Scooby Doo #364767
Ruh Row Raggy! In late 2021, Scooby came from a small shelter in Southern MD which suddenly had an influx of dogs; fortunately FSAC was able to take in Scoob and some friends and give them all a second chance. Our Scooby is a large, mixed-breed dog. In his kennel or in the play yard, he sometimes acts excited and barks and because of this and his large size, sadly many shelter visitors just walk right past his kennel and don’t give him a second thought. Perhaps that’s why he is still at the shelter after more than a year. But they aren’t seeing the real Scooby Doo, just the result of a dog trapped in a kennel for 1-1/2 years. We know that Scooby calms down nicely when he is taken to a quieter area like the meet/greet room, spends the afternoon as “office helper”. or goes on a sleepover at a volunteer’s home. He seems to do well with cats. He likes kids a lot, but, as a big dog who may play roughly when excited.
GOOD NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT: SCOOBY IS NOW IN A DOG PLAY GROUP! For 1-1/2 years, we had recommended that Scooby be an “only dog” in the home. This was due to the excitable reaction he showed towards other dogs walking by when he was in a play area near the noisy kennels and because his size and strength would have been difficult to control if we tried him with another dog. We now realize that his excitability was due to the generalized noise and frenzy in the kennel area and his frustration knowing that dogs were nearby that he couldn’t see. So we have now revised our previous position based on results of a new technique we have tried for testing dogs with each other that allows the dogs to run briefly along a fence line in a quiet area. Not holding them back with leashes eliminates the “on-leash reactivity” factor that had led us to believe so many dogs might be “dog aggressive”. Scooby and the other dog barked for 30 seconds as they ran along the fence line, then quickly it became a “non-event”. So we were able to re-leash them and safely walk them around the yard together and soon let them run off-leash together. Everyone was cool and had some good, relaxing yard time. VOILA—-Scooby now has a doggie friend, Savannah! Bet ya didn’t know our Scooby spoke French, did ya?)
****PLEASE NOTE: Similar surprising and positive dog testing results were achieved for others of our dogs whom we had previously identified as either “dog selective” or “dog reactive”: ACE, KYLO, COPPER, SHADOW, GENO, ROCKY, TUX and BABY GIRL (AKA Demi or Sophie). They are all now in play groups! So maybe you might like to reconsider these big fur kids as adoption possibilities, too, if you need a dog-friendly dog and had passed them by before. (And, if you have labeled your own dog “not dog-friendly” based only on his “on leash reactivity”, perhaps it’s time to reassess that label.)
Scooby enjoys being outside in the play yard, running around with a human or doggie friend. Some days, we swear he must run a marathon! As his cartoon namesake does, maybe Scooby is out there looking for clues and trying to solve mysteries (for instance, where did our dear, pit mix Marie bury all those tennis balls)! Last summer we found that Scooby loves the water and would delightedly throw himself with abandon into the plastic kiddie pool. Until the day, however, that Scooby got a bit overly enthusiastic and “ate” the pool. ( Well, in his defense, it was a very small pool and Scoob is a very big dog, so whom did you expect to win the battle of dog VS plastic?) So, we just moved on to a spray nozzle on the hose and found him also a fan of water spray . He will jump into the air just to get a bite of water. In the summer, Scooby must be the coolest, cleanest dog in Camden, DE!
In conclusion, if you want a fantastic and fun, canine companion, come on in to FSAC and meet our big guy, Scooby Doo. As with all our dogs, he is neutered, microchipped, fully vaccinated, Heartworm negative, and treated monthly with flea/tick and Heartworm preventative. Also, the adoption fee includes a free, post-adoption exam with our vet at the on-site FSAC Wellness Clinic. If you have your own “Scrappy Doo” dog at home for Scoob to meet, make sure you bring your dog as well as his proof of being neutered and an up-to-date on Rabies certification. We’d love you to meet Scooby or any of our other wonderful dogs.
