound, Wilma!

Please support Scooby, Greyhound Friends for Life, 112 Carlota Galgos and Hound Sanctuary!

Know an organization that will donate dog food? Please let me know.

Spring 2015 Visit to Scooby Medina del Campo and 112 Carlota Galgos in Malaga

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 09:07:00 +0000

Margie Hugs & Brushes a Very Silly & Happy Scooby Galgo

Back to One of My Favorite Places at My Favorite Time of Year

It's way past time to finish my story about the Spring 2015 trip to Scooby Medina del Campo and 112 Carlota Galgos; especially since I am leaving in just about 48 hours to travel back to Scooby again to do my regular Fall/Winter volunteer work.

Once I arrived in Madrid, after visiting Marie in Germany, I met Mora at the airport. Her flight had arrived just before mine.

My Dear Friend and Travel Companion, Mora, Hugging a Lovely Scooby Galgo

We secured our rental car and headed out for Medina del Campo, just over an hour Northwest of Madrid. It was an easy drive, and the trip seemed so short this time. Weather was perfect, in the high 70's F. We first stopped at our favorite Medina Hotel Reina Isabel to check in and leave our bags. Everyone is always so kind to us there and the rooms are clean and comfortable. I highly recommend it.

Stayed at the Hotel Reina Isabel in Medina del Campo - Here's the Son of the Proprietor and His Adopted Scooby Dog - Great Hotel and Very Nice People - Perfect Location, Clean and Comfortable

We made our first stop at Aldi's (grocery store), which is very near the hotel and close to Scooby. Picked up our supplies for the week and lots of sausages and treats for the dogs --then on to Scooby! (Side shopping note: Later in the week, Mora and I hit the jackpot at the Chinese store in town, where we were able to find many other needed supplies, such as pooper scoopers, poop buckets and water bowls. Such kind people running the store and great prices, should you need supplies.)

When we pulled up in the driveway, the first person that we saw taking care of the dogs and cats in front, was dear friend, Melissa Beamish. I hadn't seen Melissa in two years, so it was a special reunion.

Dear Friend and Super Volunteer Melissa Beamish (UK) Pets Harry Mary,
Who Now Lives in a Home in France

Not only that, but my other Scoobettes were there from the UK and Holland. We had lunches and dinners together and caught up on many things. We even had a chance to meet with Fermin Perez, Scooby founder, to discuss how best to help the shelter.

Lunch with My Scooby Peeps - Mora (USA), Scoobettes (UK) and Debbie (Holland) - Love them all :-)

My Scooby Peeps: Scooby Vets (Spain), Scoobettes (UK), Debbie (Holland), Mora and Me (USA)

Debbie (Holland) is a Groomer by Profession - She Selects the Scooby Dogs Who Need the Most Attention and Makes them Beautiful :-)

As always, there were many Galgos, mixed breed dogs, puppies, cats, kittens and other animals to love and enjoy during this visit. Mora and I were in our glory petting, hugging, kissing, brushing and giving treats. We spent extra special time with the five Galgos that we were to bring to the USA. We had three that were to be picked up at JFK in NYC, and two traveled with us to California for adoption.

The weather was excellent during our entire visit. Some of the Galgos were such clowns. It's always entertaining to be around so many animals that are so very happy to see you and to get human attention and love. Most of them crave it, but there are also the shy, scared babies that won't even come near, and shake when you do so. :-(

A Gaggle of Scooby Galgos - One of My Favorite Things in the World! :-)

This is One of the Goofiest Galgos I've Ever Met - He Loves to Smile and Bites Your Bum if You Don't Pay Attention to him -
He is Already in a Loving Home in Europe :-)

Damian and Friend - Two Very Frightened Galgos Who Just Wanted to Melt into the Ground - Heaven Only Knows What They've Endured :-(

Run Free My Beloved

Sadly, since our visit, two beloved Scooby icons have passed -- Austin (one of the patio dogs) and Gabriela (the biggest girl with the hugest heart). I am sad to know that I will not see them when I visit in a few days.

