Meet Sandy

Sandy’s owners brought him into our sterilisation clinic on Saturday to ask for help with his skin condition and general health . We have agreed a treatment plan with them and will be working with them daily. Part of Sandy’s treatment plan involves additional nutrition , every day we are bringing up home prepared meals and supplements. Sandy’s skin is very dry , he has Mange and fungal skin infections but with our help we are confident he can fully recover. Despite appearances Sandy is a much loved dog , his family have not shunned him as many would , instead they came to us and asked for our help .

Our work often takes us to areas that even our 3 wheeler cannot access , to visit Sandy we have to walk through rice paddy fields on narrow ledges of mud between each paddy often carrying equipment and supplies

Dogstar is not a building , Dogstar is the work we do in the community , Dogstar is simply dogs like Sandy

You can help us care for Sandy and many animals like him

Donating via Justgiving to support Dogstar’s work is easy , safe and available worldwide . You can donate using a credit / debit card or via your paypal account and Justgiving automatically collects gift aid for us on applicable donations from UK donors.

You can make a one-off donation and/or set up a regular donation which allows you spread the cost of donating and helps us budget and plan our work based on regular income.

Thank you

Samantha Green

In Country Director (Voluntary position) and Founder

Sam@dogstarfoundation.com

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No donation is ever too small and will change lives & save lives of animals in Sri Lanka

Donating via Justgiving to support Dogstar’s work is easy , safe and available worldwide . You can donate using a credit / debit card or via your paypal account and Justgiving automatically collects gift aid for us on applicable donations from UK donors.

You can make a one-off donation and/or set up a regular donation which allows you spread the cost of donating and helps us budget and plan our work based on regular income.

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You can help us care for Tiger until she is adopted by donating to her just-giving page here

Donating via Justgiving to support Dogstar’s work is easy , safe and available worldwide . You can donate using a credit / debit card or via your paypal account and Justgiving automatically collects gift aid for us on applicable donations from UK donors.

You can make a one-off donation and/or set up a regular donation which allows you spread the cost of donating and helps us budget and plan our work based on regular income.

Thank you

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We have sent Tim to the pathology department at a University in the next province for a Post Mortem , one of the potential causes might be snake bite as we do have some deadly snakes locally and lost Bonnie a Temple dog to a snake attack earlier this week but we won’t get the results for around 7 days

Such a very sad time here for us all , Tim was such a special lad and had touched all our hearts and we never expected to lose him

here is my favourite photo of Tim taken in July 2011 just after someone dumped him and his sister Tam at one of our local Temples , Tam sadly died last year from a tick parasite disease despite like Tim having very caring owners , it just shows how harsh conditions are here even for owned dogs receiving veterinary treatments

Dogstar’s Tim 2011-2013

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Street dogs & cats in Sri Lanka face numerous challenges daily. Entire lives spent without any positive human contact, basic shelter or veterinary care. Suffering hunger, constant torment from preventable and treatable skin conditions or parasitic infections. Dogs & cats at risk of being trapped in illegal snares, injured in fights over territory, contracting sexually transmitted diseases or being exposed to fatal diseases like Rabies and the horror of being struck by vehicles and left to die by the roadside.

Just having an owner is not always the solution

Owned dogs can be left to roam with little or no supervision, or face a life of imprisonment in tiny kennels or chained; often without access to fresh water and being feed an unsuitable diet.

Street and owned dogs interact creating an ideal environment for the spread of disease and creation of unwanted pregnancies. Unwanted puppies are often abandoned at Temples or the roadside adding to the problem further and perpetuating the cycle of suffering.  As the unwanted female puppies grow, they in turn become pregnant giving birth to more and more unwanted puppies.

So whats the answer ? 

