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As I set off on my journey around the world, little did I know I would shortly step foot in Sri Lanka, a teardrop-shaped island in the Indian Ocean.
Located just under India, this Asian country gave me the most significant cultural shock of my life as I walked along its melting hot streets. Loud, busy and little room for safety. Here people and dogs seemed to merge into one big community. As I travelled around the Island with my friends, we noticed that we came across dogs wherever we went. From the historic temples on top of sacred rocks to the lush green heart of Sri Lanka’s Sinharaja rainforest. They were everywhere.
I have always had a massive space in my heart for our 4 legged friends, and the many experiences that I was yet to overcome completely broke my heart.
The street dog.
We have all heard of the famous “street dog”, but when you experience the pure number of them out on the streets, it is like getting slapped in the face.
The dogs here live off nothing and the scorching tarmacked streets during the dry season are the places they call home. The strong heat pushes the dogs to find shelter in the little shaded spaces they can if they are lucky enough to not be chased away.
Adding to these harsh conditions is poor access to water which quickly leaves them dehydrated and weak. On the odd occasion, you can see the locals giving the dogs their leftovers of rice & curry or fish/ meat bones.
Meeting these sweet furry bums on our travels also left us noticing that they all have similar problems. Living in dirty, busy zones and mingling endlessly with other contaminated dogs, the skin conditions and illnesses such as mange, fleas, and sexually transmitted diseases spread fast. There are treatments for these conditions, but the local salary doesn’t allow people to spare enough money.
As my journey lasted longer in this country due to the Covid pandemic, I realised that the deeply feared ” beasts” were actually broken animals.
The dogs I have met in this country are the friendliest out there. Seeking company and affection, they are the gentlest of animals. Seeing so many wild dogs daily quickly made me feel helpless. But that’s when we decided to take action.
Helping hands.
Being the biggest dog lover and constantly surrounded by dogs here brightens my day. Whether walking on the beach, waiting in a queue for fuel or eating pizza at a restaurant, I always have a furry friend by my side. I know that when I feel lonely on this paradise island, (which may sound crazy) it won’t last long as dogs are in every corner of the Island, and I honestly prefer them to humans most of the time.
For three months I stayed in the area of Galle and quickly made some local friends there. As I was chatting with my friends about the dogs we all agreed that it is a massive problem in the country and we decided to organise a day and feed as many of them as possible.
The next morning, some local women kindly prepared a huge rice pan with fish, sweetcorn and some sauce inside. After letting it cool as much as possible, we moved into two separate tuk-tuks and started our round of the area. The rice we had prepared was still warm at the bottom of the pan, as we were limited in time. I vividly remember how happy everyone was as the day began, delivering food parcels to the dogs on banana leaves.
Tails wagging, tongues licking, this was the vitamin D (dog) I needed. As the morning passed, we came across dogs too weak to even walk and often puppies that had not long been born. The moment I understood the real suffering of these animals was when I watched a puppy burn its mouth and cry whilst it continued to gulp down the rice. The hunger was just too much for him to wait any longer. People here would laugh, not fully understanding the situation. As in Sri Lanka, there is a massive fear of dogs, which means the people aren’t always the kindest to them.
What are you scared of?
Coming from a European country where dogs are almost treated like babies, it was hard for me to wrap my head around this behaviour. Why were they so scared of such pure animals? Talking to different people about it, I kept getting the same answers.
In most of Sri Lanka, dogs are raised as protectors and guardians of property. Their only job is to let you know if anyone is on your land. The relationship mostly ends there.
Hear me out, this is not all Sri Lankans, but most people live like this. They keep them chained or locked in the gardens as living, breathing alarms. And to a local person, a dog that barks is a dog that bites. Especially wild ones.
I recall the many times I witnessed them throwing stones, raising sticks, or shouting at the dogs to scare them away. The first time I saw this, I was absolutely raging as I did not understand. This led me to confront the people to let them know it was wrong. But rest assured, the younger generations are not as cruel to the animals as Sri Lanka slowly progresses into a more modern way of living.
Failure.
A few months later, on my way to the sunny bay of Hiriketiya, my boyfriend and I decided to stop for a well-needed tropical treat. These are the blissful moments I live for out here!
Sipping on our fresh coconut water, we spotted a small blob on the side of the road. My boyfriend went to check it out and soon called me over. Lost, overheated and severely infected was the tiniest black and white puppy. My heart sank.
As we took him to the shade, we knew that we couldn’t just leave him there. He was suffering from an internal infection and most probably organ failure. We didn’t know this then, so we decided it was best to take him to the vet for a check-up. Crawling with fleas and having a severe loose skin rash, he was sprayed with an antibiotic powder and a flea treatment. The vet told us there was not much more to do.
Before going home, we checked the area where we found him to make sure no more puppies were there. We noticed a female dog that hung around; as we approached, she excitedly welcomed us.
We had found the puppy’s mum! It isn’t always best to separate pups from their mum, as she can reject them afterwards. So we popped him back with mum and checked in regularly. One week later, his condition had significantly regressed, so I got my friend’s help. Being a vet, she had a more precise knowledge about the situation and told me we needed to treat him if he was to have a chance. We decided to name him “Sudu Tippy” during our regular visits. Sudu, meaning white in Sinhala ( National language), fitted his smooth black body and white-tipped tail perfectly. After one week of fluid injections, antibiotics, and silver creams, he was slowly healing. What a relief!
My boyfriend checked up on the puppy several days later to find him missing. The locals had seen us go and treat the dog every day, and we’re so grateful that we helped out. They told us he had been attacked and killed by another street dog.
I crumbled into tears as my hope for his survival was shattered. Sudu Tippy never once cried or made it hard for us to treat him. It’s as if he knew we were fighting for him to survive. The fact I didn’t get to say goodbye to him broke me. How could another dog just kill him after he was getting better? I was full of anger and sadness. It was never assured that he would live, but at least he had a chance with us on his side.
So many dogs need this kind of attention in the country. Being hit by cars, fighting with other dogs or getting severe infections. The existing animal care centres that could help are overrun with street dogs and run low on donations for the needed medical equipment.
Economic crisis.
With the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka, people are giving less food to dogs as they can barely survive themselves. This will result in more deaths and sickness in the streets. The other day, I saw a dead dog on the side of the road waiting to be scooped up and thrown away like all the others. Life here is brutal and unforgiving. I realised this during my one-and-a-half-year stay. Life depends on many factors: money, education, upbringing, luck, etc. This is my life lesson and one that doesn’t stop at the animals in the country.
I feel truly grateful and sorry that I have experienced these things. In Europe, we are completely protected from these kinds of situations. Of course, the dogs have a completely different lifestyle than they do here. But I genuinely feel that I lacked empathy and care for the rest of the world when I lived in France. And I will be educating future generations to be aware of this.
How to help.
If you happen to be in the country or planning on coming then, I hope this opened your eyes to the real life of a dog here. If you want to help, you can give them food and water. But taking them away from their “homes” can complicate their life later. So unless you plan on flying your furry friend back home with you, it is better to leave them in the street.
For those reading from home that still wants to help, there are still many ways to do so. Donations for medical care, food and shelters would be warmly welcomed by the associations here in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is a unique and heartwarming country to visit. My personal experiences here have led me to move here full-time. As my second home, I can clearly say that you do not have to worry about the street dogs here. Why? They know that tourists treat them well and give them food so they won’t harm you.
