Hi there. My name is Judith Bliss, and I've retired to Costa Rica and live in Rosario, a small community about 30 minutes northwest of San Jose.  These are my dogs. Since I moved here I have adopted five of them, and all five are "zaguates" (mutts), street dogs that I have rescued. The top picture is Sombra on the left, Beta in the middle, and Nube on the right. Below is Tego (the big guy standing) and Patty.  (Try getting a picture of all five together - impossible!) 

When I first saw the big dogs (Beta and Tego), they were really in trouble. Beta was starving, close to death, and Tego had PARVO (a usually fatal disease for young dogs). Neither owner wanted them, nor took care of them. I had to take both of them to save them, and it was a long haul for both, but finally both recovered, and more than doubled their weight. Tego and Beta both were difficult to place because of their size (nobody seems to want big dogs, as they clearly eat more, and most folks here have a hard time feeding their families). The three little ones were also strays; and probably would have died if they had not been rescued. Here there are no public shelters, and if you rescue a dog, you need to realize that dog might be yours forever. Sadly, there are MANY dogs like this here in Rosario - some are strays, and some are "owned" by families or people too poor, too ignorant, or just too negligent to take care of them. I'm providing food and vet visits to many of these animals, and also paying for spaying and neutering. Education is key - most of the families I am helping are grateful and trying to do more to improve the lives of their pets. Some, of course, are not. We keep trying.

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