Qatzij lived on the streets of San Lucas Tolimán near Lake Atitlán, Guatemala for the first 2 years of her life. The name given to her from those who new her was “amiga” since she befriended another dog who was injured and needed support. Being such an intelligent and gorgeous mutt, quite a few folks tried to adopt her. They took her in, she expressed gratitude for the meals and maybe a night or two of shelter, but then back to home on the street.

Andrés started a guest house in San Lucas Tolimán in February 2020. Soon thereafter he invited a homeless dog that he met in the village Central Park to live with him having no clue that she had already turned down many other offers. She came and went at first, but after a few days, she made it clear that she would stay. When it became clear that this four-legged being embodied truth itself, or even more, as one who lives up to her “impeccable word,” it's apparent her name had to be the one word in the local Mayan Kaqchikel language that captured this: Qatzij! And one more thing stood out, that she would only stay on one condition; that the place where she lived be named after her, thus the Casa Qatzij Guest House was born!

Qatzij soon became an expert at welcoming guests to the house. Many who came to know her fell madly in love at first snuggle. She made friends with many around the world. Her free spirit nature made her the talk of the town. She followed guests when they left and learned to jump onto boats that ended up taking her across the lake. Once she jumped into the lake when the boat took off. The guest filmed her and she got over 2 million likes on social media.

In early July '25, Andrés and Qatzij took a 5-day trip around Guatemala to Cobán, Flores, Rio Dulce, Livinston and more. On the way back home, tragedy struck on July 10 in the town of Rio Hondo, Zacapa. While crossing the street, something she had done all her life, she was run over and killed.

Over the course of more than 5 years, hundreds of people in the village, around the country and around the world came to know this magical being, Qatzij. A moving burial ceremony took place on July 12 at Casa Qatzij and many all over the world have expressed an interest in holding an online ceremony which takes place on Saturday Sept. 6 at 2pm local time. Please join us. If you cannot attend, we will post the recording on Qatzij.com

This site seeks to gather testimonies from people around the world who have encountered this extraordinary being. Please share stories and memories of your times with our beloved Qatziquis!
Please share stories and memories of your times with our beloved Qatziquis! If you have photos to share, send them to CasaQatzij@gmail.com