Like a lot of people out there, I love dogs. I know it is cliche but I can honestly say that there are many times that I feel a better attachment to the four legged buddies than I do to most people I meet. The unyielding loyalty and cuteness is just such an amazing mix. I also think that the fact that you can take them to do almost anything and they absolutely LOVE it is another great reason to love animals.
Territorio de Zaguates
The "Territorio de Zaguates" (land of the strays) is a 300 acre spot of privately owned land where the owners have attempted to create a habitat for the high level of street dogs that exist in Costa Rica. I might be a little bit wrong about the translation of "Zaguates" but it is my impression that it means a mixed-breed dog that is unwanted and lives on the streets - so "strays," at least in my mind is appropriate.
Like many no-kill shelters, it started out small but then just got bigger and bigger. This can be seen in really any shelter around the world including the country that I live in (Thailand.) This shelter is almost completely privately funded and is the source of some level of controversy, even at the hands of the Costa Rican government (imagine that! Government meddling.)
The rise in strays in Costa Rica is attributed to a law that was passed where people could be prosecuted and fined for keeping animals that the government decided could be considered "undesirable" and while I am definitely against animal cruelty in all forms, getting the government involved in this was always going to end badly. Just like any government regulation, the rules were often subjectively enforced and had standards that suggest that the CR government is completely detached from the financial struggles that much of their (relatively poor) population actually live in. The answer to this legislation was for people to stop keeping strays on their property and therefore, a huge rise in dogs living on the streets.
Enter Territorio de Zaguates. This privately funded and privately owned land started taking in all the strays they found and over the years the number (since they denied no animals) quickly spiraled out of control. They now have more than 1000 dogs on the property that they look after as "best they can." It is certainly understandable that with this many animals that each dog isn't going to have the same amount of care given to them that say my single dog would receive. Some of the times the dogs are in pretty horrible shape because it's not like they all get to sleep on a bed next to the owners of the land.
On multiple occasions the police and the Costa Rican "Animal Control" have raided the facility claiming that they are not providing a good enough home for the animals and it all kind of depends on your perspective about whether or not you think this is true.
For me, I simply consider the alternative: If these dogs were not in this sanctuary, they would likely be on the street, fighting for life and scraps of food. The government, if they had their way, would simply euthanize a vast majority of them... So I ask you: "which alternative is better?"
These dogs don't receive the level of medical care that I give to my dog because I only have ONE dog. However, on the farm they receive food every day, they get bathed, and they have a relatively safe place to live. This, in my mind, is a much better alternative than living on the streets or simply being picked up and "put to sleep" by the government.
I'm happy to see that this place exists: It shows there are people out there with big hearts and a lot of generous attitude. One day I will travel to this place and see if I can help out. If BTC ever hits this magical "lambo" zone i'll skip the car, and sponsor 100 dogs instead.