Its a dog’s life
Our dog’s here are our companions, friends and guards. The let us know if a squirrel or lizard enters the property! They will also sound the alarm when the delivery driver arrives with your pizza.
They love cuddles, sleeping on your porch and hiking the volcano with our tour guide, Junior.
They are friendly and welcoming. Feel free to tell them ‘outside’ if they try to accompany you in your house. Please don’t feed them in the kitchen. We have trained them not to annoy people when they are eating. You are welcome to give them scraps outside the people’s eating area. They love pizza crusts. They can’t eat chocolate or onions (like any pooch).
You are welcome to bring your own pets along with you- we’ve been voted among the top 20% of pet friendly accommodations in the world by TravelMyth.
(wo)man’s best friends
Unfortunately we lost Osa (the rottweiler) this year (2019) to a battle of old age. She now rests in the place where she can eternally hunt chickens (and our piglets are finally safe).
Loki is the latest addition to the gang. He was rescued from a life of conrete and fencing in Managua and brought to the farm where he can live up to his name as the god of mischief. He is still a pup - don’t let his size fool you - and hasn’t quite mastered personal space boundaries yet, but if he bother’s you with his constant attention seeking simply tell him ‘no’ or ‘stay’ and he will sadly leave you alone.
Navi (the german shepherd) is constantly seeking love and hugs. She will patrol the property the whole night. She is the most lovable, attention-seeking dog you will meet. Be prepared for her to lick the day’s sweat off your arms.
Benito (the hairy mix) is the most nervous of the gang (he was also a rescue dog) but will warm to you quickly if you approach slowly (food helps. But only the good stuff, he’s a bit of a food snob).
We are also home to several chickens, ducks and piglets. They allow us somewhere to feed the food scraps from the kitchen without having to compost and happily eat all the salads that went to seed (and are too bitter for us picky humans).
Chicha and Ron (above), like the dogs, also love belly rubs and will come over when called. If you want to visit any of the them please ensure you secure the gate behind you.
Other animals you may encounter around the farm are howler monkeys, the urraccas (magpie jays- they love the jackfruit as much as we do), lizards & iguanas, leaf-cutter ants, butterflies and - yes- spiders.
None are aggressive, toxic to humans nor want anything to do with you. We appreciate them all for their contributions here on this UNESCO reserve.
The urracca (bird) you see above was a little dizzy after flying into a tree (maybe ate a magic berry?) so we nursed it back to health for a few hours with food and water and rest and then released it on this palm, where it stayed for another hour or two before going on its way to pick more ripe fruit from the surrounding trees.
Feel free to ask us for more information and anecdotes for any of the creatures around!
