Scooby

This is Scooby. He is a beautiful, loyal, friendly failure of a guide dog. And I love him.

Scooby was born with the intention of him becoming a Guide Dog. He is a cross between a labrador and a retriever hence he has two big soft ears that nobody can resist. When we got him he was tiny. You could pick him up with one hand. He was also quite crazy- he loved nothing more than jumping all over my dad, brother and me trying to bite us with his little teeth.

But Scooby was always supposed to be a working dog. He would be doing a job that was so important and could change somebody elses life so much. Having a guide dog gives blind and partially sighted people an invaluable life line and a chance at a more normal life. Throughout Scooby's year with us he struggled with rashes on his skin. We had to take him to the vets regularly and he was on antibiotics around four times during the first year of his life which seems a lot for anyone especially a puppy.

During the year we looked after him we watched him fluorish from a crazy little puppy to a beautifully well behaved dog and all too soon the day came when we had to give him back to the organization because he'd come to the end of his 'puppy walking stage'.

Sadly, Scooby failed to become a Guide Dog. His trainers said it was a shame because he was one of the best behaved and most easily trained dogs there. They said he had a calm and gentle manner and would make the perfect Guide Dog. Sadly it was Scooby's skin problems which lead him to failing to become a guide dog. While at the association they tested him and found out he was allergic to dust and daisies. Dust is unavoidable for him so he has to have tablets three times a day to stop his skin reacting to the dust. The association decided this would be too much for a partially sighted or blind person to deal with and so we were offered to take Scooby back.

Of course we accepted. And now he has settled back in. We still want him to be able to do some good in his life so that the training and money put into him from the Guide Dog Association isn't wasted. The Association recommended we register him as a PAT (Pets as Therapy) Dog which means he'll visit hospitals, nursing homes and other places to meet patients and let them stroke and play with him.

We're going to register Scooby as a PAT dog as soon as all of the paperwork is done which makes Scooby officially our dog and not a Guide Dog any more. I'll post more on here about it when he makes the grade as a PAT dog which I'm sure he will.