Austin (above) and Gabriela (below) - We Lost Both of these Scooby Icons, This Past Year :-(

Bringing Five Galgos Back to the USA

Many thanks to Pablo, Scooby staff, for bringing the five Galgos to us at the airport for transport to the USA. Once again, we experienced drama. American Airlines tried to reroute our flight through London, which does not allow dogs to travel in and out due to quarantine. We had to renegotiate our tickets to travel to JFK, since three of the dogs were to be left there, and then on to San Francisco for the other two. Mora worked with the staff to get everything re-arranged, and it worked out fine. Very long and stressful morning trying to get everything worked out!

The good news is that all five Galgos made the trip well and are in their forever homes in the USA and Canada: Evangelina, Morena, Pepe, Damian and Zamarona. Truly rewarding experience! (Note: Morena and Pepe were fostered and adopted through the partnership between Scooby and Greyhound Friends for Life, San Francisco Bay Area, CA.)

Five Scooby Galgos at the Madrid Airport, Waiting for Their Trip to Their Forever Homes in the USA and Canada

Evangelina, Sweet and Petite - Now in a Loving Home in Pennsylvania

Morena, Serene and Elegant - Now in a Loving Home in California
(Thank you, Greyhound Friends for Life)

Pepe - Funny, Energetic and Full of Love - Now in a Loving Home in San Francisco (Thank you, Greyhound Friends for Life)

Damian - So Very Shy and Afraid - Now in a Loving Home in Canada

Zamarona - A Refined Lady - One of the Most Beautiful Galgo/Podenco Mixes I've Ever Seen - Now Living in a Loving Home in Pennsylvania

Day Trip to 112 Carlota Galgos in Malaga

Mora and I took a train to Malaga to visit 112 Carlota Galgos. Char and her family have been in their new finca for several months now. It is absolutely lovely! She and Dioni have worked so hard to move everything from their former place to the new location, and the new digs are fabulous. Everything has their loving touch and special attention to detail. There are multiple shelter buildings, hand built. Each dog has his/her designated bed, coats, blankets, toys, and the shelters even have lovely art work that was thoughtfully chosen for display. They take the neediest of needy Galgos, help them heal (mind, body, soul), and then work with carefully selected adoption groups to place them in great homes. She and her family are such beautiful souls inside and out to do this work.

112 Carlota Galgos in Malaga - Mora (USA), Dioni and Char (Malaga) are the Angels Who Rescue the Neediest of Needy Galgos (and Podencos)

112 Carlota Galgos - Mora and Char Discuss Plans for the New Spacious Finca

112 Carlota Galgos - Mora with Sweet Francesca, a Podenco Puppy Who Melted our Hearts - She Now Lives in a Happy Home with a Veterinarian who not only Corrected the Issues with her Spine, but also Adopted Her :-)

Char and Dioni Built These Comfy Shelters for the Galgos that they Rescue - Each One has Art Work and all of the Comforts of the Forever Homes that they will Eventually go to Once Adopted

Fall 2015 Visit to Scooby in a Few Days

I'm heading back to soulville for several days. This time, I'll be traveling alone, staying a few nights in Madrid and the rest in Medina. I'll fly to Madrid via Amsterdam and then the reverse upon return. Planning to bring two dogs, if everything works out. Fingers crossed!

Meet Stewie - I Plan to Bring Him to His Forever Home in California at the
End of November, 2015

Meet Guelo - I Hope to Bring Him to California to be Adopted through
Greyhound Friends for Life

Thank you for reading my blog!

Stay tuned for more updates regarding my upcoming adventures in Spain!

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings! Sara sends smiles! Wilma sends kisses and hugs!

Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara!

Our gorgeous Greyhound, Wilma!

Please support Scooby, Greyhound Friends for Life and 112 Carlota Galgos!
Know an organization that will donate dog food? Please let me know.

