5/1/11, Day 4 - Last Day at Scooby - 3rd Full Day of Work

Who goes there?
Photo by Saskia Bijkersma 

Awoke early to the morning serenade of synchronized dog howling. This would be my last morning to hear the beautiful song of the Galgos. I think Scooby may want to cut a record of "the wave" and use it as a fund raiser. ;-)  It was misty. The crickets were singing. Very peaceful. It turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day of about 70 degrees.  Perfect last day! Got ready for the day, and went over to the Quarantine area to clean the pens, one last time.

It's official! I have fallen in love with these dogs.  I have, what is known as "Scooby Fever".  They have come to know me, and I them.  They seemed to be waiting for their clean-up and visit.  I savored every moment with them on this last day, knowing that I would not see any of them again, except my Bless.  Such dear hearts, just waiting to be acknowledged and loved. I wish them all great lives and loving homes.

Two of the Quarantine Dogs - All Bark and All Love

My cleaning process is getting more efficient. I'm faster at it now: scoop, hose, fill water buckets, give love, repeat....   Only took about 2 hours to finish all 12 pens today.  That left more time for a second sweep of cleaning the patios, and more time for loving the dogs.

Ate some lunch and then went back to the dorm to pack and get ready to take my darling Bless home to California.  Packed all of my clothes and laid everything out for an early morning departure.  Put together the dog carrier and the bedding. Filled out and pasted on all of the ID tags, and put her filled water cups in the freezer.

Visited the Quarantine dogs again to take photos (many with Hazel - she will have her own blog entry ;-) ), and then to the paddocks.  Helped watch over the dinner feeding to make sure everyone played fair.  It was heart wrenching to say, "Goodbye" to these beautiful animals.

Diane called me back to the dorm so that I could meet up with her to get Bless.  My Bless was taken out of the kennel, so that the other dogs could eat. She had to skip dinner because of her next day of travel.  Diane was working with Fermin and the Vet, to make sure that her Passport (yes, she has her own passport), and all of her paperwork were in order. They also cut her nails and checked her over to make sure she was ready for her long journey to her new home.

Bless' Passport from Spain
Just like a "people" ;-)

Bless' Passport has her Breed, Blood Work, Vaccination Information for Entry into the USA 
No Quarantine Period Necessary with the Proper Credentials

Went back to help with making dog food with my US and UK fellow volunteers. We had a lot of fun chatting and getting to know each other.  They had finished with Bless, and brought her to me so that she could relax with us while we made the food.  She was so serene and relaxed. I knew this was going to be even better than I had imagined; after all, her name is "Bless". Right?

Bless and Me - Making Dog Food for the Others

Lucinda was hugging Bless and told me that she was a "true" Galgo. I asked what that meant. She said that (as compared to an Irish greyhound) they have almond shaped eyes, floppy ears, a long tail that reaches their spine when curled up on their body, a wider chest, and bigger paws.  My Galga even has a Roman nose, just like me!  I mentioned to Lucinda that since there are so many forgotten, neglected, abused and abandoned animals in this world, my Bless (and my other dogs and cat) are needles in the haystack.  They only have a very small chance at a good life. Isn't that sad?

Lydia took Bless for a short walk, and then I continued to get ready for my trip home. When she brought her back, we all took our showers and got ready for dinner. I took Bless out one more time to see if she wanted to relieve herself before we left.  I looked out over the Scooby grounds, and then out to the surrounding fields. Again the crickets were singing.  Amazingly, there was a beautiful rainbow in the distance.  This Galga was going to her new home, and all was well with the world.

We left Bless in her carrier when we went to town for our favorite pizza place.  It was so cute because the proprietor had gotten to know all of us, and he always turned on either a Phil Collins or Bruce Springsteen concert DVD to entertain us while we ate (circa 1990's). Near the end of our dinner, our friends from the UK joined at the table next to us.  We all hugged, exchanged contact information, and said our goodbye's.  I have since connected on Facebook with Diane and Lydia, my US mates, and many of the others from the UK and the Netherlands. They have all posted their wonderful photos, some of which, I have added to this blog. Thanks to all of you for your camaraderie, support, the work you have done and still do for Scooby!

Got ready for a few hours of sleep. Alarm was set for 3:30 a.m.  Bless slept like an angel on the bedding on the floor, all cuddled up in a blanket, near my bed. She sighed in contentment a few times.  We both went to sleep with smiles. :-)

More to come. Thank you for reading my blog!

Please support Scooby! Muchas Gracias.

Hasta Luego!

Bless sends you her Blessings!