In August 2018, a California couple came to Costa Rica to get married in the picturesque beach town of Playa Negra. During their stay, they were befriended by a couple of beach dogs who they immediately formed a strong bond with. It was soon apparent that these dogs did not have a home, and the female dog was pregnant! They eagerly accepted food– both seemed to be surviving on scraps from tourists– and were grateful for all the love and attention from the bride and groom, Chelsea and Logan Martina. The dogs even appeared in the couple’s wedding photos! So when it was time for them to leave, they couldn’t just walk away from Mamita and Chico, as they were now called. Chelsea shares their amazing story below.
The first day we arrived in Costa Rica, Mamita ran up to me and made an immediate connection with both me and Logan. She was usually accompanied by a skinny Shepard mix, that we nicknamed Chico. Mamita even decided to make a grand entrance during our wedding ceremony and pranced down the aisle to us. Then, she and Chico joined me and Logan for our first dance at the reception. Mamita and Chico became honored guests, indulging in our wedding meal of steak, chicken and fresh fish and got so much attention and love from all of our friends and family. The dogs never left the wedding and with their tummies finally full for the first time in a while, they both fell asleep on the side of the dance floor, content and feeling safe.
Logan and I stayed in Costa Rica after our wedding. We fed the dogs breakfast and dinner for 9 days straight. I saw Mamita go from a skinny pregnant momma whose ribs were showing, to a happy, plump pregnant pup. They found trust and love with us and I was distraught knowing that we only had a few days left there and didn’t know how to find someone to help rescue her. I had fallen absolutely in love with Mamita and I couldn’t imagine her fending her herself and her puppies, searching for food, all while roaming the beach without a home or safety.
Three days before we left, in a “meant to be” way, we met a woman named Lula at Lula’s Tours in Playa Negra. Lula got in contact with Hope 4 a Street Dog, a local rescue and within 10 minutes, they had a foster lined up for Mamita. She now had a safe place to be cared for and to deliver her puppies. Within two weeks of being with the foster, Mamita had 6 chubby, healthy puppies. As for Chico, in another “meant to be” way, he found his way to a friend of the person who is fostering Mamita, and they are now fostering him.
After two months at Chantemar with Roxana, she had to go to San Jose to care for her mom. Now we have to find someone to open their house to a protective Mamita and 6 puppies! We posted our crazy request all over social media and in a page called Yo Sere Su Voz Guanacaste … and to our surprise we were contacted by a couple people offering help. We went to see the houses and it was evident Karla Hidalgo was the best choice for them. Her friends from ByM construction came early on a Sunday to build an enclosure where Mamita could comfortably and safely care for her pups. We asked her for two weeks; they stayed with her for over a month. She said, “From my house only to their permanent homes. No more changes!” She taught them what a loving household was, and her two dogs helped Mamita with the chores of raising of six pups.
Months passed but after returning to California, Chelsea did not forget about Mamita and Chico. She kept in touch, and made it her mission to find loving homes for this entire dog family! Chelsea and Logan decided to adopt Chico (now named Slater) because he is a better fit with the dog they currently have, and their friend Destiny and her children were excited to adopt Mamita. They worked hard to raise money and arranged travel for Momita, Slater, AND one of their puppies to travel to California with Chelsea! And that’s not all. Together Chelsea and Hope 4 A Street Dog found forever homes for ALL of Momita’s puppies, and many also ended up in Califonia! Chelsea continues her story of returning to Costa Rica below…
I traveled 2627 miles, by myself, back to Costa Rica. I definitely didn’t think that I’d be back only three months after getting married here. I was greeted by two incredibly genuine and amazing souls, a goofy brown pup named Slater, who we are adopting and hugs from women who I now call my friends. Myself, and seven other people have worked SO HARD to find and provide safety, temporary foster homes and veterinary care for the two dogs that crashed our wedding back in July and for the six puppy’s of the Momma dog (now named Roxy). These beautiful, selfless and powerful women have worked tirelessly, to make sure that these pups were safe, healthy and most importantly, no longer on the streets of Costa Rica. Without them, none of this would have been possible. All of the puppies have been placed in homes. Eight lives are safe from never having to know the life of living on the streets in Costa Rica , EVER AGAIN! Six of the eight dogs are now in America.
Slater would be flying in cabin with Chelsea, and needed some serious training. Tropic K9 came to our rescue, fostering AND training Slater to go from a wild pony on a leash to a well-behaved emotional support animal, traveling to California with his new mom with no issues.
I came home on Wednesday, flying back with Roxy, the momma dog, her puppy Kai, and Slater the male dog that Logan and I are adopting. Yes, I’m that crazy dog girl that rescues three dogs from Costa Rica and brings them back to Cali on my flight. My heart and soul told me that I needed to do this. This was part of my calling and part of my life journey. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would be possible.
We live in a world of limitless possibilities. Never did I think that I would meet and connect so amazingly with complete strangers. When women come together with the same compassion and fight for something, anything can happen. Everything that happened with this rescue, was synchronized from the start. Every moving piece was connected & everything aligned perfectly. When you manifest something you want, it happens. Sometimes dogs just pick you, and these dogs definitely picked me to help them. The universe always has a way of working in our favor and giving us the people and things we need in our life if you trust in it. I am forever thankful for the crew at Hope 4 A Street Dog, Jessica, Flavia, Tropic K9, Myriem, Roxana, and all of the donations from strangers, family and friends. Also, thanks to Carrie in Pinilla who found Mamita when she escaped the first night at the foster home, and decided to sponsor the puppies vaccinations and find homes for two of them! Without you all, none of this would have been possible.
If this story inspired you, please consider donating to our cause. You, too can help to change the life of a street dog. As Chelsea said, when people come together, anything is possible!
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