Dog Festival A Great Success
Maybe it the hair colour or the style but something is sure to have attracted some owners to their dogs to assure that they are like them. And that was evidence in yesterday's celebration of the IX Festival de Canes in Plaza Roosevelt de San Pedro de Montes de Oca.

One feature of the event was a contest of the person to most look like his or her dog and the winner was Estefanía Rojas and her Milki, a Lhasa Apso.

Estefanía said that she spends about ¢20.000 colones (us$40.) per month on her Milki to maintain her three year old pet.

The 25 year old administration student, who also models clothing on Costa Rican runways, says she has four pet - two dogs and two cats - on which she spends a major part of her free time and income.

The Festival brings pet owners together to raise money for the Asociación Protectora de Animales (ASPA) that uses its resources to protect animals and provide spaying and neutering for street dogs.

Gisela Vico, president of ASPA, said that the Festival is really dedicated to "zagüates" (street dogs or mutts) under the Festival Theme "“No sea racista, adopte un zagüate. Al fin y al cabo todos somos mezcladitos” (don't be racist, adopt a mutt. In the end we are a little mixed)."