When Shelley lost her much loved English Pointer in May 2022 she knew that another Pointer would be right for her and her husband. After a bit of research they came across Pointers In Need and it wasn’t long before they were both besotted with Scooby, particularly his eyes!
“We had our previous Pointer from a puppy and it might sound strange but I didn’t want to have that experience with another dog so we decided to go down the adoption route and give that same love and devotion to a dog who hadn’t had a good start in life. When we came across Pointers In Need I spoke with Karin and it seemed like a good fit as they are a passionate about the breed as we are.
By coincidence both my husband and I saw Scooby on the Pointers In Need website within a few days of each other and we completely fell for him. He had had an awful start to his life, and we knew he deserved all the love in the world. Scooby has a face that you just fall in love with and he has these big brown Disney shaped eyes that are very hard to say no to.
Scooby, who is now two, was apparently a bait dog in Turkey. He was found in an extremely poor state – emaciated, with infected stab wounds, he had vinegar in his eyes so he couldn’t defend himself. I believe he spent about six weeks in the vets recovering.
We don’t know much about Jack, who is now four – he was just left one day at a shelter in Greece. He was a very happy accident as we weren’t planning to adopt two dogs but Jack was with the same fosterer as Scooby and they got on so well so it would have been sad to separate them, especially for Jack as he was so nervous.
When Scooby first arrived he bounded into the house and almost at once started playing ball in the garden. He met all my family including my nephew (who is now his favourite person), my parents, my stepdaughters and he took it all in his stride. It was strange having a new dog in the house, but Scooby was so settled he made it easy for us.
It did take us a while to get into a rhythm as having two dogs is very different to just one, and especially as they have very different personalities. But as Scooby and Jack came from the same foster home it helped them having each other, they relied on each other for comfort and reassurance. Not long after having them we went away on holiday – seeing them with my family and their dogs was lovely, and when they first got to the beach it was wonderful to see. Although Scooby has a very high prey drive, so I thought he was going to go flying round the sand dunes at one point!
It’s been one year since we adopted them in September 2022 and their characters are really coming out which is wonderful to see. They enjoy going to visit my parents and their dog – Scooby normally sneaks off and has a nap on their bed…. or chews the feet off a few teddies! They have their favourite walks and it’s lovely to see how settled they are in their new home. Scooby has his favourite dogs he likes to see on walks and Jack is getting more confident meeting people. Scooby loves the dog park and being off lead to play ball…Jack works the perimeter.
I think being in a stable home has given Scooby the chance to be a puppy which he missed out on – he is excitable and playful like a puppy although a lot bigger now! People stop us on walks to say how handsome he is and comment on his kind eyes. Scooby loves everyone and everything. He is so affectionate and loving, he also loves any animals that move including cats and squirrels. He gets so excited he can’t keep his feet on the floor sometimes when he sees other dogs, he just wants to say hello to everyone. It amazes me every day how incredible Scooby is after everything he has been through, he is amazing. His favourite thing is playing ball and he has a growing collection at home. Sometimes when he is tired of playing, he will just fall asleep with a ball by him like a comfort blanket.
Jack was so shy and nervous when we got him and the change in him has been amazing! He still struggles at times and finds lots of people in the house intimidating but we know to give him space…. it’s all on his own terms. When it’s just the four of us at home Jack has the biggest character, he spends about half of his day upside down and rolling on the floor and sofa. He wasn’t sure how to play for a long time, but he has a teddy banana which he LOVES! Jack likes to play piggy in the middle with the banana and is very vocal if he can’t get it. He likes to let you know if he thinks he has waited too long for his breakfast or dinner with a very adorable howl. Jack and my husband are inseparable, its lovely to see.
Since adopting Scooby and Jack we have introduced my mum to Pointers In Need and she has now adopted a dog from them too. The support that Pointers In Need offer is amazing – we were able to attend the fun day this year and it was lovely to speak to other people who have had similar experiences.”
