History

Dogstars History

In September 2006 our founder Sam volunteered with a Sri Lanka Charity Millenium Elephant Foundation (MEF).  Sam had been made redundant earlier that year and had wanted to travel to Sri Lanka and bath an elephant ever since watching the Blue Peter summer expedition to Sri Lanka in 1983 !

Part of the volunteer program was teaching english at a local Buddhist temple. During one of her classes Sam noticed some small puppies and a very ill adult dog that the Temple monks were caring for. The dogs urgently needed medical attention and the Monks had no access to veterinary care. Sam spoke with the Monk who was very concerned for all the dogs’ welfare espically the adult dog and Sam promised to arrange a vet to visit.

Vets from the University of Peradeniya were fortunately in the local area and having received a phone call from Sam agreed to attend that evening for free if Sam paid for the cost of the medicines required. For the meagre sum of 12 pounds the adult dog Mango was successfully treated for mange, infected wounds and a badly healed broken leg and all 4 puppies were vaccinated against rabies.

Truffles Meg ( Nippa ) Rufus and Milkshake October 2006

Sam later posted an appeal for help on an UK animal welfare forum asking if its members could send worming tablets or flea treatments to her direct in Sri Lanka. The response was fantastic and within weeks parcels flooded in from the UK allowing many local dogs and cats to be treated.

From Sam’s single act of requesting a vet for the Temple dogs the idea of setting up a permanent method of working with local Vets was born. The name Dogstar was chosen as its the more common name for Sirius a star in the constellation Canis Major (The Dog), it is the brightest star  in the night sky and is visible from both England and Sri Lanka.

2 the 4 original pups Milkshake & Meg still live at Randeniya Temple , they were sterilised in 2007 at a Dogstar Foundation Clinic and Dogstar continue to provide them with yearly vaccinations , medication and food.  Mango the adult Temple dog passed away loved and cared for in 2008. In 2009 Dogstars Veterinary team sterilised our 1000th animal ( a female dog named shaggy ) In 2010 the Dogstar Foundation became a UK Registered Charity ( 1133431 ) and a member society of the World Society for the Protection of Animals ( WSPA ). In July 2010 we signed a 1 year lease on a building which we converted into a clinic and accomdation for visiting Vets , partial services begain operating from the clinic from September 2010 and regular mobile and fixed clinic services have been offered from January 2011.

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” – Douglas Adams