Dogstar firmly believe the only way to end this suffering is by tackling the issues at the root cause.  We are not here to judge individuals; instead we promote and fund practical solutions to address these very real problems and improve animal welfare. By working in partnership with Sri Lankan Veterinarians & local communities, promoting the benefits of sterilisations and vaccinations and providing those services, the Dogstar Foundation is actively reducing the numbers of unwanted puppies and kittens in Sri Lanka.

Dogstar delivers change  

Just six years ago households wanting to adopt a female street dog was unheard of  , owners with male animals would not consider sterilisation even if it was free. Now both are common place in Dogstar’s areas of operation due to our accessible services , Temple network and education programs,  now even owned male cats are brought in to be sterilised ! The numbers of street dogs around our clinic has dropped dramatically and the welfare of the remaining population has improved. The entire community is now healthier and safer for animals and people alike.  An amazing success that we can only replicate country wide with your support

How you can help

You can be part of the solution by donating towards our running costs, sponsor a dog, sterilisation or even a clinic, promote our work on Social media, raise funds or even put up posters. If you want to help please contact us for more details, no donation or offer of help is ever too small and it can  be life saving for the animals we work with in Sri Lanka.

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The nationwide awards, held by Ceva, manufacturers of Feliway and Adaptil, will celebrate volunteers, charity workers, veterinary professionals and young people who have all demonstrated dedication to animal welfare.

Samantha,  originally from London where she worked in the engineering department for the London Underground. After the 7/7 bombings she was made the site manager of Edgware Road, assisting the police investigations, removal of the damaged train and reopening of the station. However shortly afterwards when her role was made redundant she wanted some time out so headed to volunteer in Sri Lanka.

It was here, in 2006, that Samantha became aware of the welfare problems and desperate need for sterilisation amongst street dogs in Sri Lanka and as a result she founded her charity Dogstar.

After setting up the charity, Samantha has been working tirelessly to ensure thousands of dogs and cats are sterilised every year, as well as educating the children in the need for vaccination against diseases such as rabies.

Last year Samantha organised a teaching clinic for western vets to work with Sri Lankan students in the improvement of animal care and treatments.

Samantha said: “ we’ve sterilised over 3,000 dogs so far and vaccinated more than double that against rabies. This is the only way we can reduce the stray population effectively and there’s still a lot to be done.

“I spend between three and six months of the year over in Sri Lanka and the work is incredibly varied and exciting. There’s so much work to do over there in terms of vaccinating and sterilising but also in educating people in animal welfare. We’re fundraising, training teachers, teaching young children about animals and developing a workshop demonstrating surgical protocols in a field clinic environment. It keeps me very busy”

“When I’m back in the UK I manage the fundraising, digital media and charity governance as well as looking after the team back in Sri Lanka remotely via emailing and Skype. However, in April of this year both my husband and I will be moving out there to volunteer full time which we’re very excited about.”

Ginette Bryant of Ceva Animal Health said: “The International Volunteer Award category is more competitive than ever this year; there were just so many fantastic candidates who dedicate their lives to animal welfare. We’re really excited about the awards but the judges have an extremely tough job on their hands.”

Ceva Animal Health’s judging panel consists of celebrity vets Marc Abraham and Joe Inglis, as well as veterinary surgeon Chris Laurence MBE, Ross Tiffin of the Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB) and Dennis Baker OBE Chief executive at Wood Green, the Animal Charity. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on April 3 2013.

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by ]]> http://www.dogstarfoundation.com/samantha-is-a-finalist-for-a-ceva-animal-welfare-award/feed/ 0 http://www.dogstarfoundation.com/nero/ http://www.dogstarfoundation.com/nero/#comments Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:00:42 +0000 Sam http://www.dogstarfoundation.com/?p=10581 Nero 4th March 2013

Nero is a Street pup living in grounds of government building in Rambukkana. We had already started to work with the staff there who were caring for Nero we had started treatment for his mange and parasites.

