My name is Diva!

Vital Statistics
Breed: Galgo (Spanish Greyhound)
Age: 3 years old
Size/Weight: 40 - 45 pounds
Cat Tested: Yes, Diva is NOT cat safe!
Child Tested: Yes, Diva is great with kids of all ages

Location: Diva is being fostered in Indianapolis, Indiana but she can be adopted anywhere in the U.S.

Personality
Diva is an outgoing, upbeat girl who loves life. She likes to play and goof around, but she's also very soft and sweet; and loves getting loved on. She's high energy outside but well behaved inside. I rarely have to correct her behavior twice, but we're still working on counter-surfing. She loves meeting people and she loves to cuddle. She likes children and is also nice with babies. She IS an escape artist and would need someone savvy to guard against escapes. She's learning not to try and dart out the front door but you need to stay on top of her around exterior doors. She can also twist her way out of a harness if you're not paying attention she's so thin & wriggly she can get through narrow spaces. She has never gone over a 31" tall baby gate but will go over the shortest one.

Diva is being fostered in Indianapolis, Indiana. She potty trained very quickly and has lovely house manners. She has a high prey drive so potential adopters need to walk her on a sturdy harness and always be aware of bolting after squirrels, cats and other small critters encountered outside the house.

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About Scooby North America
About Our Rescue Group...
Scooby North America is a rescue and fundraising arm of Scooby Protectorate, the largest galgo rescue organization in Spain. We place rescued galgos, podencos and mixes throughout the eastern half of the North American continent. (US and Canada). Because we work so hard to rescue these tormented breeds, the welfare of our dogs are our highest priority, so our goal is to make excellent placements.

Scooby North America is staffed entirely of unpaid volunteers dedicated to the welfare of Spanish hunting dogs, which are destroyed by the tens of thousands every year and considered not pet-worthy. Galgos are a type of greyhound and have the same even temperament and sweet nature, so we very much disagree. While we work with the entire European animal welfare community to solve this huge problem in Spain, we also work to rescue as many dogs as we can and place them with families who appreciate them.

The dogs are transported to our area by air, on commercial flights with volunteers. We have volunteers on both ends of the journey to get the dogs properly loaded and unloaded. The flights themselves are paid for by a combination of adoption fees and donations. We strive to fly the dogs only on one non-stop flight from Madrid to New York to ensure their safety, and then usually drive them onward to their final North American destination. We bring over a few dogs to place in foster homes until they're adopted but some are adopted/reserved directly from our database and then delivered directly to their new homes.

We don't own a kennel, so when we foster dogs, it helps us teach the dogs about their new world, and learn more about the individual dogs. Knowing our dogs well helps us greatly with our placement success. It also helps us better help our adopters once the dog goes home.

Our Adoption Process...

Am I in your placement area?
Our placement area is roughly east of the Mississippi river and the eastern part of Canada. This area is restricted so that if a dog needs to be returned to us for any reason, we can more easily arrange that. In such a case, the dog will most likely need to come to our Virginia headquarters for evaluation. Our ability to serve an area depends on the availability of a volunteer to do a home visit - often we will ask a local greyhound adoption organization if they will do the home visit for us. If you are curious about our ability to work with you, please email diane@scoobymedina.com to ask. Please be assured that we make every effort to try and work with qualified applicants!

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Could you tell me more about your adoption process?
Our adoption process is simple - the goal is to learn as much as we can about an applicant in the month or so we dedicate to the process. This helps us help our applicants with adopting the right dog for them. We're not just trying to be nice! A well-placed dog is a happy dog. To kick off the process, an applicant fills out an adoption application. An initial email response generally goes out within 24 hours. Over the course of the week, we might contact you by email or phone. Next, we check the references that you supplied on the application and we schedule a home visit, and then make a decision. Our primary means of communication is by email, so once you fill out an application, please check your email regularly.

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Do I need to have a fenced yard? Do I need to have a large house?
Galgos are very similar to greyhounds, but trained to run for miles at a time. Their top speed is slightly less, around 35mph, but they can sustain that over about five miles of rough terrain. While you don't necessarily need a fenced yard if you are dedicated enough to do daily leashed walks, fences are ideal. Additionally, galgos are very capable of jumping, so a fence of 5 - 6 feet is ideal.

You don't need a large house to keep a galgo. They are super cuddly and able to curl up into the tiniest little balls you've ever seen! They do play a little more than racing greyhounds, but are happy to play with any kind of dog toy, and they do enjoy hours of naps while you're at work. They are smart so toys and daily exercise is more important than the amount of space you have. They make fantastic apartment dogs!

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Eligibility
We place dogs to applicants 21 years and older, whose lifestyle allows the addition of a dog. Part of our application process is a home visit. Since our volunteers drive out to you on their own time, we may have to refer you to an alternate group in case we do not have a volunteer local to your area.

