With this project, at Scooby - Organisation for the Protection of Animals and the Environment - we aim to train one of our dogs as an assistance dog. The selected dog will become Fernando's assistance dog. Fernando is a man from the city of Valladolid who has been in a wheelchair for 20 years and who suffers from multiple pathologies such as hemophilia (which he has had from birth) and others that will become more severe with time. Fernando needs to travel to Madrid often for treatment. That is what he explains in the video. 

An assistance dog is no ordinary dog... But a rescue dog can become one!

An assistance dog is balanced, friendly, attached to that special person. He/she will help with tasks his/her owner may find difficult such as opening doors, taking something from a drawer and closing it after, helping the owner to dress and undress... A dog that knows how to behave in all situatuons and places (public transport, loud places etc)

The qualities of these dogs coupled with positive training (no punishment nor violence) turns  them into invaluable  help for their owners. Their sole presence too, of course, like that of any pet, also plays an essential part in the physical and emotional  improvement of theirowners.

In order to achieve all that, the chosen dog will need specific training, certified by a specialized entity. In this case, it will be an assistance dog trainer who also  volunteers for Scooby who will train our dog and Lealcan Madrid will monitor the process and provide a certification.

If the first assistance dog for someone in a wheelchair in Castilla y León came from Scooby it would be a great example of how dogs from rescue centres can make perfect pets!! It would also change the perception people have of dogs in shelters who need all the support they can get to improve their chances of being adopted. Scooby is one of the oldest rescue centres in Spain and it works to end the abandonment, mistreatment and violent killings of dogs and other animals.

Help us raise the funds so we can train one of our dogs!!

Scooby is the biggest animal  shelter in Spain. It is located in Medina del Campo (Valladolid) and has been fighting for the rights of mistreated animals for about 30 years, in particular for galgos' welfare (Spanish greyhounds). It is home to around 600 dogs on average (mainly galgos and mastiffs but now also an increasing number of cross -breeds), around one hundred cats and other animals: equines, bovines, sheep, goats, birds,  etc. It is a non-profit organisation registered nationally and its website is   www.scoobymedina.org