This morning Mo received a call from a horrified ( Human ) Doctor who works at the location , arriving at work this morning he discovered Nero had been attacked by a person and his leg was broken

Nero has been seen by our Vets today and is now safe at Dogstar where he will undergo his rehabilitation

Supporters on our Facebook Page  asked why someone would attack a puppy like Nero , maybe it was driven by fear of catching his skin condition or of Rabies.  What ever it was this type of animal cruelty is totally unacceptable and strengthens our resolve to deliver more children and adult education programs as well as our animal welfare work with innocent souls like Nero

Nero March 4th 2013

You can help us care for Nero and deliver more urgently needed education programs

Donating via Justgiving to support Dogstar’s work is easy , safe and available worldwide . You can donate using a credit / debit card or via your paypal account and Justgiving automatically collects gift aid for us on applicable donations from UK donors.

You can make a one-off donation and/or set up a regular donation which allows you spread the cost of donating and helps us budget and plan our work based on regular income.

Thank you

Samantha Green

Operations Director (Voluntary position) and Founder

Sam@dogstarfoundation.com

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Orange Billy 29th January 2013 

Orange Billy 31st January 2013 

Dogstar’s Team checked in on Kitty AKA Orange Billy yesterday to check his progress and worm him. Billy is very happy back home with his owner and enjoys time in her garden . He has gained more mobility in one leg and whilst its unlikely he will ever gain full use of his legs he has regained full bladder and bowel control ,  is spotlessly clean , has no pressure sores , is very bright and alert ,  enjoying his life to the full and still climbing trees !

You can help us care for Orange Billy Kitty  and many animals like him

Donating via Justgiving to support Dogstar’s work is easy , safe and available worldwide . You can donate using a credit / debit card or via your paypal account and Justgiving automatically collects gift aid for us on applicable donations from UK donors.

You can make a one-off donation and/or set up a regular donation which allows you spread the cost of donating and helps us budget and plan our work based on regular income.

Thank you

Samantha Green

Operations Director (Voluntary position) and Founder

Sam@dogstarfoundation.com

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Thanks to round the clock care from our team , volunteers from our neighbours at MEF and the Dharmasena family the 4 pups have thrived , 13th February saw them start on solids and they really approved of the change in diet although they walked in as much as they ate !

The day also saw our latest rehomed puppy  Mosey start his new life with Podinilame who also adopted our very first puppy Bella in 2009 when we started our rehoming program.

You can help us care for Lana , Lucus , Louie and Leo  and support our rehoming program

Donating via Justgiving to support Dogstar’s work is easy , safe and available worldwide . You can donate using a credit / debit card or via your paypal account and Justgiving automatically collects gift aid for us on applicable donations from UK donors.

You can make a one-off donation and/or set up a regular donation which allows you spread the cost of donating and helps us budget and plan our work based on regular income.

Thank you

Samantha Green

Operations Director (Voluntary position) and Founder

Sam@dogstarfoundation.com

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Nursed back to health by the Dogstar team and rehomed with a caring local owner Chester is one of the lucky ones

Many of  problems we are dealing with are  rooted in overpopulation , we provide sterilisation’s to tackle the root causes of entire animals breeding producing unwanted pups like Chester  many whom are strayed directly on to the street or at temples.

As with all our rehomed animals we provide long term support , vaccinations and treatments , Yesterdays photos of this amazing and beautiful girl show her  having a check up and her yearly boosters

You can help us prevent unwanted litters & suffering by sponsoring a spay for just £12.

Email Mark@dogstarfoundation.com ,  specify if you would like to sponsor a sterilisation for a dog or cat and we will send you a photo of the actual animal your sponsorship sterilised.

You can help us care for Chester and many animals like her by donating today

Donating via Justgiving to support Dogstar’s work is easy , safe and available worldwide . You can donate using a credit / debit card or via your paypal account and Justgiving automatically collects gift aid for us on applicable donations from UK donors.

You can make a one-off donation and/or set up a regular donation which allows you spread the cost of donating and helps us budget and plan our work based on regular income.

No donation is ever too small

Thank you

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