Costa Rica’s incredible “Territorio de Zaguates,” or Land of the Stray Dogs, is an outdoor sanctuary home to nearly 1000 stray dogs. We first covered this sanctuary last year, updated it thanks to new coverage from National Geographic, and are sharing it again because two documentaries about this spot have recently been released.
Documentaries about the Land of the Stray Dogs
The Land of the Stray Dogs has gotten more attention in recent years, and rightfully so. This documentary (above) was produced not long before Netflix featured the Territorio in the second episode of their series Dogs.
Founded by Lya Battle and privately funded, the Territorio hosted on Battle’s mother’s sprawling family farm in the mountains of central Costa Rica. They’ve nearly reached official nonprofit status in their home country, and continue to work to raise awareness.
How Are the Dogs Cared For?
The Territorio takes responsibility for spaying and neutering every new dog arrival. As clarified by the staff after receiving a lot of curious questions from around the world, the Territorio states, “we operate just like any other shelter … first thing we do when a new dog gets here is spay/neuter, vaccinate and get rid of parasites … then we assess if the dog requires any other type of special treatment.”
“We operate just like any other shelter … first thing we do when a new dog gets here is spay/neuter, vaccinate and get rid of parasites.”
All of the dogs are given fresh water and beds in a sheltered structure. Employees and volunteers help to feed and bathe them. It takes thirteen 66-pound bags of dog food every day to feed the resident pups.
Their small, hardworking staff also provide medications to dogs that need them and manage to pick up and dispose of all that poop. Now that is dedication!
How to Support the Sanctuary
You can donate directly here. If you happen to be in the country, they need supplies, medicines, and dog food, of course!
Visiting
UPDATED: the sanctuary has not been open to the public for about a year due to “infrastructure renovations imposed on us by the government,” according to their website. They are working hard to implement these changes and hope to re-open to volunteers and visitors soon.
In the meantime, they do still host adoption events in their central Costa Rican location.
You can get all the latest news by following them on Facebook.
The folks at Territorio de Zaguates could use your help. Visit them on social media or in person, and spread the word.
And hey—most of the dogs there are available for adoption!
Total dream location.
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Images via Territorio de Zaguates Facebook page.