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How are dogs fostered?
Our foster dogs are kept in homes with greyhound experience. Since our dogs come from a loose, rural, outdoor lifestyle and then to paddocks in the Spanish shelter, one of the most important things they learn in their foster homes is house training. Our foster homes work very hard to get the pups ready for their new suburban or urban lifestyle. In addition to house training, depending how long they are in the foster home, they may also learn their names, house manners, and basic socialization with people. During the fostering period, the volunteer learns about the dog's personality and needs, which gives you, the adopter, necessary information about whether the dog is a good match with your family.

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How do I apply to adopt a galgo?
To start, please fill out our adoption application. Once we receive it, you will hear from one of our volunteers promptly. The form should take 10-15 minutes to fill out and gives us the information needed to have a productive conversation with you.

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How do I meet a galgo nose-to-nose?
We participate in most of the large greyhound social and fundraising events. You can find us at Greyhounds in Gettysburg, Beach Bound Hounds, Mountain Hounds, and sometimes Grapehounds. Please check each event calendar for dates and to confirm our attendance.

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How large is a galgo?
Galgos are a medium-size breed of dog, but their gentle and quiet demeanor makes them easy keepers. Females typically weigh between 40 and 55 lbs and males can weigh anywhere from 50 to 65 lbs.

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How old are the galgos?
Because of the unregulated use of dogs in the Spanish hunting community, and unregulated breeding, we are able to get dogs of any age, including puppies.

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How will a galgo fit in with my family?
Your galgo will want to be treated like any other member of your family-with love and respect. Galgos generally adjust fairly easily to the rhythms of your home and family. Some are skittish from a poor early life experience so will do better in a quiet home, and some are happy and playful and will do fine in a busy home. You will need to build time into your schedule for walking/exercising your dog, feeding, and training. Since the dogs have come from such a different environment, they need some space and some patience as they learn about you and your home.

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Tell me more about the home visit?
The last, and most important step, of our process is a home visit, in which an adoption counselor visits your home with a greyhound or galgo. We give all of you important lessons and tips in everything from grooming to crate placement to helping you dog-proof your home! Some family members who are less involved in the adoption process will have their own questions for us. At the home visit, they are all invited to participate, and ask us anything they would like to know about. While at your home, we need to take a look at all the areas the dog would be allowed in. This is not to invade your privacy, as much as to help identify potential hazards and help you fix them. Getting to know your home environment is a time-consuming step for our hard-working volunteers. However, we are committed to getting to know you as well as possible for two important reasons - a) helping guide your choice of dogs, and, b) helping you work through any problems and issues that might arise after adoption. The more we know, the better we can help you, and the better the chances the adoption will be a happy and successful one.

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What is a galgo's lifespan?
Galgos, like greyhounds, are phenomenally long-lived. As you know, in general, the larger the dog, the shorter the lifespan. However, galgos buck the trend, and have an expected life span of 12-14 years.

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What physical condition are the dogs in?
Galgos are bred for active cross-country hunting, a close cousin to racing greyhounds, and are athletes. Some we rescue have been terribly abused but are rehabilitated both mentally and physically before we place them into homes. We strive to place healthy dogs, and international law prohibits sick or injured dogs from traveling across international borders, so they are certified as physically healthy when they arrive on this continent. If a dog has any lingering handicaps, we will let you know so that he can be properly cared for.

As a breed, galgos do not suffer from hip dysplasia, or bone cancer, and do not have a tendency to get arthritic.

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What vet care have the dogs received?
Our dogs are spayed or neutered before they are placed. They are treated for internal and external parasites, so they are free of worms, ticks and fleas. All dogs are heartworm tested. If needed, we have dental work done as well. The dogs are inoculated for rabies and distemper and tested negative for all common diseases including Leishmania, a disease spread by the Mediterranean Sandfly, common in Spain.

While in our care, dogs are kept current on heartworm preventative and flea and tick preventative. Adopters are given all the information we have on a dog's history, as well as original copies of vet work and vaccination records, and their pet passport. Approved adopters can keep in touch with the fosters of dogs they are interested in, and can learn all about an individual dog prior to adoption. We encourage the sharing of information, since we want every placement to be successful.

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Where do the galgos come from?
Most of our dogs come from the northern areas of Spain, but some may come from other areas of the country as well. The Spanish rescue organizations struggle to keep up with the populations of abandoned and disposed-of dogs, so when one fills up others will take dogs to ease the population pressure.

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Why should I choose to adopt through Scooby North America?
Scooby North America is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization that strives to match you with the dog that will best fit with you and your household. Our fostering program helps ensure that you and your new pet will be a good match for each other. Our home visit is a great opportunity for you to get guidance about adding a dog to your home.

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Will you hold a dog for me? (or, I am interested ONLY in this particular dog)
Our goal is to find the right placement in forever homes. Also, since our primary concern is the welfare of the dog, if you are approved for adoption but need to hold the adoption until a specific date, we are happy to work with you. Don't hesitate to inquire and start the application process but let us know your timing requirements.