Part Two: Great Days in Germany - Visiting Marie, Lucy and Abba

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 07:32:00 +0000

My Dear Friends in Germany - Marie, Abba and Lucy

Part 2 - May-June 2015 Visit to Germany and Spain

Here's Part 2 of the story from my May-June visit to Germany and Spain. As mentioned in my previous post, it was quite an eventful journey getting to Dusseldorf to then visit Marie in Aachen, Germany. However, once I arrived, everything was perfect. Marie, Abba (Scooby rescue) and Lucy (newly adopted via a Spanish rescue group) met me at the lovely Dusseldorf airport, and then drove about one hour to Aachen. We always have so much to talk about, and the trip went by very quickly. I had the chance to get a good night's rest in Chicago, due to the flight delay, so I was ready to go for the day.

Day 1 - The Wedding

The Wedding - Such a Happy Couple

This was the day of Marie's dear friend's wedding. We had plenty of time to get ready for the epic event. Abba and Lucy were also invited to the wedding, so we rounded up the girls and set out for the most beautiful historic cathedral in Aachen. We sat in the back of the church, and the girls were just perfect, all the way through the ceremony.

Lucy and Abba, Such Great Girls

The wedding was lovely, and the bride and groom so happy and content. The man who played the organ was one of Marie's former students, which brought things full circle. It felt so great to be there to celebrate this very precious time with such great people. I was truly honored to have been able to spend this day with everyone. When we left the church, there was a small German band playing right outside. It was so festive and many tourists were taking pictures, smiling and enjoying the event, right along with us.

Afterward, we went to the park in the Aachen highlands for the reception. It was held in the tall tower building that has a 360 degree rotating floor with magnificent views. The food and drink was excellent, and I loved meeting more of Marie's friends.

The Wedding Reception was in the Tower on the Left - Great Venue!

The Wedding Reception Was Held in a Tower that Rotated for a 360 degree View of the Aachen Area. Great Food and Service :-)

Abba and Lucy were such well behaved ladies. First class! We had the chance to tour the grounds and walked the trails. As fate would have it, there was also an antique auto race in the park. Such lovely autos and in such pristine condition. Made it extra special.

Classic Car Race in the Park - Very Cool!

After this full day, we retired early. It was so great because Marie's roommate, Mirko, even gave up his room so that I could be super comfortable there. He was on a biking trip, and I had just missed him by one day. I have to say that I slept like a baby the two nights that I was there. Such a peaceful place.

Day 2 - The Eifel

The Eifel National Park in Germany is a Must-See

I will never forget this day. Marie and I had a great breakfast, talking and talking. We could talk forever... Then we headed for the Eifel, a place that the locals love to visit during the hotter days of the Summer. Lots of motorcyclists and tourists. Parking lots were very full. It is an area that has a very large reservoir, which is a water source for Aachen and the surrounding area. It is cooler there, and very pleasant, with picnic grounds, and two boats that will take you from one end of the reservoir to the other, stopping at various places along the way. The weather was perfect.

The Eifel Park - Great Place to Spend the Day

We had lunch at one of the local restaurants, and then bought our tickets for the boat tour.

Our Boat at the Eifel - Peaceful Cruising on the Reservoir

The Eifel - Peaceful and Lovely

We decided that it would be great to get off around 3 miles out and hike back to the car. During the boat ride, we saw so many intriguing stops, even a wedding taking place at one of them. Abba and Lucy loved it and were very relaxed all along the way. We got off of the boat at our selected stop and headed out on the trail. We went right, but found out later that we should have gone left... Going right took us to a trail that went up a very, very steep hill to a goat path. We began to realize that this was not a good move, and that we should go back. At one point, we were on a trail that involved putting one foot in front of the other to navigate. We each had a dog. Marie said, "If the dogs see a rabbit or something to chase, just let them go." We could have been pulled or fallen off of the trail, and down the very steep hill, into the water. Cell phones did not work. There is nothing we could have done for each other at this point, should one of us have fallen down the very steep hill and into the water. I have to say that this was one of the scariest moments ever! Yikes!

