In a beautiful part of Costa Rica lies the largest dog sanctuary in the world, called Territorio de Zaguates. According to the founders of the sanctuary, "For the past 30 years, we have rescued & neutered thousands of strays. Currently, we are a home for more than 1,800 dogs searching for a family. We help them get adopted and accept them in our pack until they find a second chance. We are a non-profit organization, founded by Lya Battle and Alvaro Saumet for promoting well-being and respect for animals. Taking care of a big pack has a lot of challenges. We have a big tribe of people who help us get our dogs neutered, fed, and loved every single day. "
We've written quite a bit about different animal sanctuaries, whether it's a cat sanctuary nestled on a remote Greek island, a rabbit island in Japan, or a village ruled by cats in Taiwan. However we haven't talked in great detail about the sanctuaries that exist to nurture and protect stray dogs, and that's why we're especially pleased to introduce this topic today. Take a look:
Unfortunately, the dog sanctuary is not open to the public at the moment. According to the sanctuary, "We've been closed to the public for a couple of years now, due to infrastructure renovations aimed at making Territorio de Zaguates a prettier and even happier home to our pack. We very recently finished most of the work to finally open our doors again. Sadly, the COVID19 situation we're experiencing globally has delayed the opening and we're currently unaware of when would be a safe and proper time to receive visitors and volunteers again."
While you can't visit at the moment, you can absolutely adopt a dog, even if you live abroad! According to the sanctuary, "It's absolutely possible to adopt one of us even if you are outside Costa Rica. All our strays are vaccinated against rabies, and we have no trouble shipping abroad. The price of getting your stray home will depend on their size and the destination, both things can be priced by shipping companies. If you want more details about the adoption process nationally or internationally (for english speakers only), please write a Whatsapp message to Marcela: +(506) 8883- 9337"
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