Scooby T. and his bright outlook on life

Scooby T. and his bright outlook on life

I was asked to evaluate a senior German Shepherd that needed a new home.  His name was Scooby and he was just short of 10 years old.  Scooby had worked as a personal service dog since he was a puppy, had been trained to provide physical support and balance, alert to the onset of medical crises, open doors, pull a wheel chair, and many other tasks.  But after more than 9 years of service, he found himself in a Humane Society with few options.  He showed some signs of neglect, and was a bit weak in his hind-quarters, but was otherwise healthy and in good shape.  And his personality and temperament were absolutely fantastic.  He loved everyone and showed it, he was great with dogs and seemingly all other animals.  He took enthusiastic walks and car rides.  He was happy all the time.  In short, he was as close to the perfect dog as I had come across in a long time.

Nice to be out

Nice to be out

But, unbelievably, the Humane Society would not put him up for adoption!

Although Scooby did not fit the strict profile for a Thulani dog (he was too young and too healthy), we simply could not stand by while he spent his last days in a shelter among strangers.  So we made plans to bring him into the program.  The prospect of him becoming a Thulani dog immediately injected a sense of excitement and high spirits into the next Thulani Program Steering Committee Meeting, which was spent planning Scooby’s ‘coming out’ party, complete with banner, balloons, a video, celebrities, and lots of cheers.  We held the party (see a short video of it at    http://youtu.be/00_kvuS9H5Y  ) We humans had a ball, and Scooby took it all in stride.

Are you guys ll here just for me? Cool!

Are you guys all here just for me? Cool!

Scooby is now looking for his forever home, and some incredibly lucky family will eventually welcome a new family member that will brighten their lives.