Yikes! Marie and I Experienced One of My Nightmares and Got Through It!

But... the dogs were wonderful! They never pulled or stressed. I swear they knew that we were in danger, and they wanted us to be safe. We climbed back down and back to the boat, knowing that we had dodged bullets, and being thankful for everything going well.

Marie and Abba on the Eifel Boat - Great Times!

Had a nice meal with Marie, turned in early and she took me to the airport early in the morning. I sure wish that I had more time to visit, but we have such a great time when I do. It's always quality.

Marie, thank you so much for having me as your guest. I hope to see you again in the Spring of 2016. What wonderful friends we make via our Scooby connections!

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings! Sara sends smiles! Wilma sends kisses and hugs!

Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara!

Our gorgeous Greyhound, Wilma!

Please support Scooby and Greyhound Friends for Life!
Know an organization that will donate dog food? Please let me know.

Visit to Germany and Scooby Medina del Campo, Spain (8th Volunteer Trip) - Part 1: Getting There

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 08:05:00 +0000

Lovely Scooby Galgo - Won't You Please Take Me Home?

Hola, Amigos and Amigas! :-)
Many tales to tell! It has been a fun and rewarding journey returning to Scooby for my eighth visit.

In late May, I traveled to Germany to visit my dear friend Marie, whom I met via our Scooby connections, both having adopted dogs from our favorite rescue sanctuary in Spain and hence, becoming soul sisters. After my German visit, I went to Spain to volunteer at Scooby once again. More about these adventures in subsequent blog postings.

Oh My, What an Adventure!
Trip from San Francisco to Aachen, Germany with Stopover in Chicago
Left SFO for Dusseldorf to get to Aachen, Germany, on American Airlines with a "short" stopover in Chicago. Smooth sailing on a brand new jet from SFO to Chicago. Next leg was Chicago to Dusseldorf. The adventure begins... First, they delayed boarding the new gigantic plane for about an hour. Once we boarded, I struck up a very fun conversation with my seat neighbor, a lovely young woman from the Chicago area who was thinking about changing her career and moving to a new place, possibly California. We bonded.The plane taxied. We were second to take off. Then the pilot announced that the plane behind us noticed that we were leaking fuel from one of our wings, so he turned back. Thank God!

Love the Chi-town, but did not want to get stuck overnight. Lost one day with Marie in Germany.
Boo hoo! :-(

We returned to the gate and disembarked. Waited to hear about the fate of our plane for over an hour. I hung out with my new friend from Chicago and another young man whom she had met from Holland. Here I am with two young souls, hanging out through our crisis, having a good time. They made it fun and a much more relaxing adventure. After all, what can you do, but go with it?

American Airlines gave us lunch vouchers. We ate and waited. Finally, they determined that they would cancel the flight. There was much chaos trying to get things settled. They then gave us vouchers for dinner and hotels. We were instructed to catch shuttles to our respective hotels for the night. There had to be at least a few hundred of us from that flight, as well as others from other airlines and flights, stuck in Chicago for the night.

It took about an hour to catch the shuttle to our hotel, and there were dozens of people waiting for shuttles along with us. The airline put me up in a suite, about 20 minutes from O'Hare. It was very nice but a very industrial area, lots of highway traffic and near the airport, so lots of flight traffic as well. Once we got to the hotel, I learned from the folks at registration that this happens each and every day. They put up hundreds of people who get delayed and have to spend the night near the airport. All said and done, American Airlines spent at least $300 per delayed passenger. Seems so inefficient and expensive to me.

Slept well and it prepped me for a full next day in Germany, which paid off. Shuttle took us back to the airport in the morning. Loaded up and ready to take off. But wait... as they loaded our baggage on the plane, they discovered some kind of hole in the cargo area. They then moved us to another gate and got us aboard another plane within an hour. (Side note: I think that a lot of the American Airlines planes are in disrepair, and they need to deal with their issues -- even the brand new planes have issues, which is scary!) From Chicago, we were routed to JFK and then went on board Air Berlin. It was smooth sailing to Dusseldorf from there. Sigh...

