Dog walk and carnival

• Lending our voices to protect the animals of Sri Lanka

On 20 October, Sri Lanka’s first communal Dog walk and carnival was conducted by the Rotaract Club of Colombo Central of Rotaract District 3220 at the Stanley Jansz ground in Colombo. This momentous event, though organised as a fundraiser for charity, was more significantly orchestrated through the passion and dedication of all the club members to work together with all the dog lovers of the country to promote the importance of animal rights and the protection of animals against harassment. 

The event managed to capture the very spirit of love and protection towards animals, as dog lovers showed up with their overjoyed pups of all shapes and sizes, making it a huge success. Rescue dogs were partnered up with those who did not have an accompanying tail-wagger of their own, and the event saw an overall participation of over 300. 

The event was mainly split into two segments, the Dog Walk to raise awareness of the theme, and the Dog Carnival after the walk. The walk took place in the early hours of the day, with the trail setting out by 9.30 in the morning and returning by mid-day to kick off the festivities of the carnival. 

The event was designed as an entertaining and interactive experience for all canines and their loving owners, with the prominent overarching theme of driving awareness and change towards the legislation of the country which governs the protection of animals. 

A petition was formed to obtain signatures towards updating the outdated Cruelty to Animals Act No. 22 of 1955 of Sri Lanka, which has not been updated for over 60 years, with penalties under the ordinance as low as Rs. 100 for intentional cause of death to an animal along with a short prison sentence, not including undomesticated animals, and no instances of incrimination have happened since the inception of the ordinance. Along with signatures of participants, the paw prints of the dogs were taken to indicate their participation and support towards amendment of the laws.

Numerous delightful and captivating sessions were held at the carnival for all canines, including but not limited to: a dog show; fun games; competitions such as the best dressed dog, the most famous dog of the day, the best trick, and the most innocent face, the most popular dog and the dog the judges would like to take home. 

The Chief Judge for the Fun Dog Show was Ceylon Kennel Club President Lucille Dahanayake. Apart from that, a free health camp for dogs, dog adoption, dog wash and grooming were some of the significant elements of the event. A range of stalls were set up as well, partnering with organisations dedicated to the wellbeing and protection of all dogs and other pets. 

For the event, the Rotaract Club of Colombo Central partnered with Pet Talk as the Official Digital Media Partner, TV1, YES FM and Legends as the Official Media Partner, Pulse as the Online Media Partner, Let’s Bite – Pet Food as the Gifts Sponsor and Dr. Pet as the Official Pet Care Partner. 

Other partnering organisations included Hayleys, Vetgrow, Petmart, CIC, Rover Veterinary Hospital, Pooch and animal welfare organisations such as Tails of Freedom, AWPA and Save a Paw with Love.

All in all, the Dog Walk and Carnival was a grand event which achieved its purpose in promoting animal rights while being an interactive fundraiser and a goldmine of joy for all the dog owners and their lovely dogs who were a part of the event. The Rotaract Club of Colombo Central is proud to have played a part in creating this event and seeing its immense success.