British vet saving the lives of street dogs in Sri Lanka 

Dr. Janey Lowes, a vet from Newcastle in the United Kingdom has spent the last three years in Sri Lanka working to save street dogs. Currently based in Thalalla, Janey's remarkable story was broadcast by the BBC on its Inside Out programme. Inspired by seeing first hand the state of homeless dogs while on holiday in Sri Lanka she has since dedicated her life to saving suffering dogs. Her work earned her national recognition when she received a Point of Light Award for her inspiring volunteer work which prompted former British Prime Minister David Cameron to praise her true compassion and commended her for inoculating strays from disease whiched helped to protect countless people from rabies in Sri Lanka. This supervet has also set up the WeCare Worldwide charitable foundation to further her work.  In 2016 Janey won the Vet of the Year at the UK Daily Mirror Animal Heroes Awards. 

How long have you been in Sri Lanka for? 

On and off for almost 3 years. 

What made you visit Sri Lanka? 

I love to travel and Sri Lanka had been on my 'hitlist' for ages so I headed here on a backpacking trip around the island in 2014. I never could have imagined how much that one trip would have changed my life! 

What made you stay on? 

I was at a huge crossroads in my life and felt as though there was 'more out there'. When I came to Sri Lanka, I instantly felt a huge affinity towards the country, the people, the dogs and I knew this was where my heart was - it has remained that way for the past 3 years. 

What made you decide to launch WECare Worldwide? 

Initially, I thought I would volunteer for another charity and try to be as useful as possible. However, when I looked into it, there was barely anything in place for street dogs after Matara so I thought it would be beneficial to set up a small charity to serve the Matara/Dikwella/Tangalle district. Other organisations and vets cover their specific areas so well but, as we all know, this work needs a lot of hands and so I thought I would fill a gap where there wasn't very much already in place for the street dogs. This 'small' idea soon snowballed however, and we are now a fully-functioning UK registered charity and Sri Lankan NGO, neutering and vaccinating around 2,000 dogs a year and providing necessary veterinary treatments to over 1,000 dogs per year. In the long-term, we hope to serve the whole of the Southern Province before moving East to help over there. 

What is the most harrowing incident relating to animal welfare that you have come across in Sri Lanka? 

I have seen LOADS but don't really want to go into detail as it can be distressing. All I know is that I will work every day for the rest of my life if I must to ensure that no animal ever has to go through some of the things I have witnessed again. 

How do you fundraise for your work? 

Most of our fundraising occurs in the UK or with tourists in the south of SL, although we would love to roll out some events in Sri Lanka. We hold a really successful charity ball in the UK every November and I think this concept would be absolutely amazing over here in Sri Lanka. 

What have been the highlights of your work in Sri Lanka? 

I have thousands which is an amazing thing to be able to say. I love the people I work with and all of my patients and nothing is more satisfying than saving lives and seeing thankful doggy eyes looking up at you. I thank my lucky stars every day that I am a vet and that I am in a position to be able to help those in need. 

... And the minus points? 

It is difficult to be away from my friends and family; especially at this time in my life when a lot of them are getting married or having babies and I am having to miss big moments. I have my Sri Lankan family in Talalla who take really good care of me though so that certainly softens the blow. 

Why is your affinity particularly towards dogs or is to all animals in general? 

I love all animals but I feel as though I have a particular bond with dogs. I'm not sure why this is but I have been this way since I was a child and I can't imagine my life without dogs in it. They add so much to our existence and I feel like the luckiest human in the world being able to work with them on a daily basis. 

How many animals are you looking after right now? 

We are looking after around 50 dogs on the streets and 20 in the clinic. 

Describe a typical day in the life of Janey the vet. 

Oh, now that is a question! There is no 'typical' in our world really as animals don't follow the rule book so my days vary between spending time on doing all of the 'back-end' stuff (websites, accounts, reports, fundraising) and being out in a tuk-tuk looking for dogs who need help. During our neutering campaigns, we all spend around 14 hours searching for dogs, catching them, neutering and vaccinating them before releasing them. We pride ourselves on providing a high standard service and don't see the point in doing anything if we aren't going to do it properly so we make sure that, even though we are treating on the street a lot of the time, we are providing the same service as if we were still in the UK. The street dogs deserve the very best from us and we try to ensure that we give it in every case. 

What do you do to relax if you have time at all? 

My resolution for 2017 was to make more time for myself so I am making sure that I surf at least 4 times a week, which is a huge passion of mine. Previously I would go months without going in the water as I had so much work to do and it would mean I would be one super-stressy lady so now I ensure that I am having a balance. 

Where do you see WECare Worldwide in 5 years time? 

In 5 years time, I would love to see 70% of the street dog population in the south having been neutered and vaccinated. With the work that we do, and the work of government vets and other charities do, I think this is definitely a realistic goal and we might even be being a little conservative in our estimations- with the correct funding and infrastructure, there is no reason why we can't be working nationwide and helping on the mission of making Sri Lanka a rabies-free country with a beautiful, healthy, controlled street dog population. A big dream of mine is to see a Veterinary Centre of Excellence in Sri Lanka where we can work and teach to the very highest standard. This would go a long way to providing sustainability and a transformed future for both owned and street dogs in this country. 

What do you think our readers can do to help your project? 

We would really appreciate more local support as we know there is a huge proportion of the Sri Lankan public who love their pets more than anything and would like to see more facilities for animals on the island. Outside of Colombo, there is very little in place in terms of gas anaesthesia, X-ray, ultrasound and diagnostic laboratories and that is something we would like to improve. Sri Lankan vets do an amazing job in very limited and, often frustrating, conditions so we are not here to 'take over' from them- more to compliment what they do and help with equipment and facilities when required. 

Do you think there should be more public awareness programmes for the public on street dogs? 

That is something that I think is crucial if we are to improve animal welfare in Sri Lanka- we should be looking at education programmes in schools, community centres, universities and work places. We must start addressing the core issues with regards to the street dogs, how they are viewed and how they are often treated as a result because, besides benefitting both the public and the animals in countless ways, it will also benefit the economy of Sri Lanka. Tourism is now a huge source of income, with many reporting a 37% increase in tourism on the south coast last year. Tourists love the dogs but hate to see them in a bad way and so, instead of implementing the POINTLESS action of relocating dogs and 'beautifying' areas, lets be trailblazers in Asia for how to approach the concept of animal welfare properly and with compassion- something which Sri Lankans have in abundance. 

What is the message you would like to convey to our readers about your work? 

I just want everyone to know that we are here to help, not to judge and we have nothing but love for Sri Lanka. There are issues, as there are in all countries, but the only way to become the best (which Sri Lanka has the potential to be), is to recognise these issues, accept them and address them. I also would like to highlight that we can all do our bit to help the street dogs, even if all it is is notifying ourselves or one of the other great charities in Sri Lanka when there is an animal in need. No animal should suffer when there are 20 million guardians in place.