Fans of tattoos and body art in Costa Rica will be able to get inked for a good cause this holiday season. According to a news report filed by Paula Ruiz of national news daily La Prensa Libre, two tattoo artists wish to help homeless pets by offering discounted body art before Christmas.

Cuban tattoo artists Judiel Noel and Frank Enamorado will set up shop at La Rosa Negra (The Black Rose), a body art and piercing studio located near Chinatown in Downtown San Jose, this Sunday December 6^th from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. They will be accepting donations and conducting a marathon body art session.

Those who are interested in helping the Protección y Rescate de Animales de la Calle organization, a charitable network that rescues stray animals and homeless pets in Costa Rica, can show up at La Rosa Negra on Sunday and get a tattoo with a cat or dog motif. These are permanent tattoos measuring about four centimeters across, and they only cost 10 thousand colones (less than $20).

Event organizers hope to donate 25 percent of profits and 100 percent from donations to the shelter, which is located in Paraiso, near the city of Cartago. The shelter started operating this year and has rescued many stray and abandoned dogs that no one wants to care for. The shelter has been accumulating substantial debts to veterinarian clinics and pet supply shops, and they would like to improve their facilities before Christmas.

As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, unofficial estimates on the number of stray dogs in our country are close to one million, although these figures also include neighborhood dogs, which are cared for in a collective fashion by the entire community.