Watch Thousands of Dogs Run Free in This Magical Sanctuary | Short Film Showcase

Nestled in the mountains of Costa Rica, the Territorio de Zaguates no-kill dog shelter is heaven on earth for more than 1,000 rescued stray dogs.

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Founders Lya Battle and her husband Alvaro Saumet have been taking in strays from the streets of San José for more than a decade. Upon arriving at the sanctuary, each animal receives its own name and has free reign to roam over 378 acres of lush tropical land.

In Land of the Strays by filmmaker Adrian Cicerone, see what drives the passionate woman behind this canine oasis and hear her story of rescue and redemption.

See more from filmmaker Adrian Cicerone:

To see more of Territorio de Zaguates, check out this National Geographic photo story with British photographer Dan Giannopoulos.

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Watch Thousands of Dogs Run Free in This Magical Sanctuary | Short Film Showcase

National Geographic

[NatGeo]

This no-kill dog shelter started with a hundred dogs and slowly grew to thousands. What are your thoughts on this sanctuary for dogs?

[whatsnext]

I have veen donating $35 per month to this wonderful santuary for about ten years. There have been rough patches for me where I think that I can no longer donate, but I think about how so many dogs are given a second chance, so I always find a way to cut back, so that I can continue my small part in helping. Thank you for all that you do for these beautiful dogs. You people are teuly angels on earth. My small contribution is the best money I've ever spent. I plan to increase my monthly donations soon, and hope to inspire others to donate as well. ❤

[sandyrodriguez]

Wow. Maybe they should start a Youtube channel to have some more revenue. Maybe volunteers can shoot video and do some editing? Just an idea...

[samvohra]

Best part is that she already had that huge piece of land inherited from her grandfather which somewhat made this dream of her come true.

God bless this lady 🙏

[Lazaro-]

I just donated 36 dollars to these beautiful dogs. Please guys donate so this never stops. It’s a beautiful thing that needs to continue on. The only way for this to continue is for us to support it!

[VinayPateel]

What blew me away about this place was the caretakers know every single dog and their stories, the ailments and background of each dog. They just know it all. That's true dedication and true love right there.
I've been fortunate to visit this place all the way from India. At that time there were 776 dogs. I had only about 30 mins to spend there but I'll never be able to forget those moments. Maybe one day I'll have a shelter of my own.

[belaknight]

Most heart felt short film I've ever seen! These people are incredible! I wish the best for them❤️❤️❤️❤️

[AnnaBertarioni]

Proud of these two lovely persons from my beautiful country, meeting them in person and running under the sun with all of those dogs it’s so priceless!

[universalhumanism]

Just when you think you love and care for your dog. This beautiful women shows you what love and care for any dog (or any animal) should really be. Much respect and proud to know we have people like this.

[paulmcgorian]

Inspirational . What a great woman putting her heart and soul into loving and caring for helpless animals . Someone cares hooray !

[jeepgirl]

This woman is an angel. She deserves a gold medal.

[christolupo]

Wow. Everything she said about how people need to change was beautiful.

[katiecihla]

Bless this womans INCREDIBLE soul, wishing I had done this instead of spending four years and 200, 000 at college

[terriesmith]

Compassion have to be taught to kids at a young age, ideally when they're still babies. That's how they'll grow up to be a loving and compassionate adults.

[markflores]

Wow! Haters actually thumbed down this beautiful video! Proves how sick the world is! :(

[sonamjordanma]

No words to describe how compassionate these people are. They are real heroes. They are God to these animals literally.

[justsmashing]

These people should be honored by all mankind.
This endeavor should be given a billion dollars.

[cbrown]

This women and her helpers are truly the saints of this planet....I thank you so much for not turning your back on these dogs...thank you for helping them.

[mariekrekora]

This place is a sanctuary for the dogs, how amazing it must be to live there.

[Falconfest]

Lya is an inspiration to humanity, and an angel sent by God for these dogs. I understand that sometimes doing the right thing is an uphill battle, but we must never give up. Much love from a fellow dog lover in Texas and owner of 3.