Woman Lives With 70 Dogs
Isabel Arrieta Valderrama, wakes up each morning with her one passion, her love for dogs that is breaking records. Isabel lives with 70, yes, 70 dogs that fill her modest small home from all sizes, colours and breed. Isabel says that she has had as many as 120 of the four legged friends, taking in any stray that shows up at her doorstep.

Isabel lives with her husband in Jardine de Cascajal, next to the local police station. Efraín Brenes, Isabel's husband, believes they are a very fortunate couple and share their love for the dogs.

The sympathy for the four legged creatures grew in Isabel since she was a small child. When she was three years old she took in her first stray. Unfortunately that didn't go very well, as she tells the story, as the she bathed the small dog and since it was shivering from the cold, decided to put in the oven to warm it up. That story didn't end so well, Isabel recounts.

"As a young girl my mother scolded me and told me that I should go live in a room alone with all my dogs. Now I am an adult and have learned to heal the wounds of the animals who come to me with all sorts of problems. I had to learn on my own to care for them because I can't afford a veterinarian", said Isabel.

Isabel says that people now leave their animals at her doorstep because they know that she will take care of them rather than have them tied up all the time.

Some regard Isabel's passion as noble while others just don't like and have on occasion called in the Ministerio de Salud - Health Ministry - officials.

"I have won all those skirmishes because I keep my house clean, I clean up after the dogs, who are kept tied up and bother no one.

At night I take them all for a walk at the Parque La Paz, where they play and run." said Isabel.

Isabel added that it takes about 30 kg of food a day to keep all her pets happy and with the help of friends and lovers of dogs - mainly foreigners, Isabel added - she is able to keep them all fed,