Lulu's hotel of choice.

My daughter and I finally joined my husband down here last December.  We flew down loaded with clothes, Christmas gifts and carting along our 9 year old dog, Lulu.  Lulu was the last of what had once been a mob of 12 dogs, everyone else having died over the last few years due to old-age or cancer, and she was still getting used to being an 'only-dog' when we uprooted her universe and moved to Costa Rica.  We knew we'd be squeezing into my husband's teeny apartment while we looked for a home and, not wanting Lulu to be any more stressed than we could possibly avoid, I sought out a place for her to stay so she wouldn't be too uncomfortable.  I asked for recommendations for boarding on a Costa Rica message board I'd joined months earlier and got a few suggestions but was still a little apprehensive at the thought of leaving our coddled, nervous, panic-prone mutt in the hands of strangers.  That's when I got an email from Leslie (or was it Lynn?) McPeak.  Leslie and Lynn are twins who have a place up in the hills in Alajuela.  They had just bought and moved into their place and were offering their kennel services.  I spoke to them via email a few times and found them friendly, sympathetic (our chihuahua had been killed a week or so earlier) and enthusiastic about hosting Lulu at their place as their first client.  So, two days after our arrival, I handed Lulu over to these two very nice strangers in the Denny's parking lot and hoped for the best.  We spoke to Lynn and Leslie via email often and got photos and updates of Lulu's stay.  We'd opted to have Lu stay inside their house and hang out with their little dog, Trygg rather than stay in a kennel.  Day one she leaped off their balcony and ran down the hill into an orchard and had to be chased and coaxed back to the house.  Fortunately their place is totally secure, our dog is just nuts.  I was just happy they didn't make us come back and get her.  Lulu stayed at Casa Modesto for almost 50 days.  We visited at one point and found Lu was sleeping on a cushy bed with a spectacular view of the valley below and seemed to be getting a five-star spa vacation while we scrambled to rent a place and get out of the closet-sized apartment we were in.  When we finally got her back, she didn't seem too thrilled to be home.  Gone was her view and her frequent snacks - she'd never been thin and now was porkier than ever - and she now had to share her home with a kitten and not Trygg who she'd come to like.  We haven't had an occasion to use Casa Modesto since, but we would in a heart-beat.  After the way Lulu was taken care of there, I can't imagine sticking her in some impersonal vet's kennel.  I know Lynn and Leslie are still boarding dogs and I can totally recommend them if you need a place to put your best pal and don't want to worry.   I'll bet after the last couple of months of being pummeled by our new English Bulldog, Etta, Lulu would be more than happy to spend some time at her favorite mountain retreat even if we weren't going out of town.

(Casa de Modesto- Dog Kenneling Service - Alajuela, Costa Rica
Home #- 506 2441 2450 Fax#- 506 2442 7857,
Leslie McPeak- lesliemcpeak@yahoo.com)