Lya Battle was the founder of Territorio de Zaguates in Costa Rica. It was a no-kill dog shelter and heaven for dogs on earth. Lya and her husband, Alvaro Saumet, started accepting stray dogs to take care of them almost 13 years back.
However, the kind couple gradually began accepting so many stray dogs that their number soon crossed 100, 200, and 300. They used to keep these dogs in their small backyard. However, since it caused a problem for the neighbors, Lya soon decided to shift elsewhere. She moved to a property that was owned by her grandfather.
The couple couldn’t leave caring for those poor stray dogs. Lya feared that if she stopped caring for the dogs, they might get killed by someone or a car in an accident. But, according to Lya, if a dog manages to survive the first month out on the streets alone, he becomes bulletproof.
Costa Rica had 2 million dogs on the streets, but, unfortunately, the roads were not home to anyone. Lya’s grandfather’s property spread across 378 acres of tropical mountain land. According to Lya, her grandfather also loved animals, and opening the sanctuary on her grandfather’s property would mean honoring the land.
Lya believed that people needed to learn to accept animals as family members, not as objects. She also thought that this sort of mentality was required to be taught to people from an early age. At Territorio de Zaguates, Lya never euthanized dogs. However, the sanctuary had dogs that needed therapy.
Several dogs at the sanctuary were hit by cars and needed therapies to help them move their damaged hind part. She revealed that dogs were braver than humans and highly resilient. At the same time, small-sized dogs had to compensate for their size with their personality. Lya said that there were dogs with weak backs. However, they would always be happy despite their physical limitations.
According to Lya’s husband, the most complicated part was feeding all the dogs. There were more than 1,000 dogs at the sanctuary. Thus, they made the longest troughs and strategically placed the sacks so the dogs could feed easily. Staff members had to patrol behind the dogs to ensure that all of them could eat. Once the dog finished eating, the staff would collect the poops and load them into the sacks. These sacks are managed by companies that specialize in composting dog poop.
If you liked this, share it with a friend.
