Actually…
The dogs you see roaming the streets of Costa Rica may not be strays at all. Especially if they look healthy and well-fed. Most likely, they have homes. Even the very skinny, unkempt dogs common in rural areas probably belong somewhere. There are exceptions, of course, but understanding the stray dynamic here is a matter of understanding the culture.
Many pet owners in Central America don’t confine their animals the way North American and European owners do. So the dogs roam, learning early in life how to look hungry and panhandle at local restaurants. Tourists fall for their pleading time and again, and these dogs make their rounds like professional beggars before going home to full dog food bowls every night.
A bigger problem than strays in the street is that many of these dogs are not “fixed.” Pet overpopulation is not the myth that several of the slicker animal welfare organizations want you to believe it is. It’s a real problem, and it’s exactly the issue that nonprofits like MMAS hope to solve over time.
If our volunteers and admins have learned anything in our years of firsthand experience, it is that we cannot rescue or rehome the problem away. Shelters are not the solution. High volume adoption programs are not the solution, since the pandemic showed us how quickly people return their “beloved” pets to the shelter system when they get busy or bored with them. Municipal animal control, warehousing, and government-run programs will only lead to kill shelters and euthanasia because overpopulation and shelter overcrowding is real. We have to look no further than the U.S. to see how those ideas work–or don’t work. Sterilization is the ONLY way to end this problem for good.
The beauty of the situation here in Costa Rica is that everyone can help. Whether volunteering on-site during travel to this country or supporting from abroad, even tourists can make a difference. Please CLICK HERE to see how you can get involved.
