A Happily Ever After Story: Scooby Adoptee Rayo One Year Later

Debbie and Rayo - Happily Ever After! :-)

A year ago, my husband Darrell and I traveled to Spain to spend some time in Madrid and also volunteer at Scooby. We brought back two dogs for adoption in the U.S.A., Benji and Rayo.  It was a wonderful trip and experience, and we were so happy to bring the two Scooby dogs back with us. It made the trip that much more exciting and fulfilling. 

The two were conversation pieces at the Madrid and JFK, New York Airports, and received excellent care from the Delta staff who took care of them during the transcontinental transport.  When we arrived at JFK, Debbie was waiting for Rayo and Barbara was waiting for Benji. We didn't have but a few minutes to exchange greetings and give them the dogs and give hugs, and then we were off to our connecting flight back to San Francisco.  Darrell and I had smiles on our faces all the way back, knowing that the two dogs were probably cuddling up in their new beds, with new toys and many treats, as we made our way West.

Rayo and Benji Travel from Spain to their New Homes in the U.S.A.

Since it has been one year, I asked Debbie Jordan, who adopted Rayo, if she would write an update to share about her life with Rayo.  Here is her story:

"I began my search for a Galgo in December of 2011. Having made some inquiries, I was directed to Diane at Scooby North America who put me in touch with Eva. I quickly sent in my application and waited to hear. It wasn’t until February that the process started moving forward, although I had heard from Eva and knew that I wasn’t forgotten. My references were checked and by the beginning of March I was informed that my application was accepted. I was then asked to choose a few dogs that I was interested in and they would be tested to see if they would be compatible in my household which contained a Greyhound, 2 Italian Greyhounds, a Silky Terrier, 3 Parrots and several Italian Greyhound fosters.

Of the three dogs I selected, I kept going back to Rayo’s photo. There was no profile written about him, but his eyes and expression gave me hope that he could become part of my family.  The other two dogs were tested first and one was definitely not small dog friendly and the second one was younger and wanted to play with the small dogs, which made me a little nervous. Then I noticed that Rayo was no longer on the website. I was so dismayed and contacted Eva, who calmly told me that he was taken off because he was on hold and she was waiting to see if the group in Holland would release him. Thankfully, they did. Rayo’s testing with other Galgos, small dogs, cats and even the chickens went perfectly!  By March 31, everything was finalized, I sent in my payment and was told he would be arriving at JFK on April 8^th.  From that point on, I was notified of everything that was happening, even getting photos of Rayo and his paddock mate, Benji, in quarantine waiting to leave Scooby.

Rayo in Quarantine at Scooby in Early April, Just Before we Left for the U.S.A.

From the moment Rayo came out of the kennel at the airport, I knew I had adopted the perfect dog.  He came out wagging and has not stopped since.

Debbie Meets Rayo for the First Tine at the JFK Airport in New York

Rayo easily acclimated to living in my household and going to work with me everyday. He was house trained within a week and didn’t take long to realize that my bed was his favorite place in the house. At night he whines to go upstairs so he can cuddle in bed with me and the other dogs.

Who Could Resist the Cuddle Bug, Rayo?

Rayo with his Pack - Um... Where Does Debbie Sleep?

Rayo’s outgoing personality makes him a joy to be around. He loves everybody and goes out of his way to share his love and enthusiasm with everyone he meets.

Rayo is Such a Sweetheart

This attitude enabled us to become a therapy dog team. Rayo visits as a therapy dog in various facilities and works with me in my role as an Animal Assisted Therapist helping people with their physical and occupational therapy sessions. We are now working towards becoming an Animal Assisted Crisis Response team with SMART (Stress Management Animal Response Teams). This gives him membership into the local fire company and local CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) team to help first responders in the community. Rayo also just passed his first beginners agility class and will be moving forward to the next session of agility classes. A dog has to have time to let loose and have fun, too!

Rayo is now a Therapy Dog - How Cool is That?

Rayo, I and the rest of the zoo are currently waiting for our next Galga to arrive in the USA. Hopefully we will hear from Eva soon! I have adopted many dogs, but getting a Scooby dog has been the best experience yet! Hope I can make a trip to Scooby myself some day and bring a Galgo back for another fortunate family."

Thank you so much for adopting dear, sweet Rayo, Debbie.  You touch all of our hearts with your love and generosity, and we certainly appreciate your support of Scooby and our beloved Galgos.  I wish you many happy years with Rayo, and hope that you have another dear Galgo joining your family/pack very soon. Muchas Gracias!

 

Hasta Luego! Thank you for reading my blog. More to follow. Bless sends her blessings.



Our gorgeous Galga, Bless!

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