Once we arrived in Dusseldorf, everything went well. Had to hunt for my baggage for a time, and some of the young folks from the USA who were also stuck on our journey did not receive their bags, plus they had to stay in uncomfortable digs at the Chicago airport because they were minors. In the end, I'm sure that they made the best of the adventure. As for my two companions that I hung out with in Chicago, they made it with their bags. Best wishes, and hope your journeys went well! You are two truly delightful souls that I had the chance to meet and spend time with in a very weird and stressful situation. You made it pleasant. :-) Thank you!

Marie, Lucy and Abba

Marie picked me up at the Dusseldorf airport, which I love (feels intimate and friendly). She greeted me with her two lovely rescues from Spain, Abba and Lucy. More to follow regarding our adventures in Germany!

Please stay tuned for updates.

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings! Sara sends smiles! Wilma sends kisses and hugs!

Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara!

Our gorgeous Greyhound, Wilma!

Please support Scooby and Greyhound Friends for Life!
Know an organization that will donate dog food? Please let me know.

Part 3, Winter 2014 Volunteer Visit - Madrid, Malaga, and Bringing Four Scooby Galgos Home to California

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Tue, 05 May 2015 07:40:00 +0000

Calisto and Cuco, Spanish Galgos Ready to Become California Dudes!

This is Part 3 of the series about my most recent trip to Spain in November/December 2014 to volunteer at Scooby in Spain. There is so much to say, especially because my friend, Mora and I are returning again in just a few short weeks in late May. I am elated and cannot wait! :-)

Great Days in Madrid

In Part 2 of this series, I told you about our Scooby visit in November/December 2014, which was fabulous! After we left Scooby, we returned to Madrid, turned in our rental car, and took a cab to a plush hotel at the Santa Ana Plaza. Mora and I both had luxurious loft rooms (thanks to her) and enjoyed every day to the fullest. We walked everywhere, saw the sights, the Christmas decorations, and had delicious food and great shopping along the way. I must say that Spain has the best and most well-made shoes ever, rivaling Italy. We each bought three pair, and I am still enjoying mine every day. ;-)

Madrid has some of the most Beautiful Architecture of any of the European Cities that I've Visited

Christmas Decorations on the Squares. Very festive!

A Delightful Day Volunteering in Malaga - Was it a Dream?

Meet Char del Rio, Super Star Galgo and Podenco Rescuer (left), Hugging Mora (right)

Mora and I took an easy and relaxing train ride from Madrid to Malaga, a few hours away, to volunteer at Charlotte del Rio's rescue facility, 112 Carlota Galgos. It was a magical day, meeting an unselfish and caring woman and her family who have dedicated their lives to rescuing and rehabilitating the neediest of galgos from the perreras (kill shelters).

Char knows the darkest side of galgo rescue and has seen it all. She is an angel who turns the dark into the light with the work that she does.They have a small facility that can only take around 15-20 dogs at a time, but each and every one is treated as an individual, getting the love and support that they need to be placed in forever homes.

We helped that day by cleaning the dog pens, filling water dishes, doing laundry (coats and blankets), and socializing the dogs. We had the opportunity to visit with Char, her wonderful family, her dogs and cat, her rescued galgos and horse. She was just getting ready to move to the new finca right down the hill, with more space for her family and animals. As of this writing, Char is almost completely moved in, which was a major endeavor! Congratulations!

The weather and surroundings were much more tropical and very different from Medina del Campo and Madrid. Malaga is popular with British and other Euro country ex-pats to settle for their retirement years. It's very pleasant, great climate and near the Ocean.

Char, thank you so much for all that you do! If you'd like to help Char and her family with their galgo rescue efforts. Please visit her website for further information: http://112carlotagalgos.com/how-to-help-2/. We plan to spend one of our days visiting and helping during our upcoming May/June trip. Can't wait to see everyone again and the new finca!

