Behind Bars with Lobo, Daisy and Buster


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Published: January 13th 2014
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Behind bars with Lobo, Daisy and Buster

Right now am just completing house sitting in a gated community on the outskirts of Ciudad Colon, a small town about 20 km west of San Jose. (found on the internet). House sitting offers accomodation in exchange for minding property and pets, whilst the owners are away on buisness, vacation ets. For me its an excellent way to just stop for a while, settle down, catch up with washing, blogs etc.
Ok, so here I am, beautiful house set just back from a deep canyon with swift river winding at the base, surrounded by flowering exotic trees and bushes.
Last night at dusk a small toucan settled quite close, AND I had camera to hand , thrilling to see one in the free.
The housing complex, probably about 30 private dwellings individually designed, landscaped gardens filled with flowering trees and bushes, is anything but free. All the buildings are behind high barred railings.The approach to the community? is guarded 24 hours with a barrier across the road. Behind each barred gate is at least one large growling, barking, snarling dog. I watch neighbours conversing with each other standing separated by bars. Surreal in this Garden of Eden.
Lobo and Daisy belong in my house, Lobo is a German Shepherd, Daisy a sort of Greyhound/dalmation mix and the dreaded Buster, a King Charles belonging to the tennant upstairs who always joins in the mix. They run loose within the confines of our fence and twice a day I get the leads on and take them out for a walk, (Buster just charges alongside.) They are pretty obedient with the major exception of Buster and are patient whilst I fumble with the gate remote. One click opens the gate, another pauses them and yet another closes them (hopefully without the whimper of Buster caught making a bid for freedom -- he adores Gerado, the gardener who is here weekly but works at other properties different days and if Buster knows he is about he will try hell-for-leather to escape to be with him (makes it easy to find him though!). it appears that all the properties have a staff of ((local gardeners, maids


Now I am told that the dogs deter any burglars and I guess there is a history of robbery but this seems to me extreme. Every window and door has bars across.

As far as I can tell, all the properties have a staff of (local) gardeners, maids, nannies. This seems to be the norm here.
So, amidst the beauty of the natural surroundings and it IS stunningly beautiful lies an undercurrent of fear and paranoia. I am the only person apart from gardeners or nannies, who walks (braving the snarls), to the local store or catches the bus into town. Everyone else jumps into their 4wheel jeeps, waves their tabs at doors and gates and away they go.
A final ironic touch, before she left the owner pointed out bright security lights across the canyon belonging to Costa Rica’s top security jail.
For me, I am much more nervous of finding the occasional curious snake or worse still, scorpion!


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