Costa Rica dogs
When I visit a country I always like to know something about its dogs such as -
what dog breeds originated there- how are dogs treated in the county-
where are they allowed to go-
do they have dog rescue groups-
is there a problem with street dogs?
My last trip was to Portugal. I already knew the Portuguese water dog, and I learned quite a few others. See my article on dogs of Portugal.
Well, this time it is Costa Rica.
Are there any breeds that originated there?.
When I say breeds I mean what we have come to call pure breeds, recognized by a kennel club.
So far I have found none, but I found something very interesting and want to share with you.
Perhaps you have already read about it. I found out from an article written by Victoria Heuer on September 13 2013. She wrote it for PetMD and you can find it at the link at the bottom of this article.
She wrote about a rescue shelter called Territorio de Zaguates (Territory of Street dogs) a dog rescue shelter in Costa Rica.
They had found that they were not seeing as many dogs rescued as they would like. All the dogs it seems are a mix of two or several, and they did DNA testing to find out what breeds. Once they found out they decided to call the dog by a fancy breed name they made up, based on what the DNA had revealed. For example they had a dog that was long legged, and looked like an Irish fox terrier, but also looked like a schnauzer. I assume she meant they also found the DNA to support what they saw. The picture of this dog does look like what they called it. They called it a Long Legged Irish Shnaufox. Wow, what a nice looking dog.
She goes on to say that after some time the shelter found their adoption rates increased dramatically. Seems people like to have a breed name attached to their dog.
Also the benefit of this is that it can help in determining the possible characteristic and temperament, and health factors of the adopted or potential adopted dogs. One can look at the breed types identified in the DNA and the traits of the breeds and know more about your adopted dog.
This lovely looking dog, based on what I know about both those breeds, may tend to be -
A bold and fearless breed, proud of the name it has earned- the daredevil. Fast and agile and fill of energy. Stubborn and self assured. this breed can be a delight in an active home. They need to be busy and they are wonderful dogs. This is the Irish in him/her.
Then there is the schnauzer. This is a smart dog. They call it the thinking dog. He she is smart, and fast active and mischievous.
I got a bit of help with my dog breed info from
yourpurebredpuppy www.yourpurebreadpuppy.com
I also watched a video about the shelter and this DNA testing at https://vimeo.com/68726839
What a success story.
Location of Animal Shelter: Costa Rice- near the capital San Jose- in the Mountains of Santa Barbara de Heredia above Alajuela, adjacent to Carrizal de Alajuela.