Char's Gorgeous Galgo Rescues

"Sometimes... It Don't Come Easy...", Bringing Four Galgos Home to the U.S.A.

I have brought several Scooby dogs back to the U.S.A. from Spain over the four years that I've been volunteering and had very few complications. But this time, we ran into issues that forced us to reroute our trip. :-(

We arrived at the Madrid Airport five hours in advance to prepare for the long journey home to California via JFK in New York. Simonetta, super-star Scooby staff, brought four dogs to the airport for transit. We loaded their crates onto carts and brought them to the American Airlines ticket counter. Simonetta parked the Scooby van and came in to help us get the dogs through security and onto the flight.

I would like to take this time to acknowledge how wonderful Simonetta is. She single-handedly brings most of the dogs to the Madrid Airport so that volunteers can fly them to their forever homes in various countries. She also works on the transports that bring the dogs to locations all over Europe. She always has a positive attitude, helps everyone, and is an astounding person for all that she does. Thank you so much, Simonetta! What would we do without you? You are beautiful inside and out. :-)

The Lovely Simonetta - Beautiful Inside and Out

As it turned out, the four galgos for transit were: Cuco - my beloved, Calisto - Mr. Shy who desperately needed to get out of the shelter, Roco - spoken for and bound for Vancouver, B.C.., and our mystery guest, Bond, bound for a foster home in NYC. We tried to check in the dogs, but American Airlines gave us a great big hassle, telling us that the temperatures at JFK in New York were below their acceptable threshold, and we could not bring them. As you can imagine, our hearts sank... Simonetta tried to convince them that the galgos could make the trip. We even had letters indicating that they live in sub-zero Fahrenheit weather, and can endure low temperatures. But to no avail. She is Italian, fluent in Spanish and is usually able to break through the "red tape" at the airport, but this time, there was no convincing them. It was very frustrating, and we knew we had to think of some alternatives. Now what to do?

American suggested that there was an Iberian flight going to Miami, FL, that could work. It was to leave in about 1.5 hours. We had to pay more for changing our tickets and the second leg of the flight to SFO for the dogs, but temps were permissible. We decided on that option and to take all four dogs, not actually knowing where Roco and Bond were destined to go at that time. Our decision: everyone is coming to California or bust!

We did the long trip across "the pond" to Miami, and it was a good flight. At the Miami airport, the folks for hire in the baggage claim area saved the day. They took all four dogs and our bags, and then escorted us on the fast track through Customs. They helped load the dogs onto the next flight to SFO. It was worth every penny of the generous tip we gave them for their help!

Once the dogs were safely loaded onto the Miami to SFO flight, we were able to get to our gate for a brief break and even grab a snack before boarding. When you know that everything is set for the second leg of the trip and the dogs are on board and safe, it feels SO good. :-)

We arrived in San Francisco in the evening, around 8 p.m. My husband, Darrell, picked up the tired crew with our SUV. He disassembled the crates, and we all loaded in for the drive to Mora's condo. They were all great during the drive, resting in the back, and Roco cuddled in my lap. Once there, we tried to make them comfortable, but Mora was up all night with the dogs while I took a few hours of sleep. She has such a beautiful place and was so gracious about having the dogs there, but to be honest, they pooped and peed all over the place because they had been pent up so long without potty breaks and they were so nervous. It was a wild night, but we got through it! ;-)

California Galgos in Happy Homes

The next day, Darrell and I drove up to King's Kastle in Windsor, CA, to the greyhound/galgo adoption sanctuary. You will not believe it, but my worst nightmare came true! Cuco and Calisto bolted out of our SUV when we opened the hatchback, right onto the old highway! :-( I ran after them, stopped traffic, and with the help of King's Kastle staff, was able to get both on leash and to safety. Cannot tell you how horrible it felt to think that we brought them all that way to think that they could have been hit ... Thank God!

Now on to what happened with these precious galgos, thanks to Greyhound Friends for Life:

Cuco in his Forever Home in SFO

Cuco was adopted by a couple and is living the dream life in San Francisco. Hope to visit him soon!

