In a quiet neighborhood in Costa Rica, a daily drama unfolds when local street dogs leave unwelcome deposits outside one homeowner’s gate. While his wife expresses frustration, he takes a more philosophical approach to the situation. “I take it in stride, and go out, open the gate, and clean up the mess,” he explains. “After all, we also own a barrio dog, and there is a good chance that our dog has left the same calling card to a neighbor at one time or another.”
Their dog Dorothy is a rescue, abandoned as a puppy in a box at his sister-in-law’s driveway. After growing to maturity, she was spayed—a decision that proved wise given her penchant for escaping through the property’s amapola hedge and barbed wire perimeter. “We have put in additional low fencing and various obstructions, but she always finds the weak spot,” he says. “Were she fertile, she likely would be a barrio slut-dog and have already dropped a litter on us.”
Costa Rica has numerous rescue dogs with natural “barrio dog” instincts, often developed during their first months of life when they must fend for themselves.
The Barrio Dog Checklist
Based on Dorothy’s behavior, the homeowner has identified several characteristic traits of barrio dogs:
- Craves attention at home but completely ignores owners in public
- Runs away when approached on the street
- Joins in whenever other dogs are barking
- Sleeps anywhere—under tables, cars, or in dirt patches
- Adapts to indoor or outdoor sleeping depending on weather and canine social opportunities
- Navigates street traffic with extraordinary skill
- Collects random objects found on the street
- Prefers drinking standing water from gutters over clean tap water
- Escapes collars with Houdini-like ease
While some might suggest training as a solution, the owner’s attempt to use instructional videos proved futile. “I purchased a video on how to train your puppy but it was useless as she refused to sit and watch it with me,” he jokes.
Nevertheless, he has discovered one effective solution: soup bones from the local butcher shop (carniceria). While Dorothy ignores calls from a distance, the sight of a bag of soup bones—complete with marrow and bits of meat—sends her sprinting home immediately. “Some dogs are perfectly obedient, others are the barrio type,” he concludes, “but no dog can resist a soup bone treat.”