Calisto (right) is a very Happy Boy in his Foster Home near Sacramento, California

Calisto is in a perfect and loving foster home near Sacramento, and has a wonderful life. His foster parents will keep him until he gets to his forever home.

Roco - Everyone Fell in Love with Him. I love this photo from his new Mum & Dad in Vancouver.

Roco is a puppy whom we all fell in love with. Thanks to GFFL Leader, Barbara Judson, for driving him to meet up with his new Canadian parents, he is living the big life in Vancouver.


Bond (left) on a walk at King's Kastle. He's bound for a foster home in Berkeley, California.

Bond, our mystery surprise guest who was supposed to go to a foster home in New York, became a Californian instead. He is SO handsome and special. But he still very afraid of people.(God only knows what he has endured.) He's still at King's Kastle, but he will be in a foster home soon. He's going to be one special pet when he gets past his fear.

Upcoming Trip To Scooby in May/June

That is the story for now. I will have so much more to share with you in the coming months, after my upcoming visit to Germany and Spain in May/June. Cannot tell you how happy I am to be returning to Germany to visit Marie, and then to Spain to meet Mora, volunteer at Scooby, and bring back more precious dogs for adoption in the U.S.A. It truly is my passion!

This trip will be extraordinarily special. I will see Marie, her Scooby adoption dog, Abba, and her new Spanish rescue, Lucy. I will meet up with Mora in Madrid. We will drive to Medina del Campo to meet up with Scoobettes and friends from the UK and Holland, Melissa, Jacque, Lucinda and Debbie, all friends whom I've met over the past four years that I've been volunteering. God willing, we will bring 2-3 dogs back to New York and two to be adopted in California. Still working out the details.

Please stay tuned for updates.

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings! Sara sends smiles! Wilma sends kisses and hugs!

Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara!

Our gorgeous Greyhound, Wilma!

Please support Scooby and Greyhound Friends for Life!
Know an organization that will donate dog food? Please let me know.

Part 2, Fall/Winter 2014 - Volunteer Visit to Scooby

noreply@blogger.com (Margie Easter) — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 09:56:00 +0000

Cute Overload! Who Could Resist this Scooby Galgo/Podenco Mix Puppy?

Adventure Part 2: Dusseldorf to Madrid to Scooby
After my wonderful visit with Marie in Germany, flew from Dusseldorf to Madrid to meet up with Mora. She is the great friend that I met because of our galga Sara. Mora fell in love with Sara and went to the ends of the Earth to get her to California for adoption. She is officially her Godmother, and often comes to visit and spoil with lovely gifts for all of our dogs. Mora is a treasure, and we have become perfect traveling companions, as we both have the BIG hearts for animals. Our next trip is already planned for late May, and we hope to bring back four Scooby dogs for adoption by Greyhound Friends for Life and other rescue organizations.

Mora was a Fantastic Travel Companion and a Perfect Scooby Volunteer

On with the Story
We met at the Madrid airport, picked up our rental car and headed out for Scooby. It's a bit confusing to drive in Madrid, but very easy to get to Scooby, once you get out of the City. The weather was very good, not too cold at that time. Beautiful drive up to Medina del Campo. Stopped at the friendly truck stop/restaurant near the Town for a bite to eat and a few supplies, then on to the Hotel Reina Isabel. Wow! What a great hotel. Very unexpected and lovely. Sweet family runs the hotel, recently upgraded, good price, very clean, quiet, and nice breakfast. Easy to walk to great restaurants with delicious food, private parking. Could not be better! We are staying there again in May.

Hotel Reina Isabel in Medina del Campo - Wonderful!

After dropping off our bags, went to Scooby. This was Mora's first time, so I got to show her around. Since we arrived on a Sunday, things were pretty quiet and we had a chance to tour the sanctuary and meet some of the lovely workers and of course, the most precious animals. We were both jet-lagged, so we ended our visit in the late afternoon, freshened up, ate an early dinner and got some rest in our comfy digs.

In the subsequent days, our routine was to rise and shine early, eat our breakfast at the hotel, stop at the grocery store for doggie treats and snacks for us, and then on to Scooby to work and socialize with the dogs. There are several nice markets in Medina del Campo. We frequented Aldi's because the selection and prices were good, staff was very nice, and it was right on our way to Scooby. A funny little thing we were annoyed by was that the main road to Scooby, which goes over the highway, was under construction, so we had to take different exits and turn around to get to our destination. It made us discover a few new things, which we enjoyed along the way. Every night, we ate at a different restaurant down town and found some gems, particularly on the main square. We even visited the castle and went inside this time. Very cool!

Castillo de la Mota
One of the Coolest Castles I've Ever Visited

Inside the Castillo de la Mota

Chapel Inside the Castle

It's all about the animals...

Lovely Galgo Relaxing in our Company

Smart Puppy Knows how to Help Herself to Treats!

We were in absolute heaven. There were many galgos, podencos, mix breed dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, and other animals including ferrets.

Galgo Heaven!

Mora is Walking in Galgo Heaven

Mora is Experiencing Galgo Love :-)

What a Gorgeous Galgo!

Words cannot possibly explain how wonderful it is to be in a sea of galgos. There were so many dogs to love and cuddle, and the great news is that we got to bring four back to California. We also had quality time with my loves, Cuco and Calisto, and got to spoil them in advance of their trip to the USA.

Calisto (left) and Cuco (right) at Scooby
Calisto is in the best ever Foster Home in California and Cuco was just Adopted into a Perfect Home in San Francisco

Podencos are SO Great! Who knew?

This is a Gorgeous Podenco
They are such Lovely Dogs!

Our big "Aha!" on this visit was that we had the chance to visit the paddock that had around 30 podencos. I had spent some time with a few individual podencos in the past, but never an entire paddock. In a word, "Wow!" Mora and I fell head over heels for this breed. There were small, medium and large pods, and almost every one of them came up to get their pets, hugs and love. There were a couple of shy ones that we couldn't coax, but overall they were all over us for attention. I am loving the pods and hope that we can help place them in loving homes as well. The good news is that since we were there, almost all of them have gone to foster or adoption homes, which makes me very happy!

Podenco Love! Mora in a Sea of Pods

Me and the Loving Podencos

Ferrets?
The galgueros use the ferrets to drive the hares out of their holes/nests so that the galgos can chase them during the hunt. :-( Scooby had recently rescued a gaggle of ferrets. I had never been around them. They are very silly and curious creatures that try to climb up your boots and slacks to get to you. Some of them bite and it is very tricky getting in and out of the closure to clean and feed.

Scooby Volunteers and Staff
The Scooby grounds look fabulous! There were a few new buildings added since my last visit. The wonderful staff was in full gear working so hard on all things, as they always do. There were a few new volunteers to meet, and we all had wonderful lunches and conversations in the Scooby kitchen during breaks, as well as dinner with friends. The Scooby people are so very special and become such an integral part of your network and life once you catch "Scooby fever".

Never Adios, But Rather Huesta Luego Dear Scooby

Retiring Another Pair of Work Boots
Ready for the Next Volunteer Who Needs Them

Mora and I spent our last day at Scooby giving out treats, hugs and kisses to each and every dog at Scooby. We had loads of sausages and other treats to spoil them with, and even left some for super volunteer, Ana, to give out. It is so difficult and emotional to leave this place and these animals. The only consolation is knowing that I will return once again. So elated to know that I will be there again at the end of May! I am looking forward to it every day, and dreaming about it every night.

There are two more parts to this story, which I will share in my upcoming postings prior to my next trip. Please stay tuned!

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. Bless sends her blessings! Sara sends smiles! Wilma sends kisses and hugs!

Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

Our gorgeous Galga, Sara!

Our gorgeous Greyhound, Wilma!

Please support Scooby and Greyhound Friends for Life!
Know an organization that will donate dog food? Please let me know.