Friday Oct 09, 2026
Friday Oct 09, 2026
Friday, 9 October 2026 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
A veterinary surgeon who has dedicated almost 12 years of her life to caring for Sri Lanka’s street dogs is preparing to run 620 km across the island in one of the biggest challenges of her life.
Dr. Janey Lowes, founder of WECare Worldwide, will set off from Point Pedro on today (9), running from the northernmost tip of Sri Lanka to Dondra in the south. Her 22-day challenge, called ‘The Dog Jog’, will take her through communities across the country, including Anuradhapura, Kandy and Horton Plains, as she attempts to raise $ 2 million towards a new veterinary hospital, rehabilitation centre and veterinary training facility.
The distance is equivalent to almost 15 marathons, with Dr. Lowes covering more than a half marathon every day through Sri Lanka’s heat, humidity, hills and tropical weather. But behind the physical challenge lies a much bigger ambition: to create a lasting veterinary legacy for Sri Lanka.
Dr. Lowes first came to Sri Lanka in 2014 and was struck by the number of street dogs living without access to veterinary treatment.
She returned months later and founded WECare Worldwide. What was originally intended to be a one-year project became her life’s work.
Today WECare provides free veterinary treatment to street dogs, runs community neutering and vaccination programmes and supports veterinary education and training.
Dr. Lowes said: “For almost 12 years, Sri Lanka has been my home and its street dogs have been my life. “I’ve seen incredible kindness towards community dogs here, but I’ve also seen animals suffering from injuries and illnesses simply because the veterinary resources aren’t available where they’re needed.
“Our team works incredibly hard, but our current hospital is constantly at capacity.
“The Dog Jog is about creating something much bigger and longer-lasting. We want to build facilities that allow us to treat thousands more animals, but we also want to share skills and knowledge with veterinary professionals across Sri Lanka.
“If we can strengthen veterinary care across the country, the impact can reach dogs in communities far beyond the area we can physically cover ourselves.”
A $ 2 million ambition for Sri Lanka
WECare estimates that around three million dogs live on Sri Lanka’s streets. The charity currently operates from southern Sri Lanka, providing emergency treatment and taking veterinary services into local communities through its Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release program. Since WECare was established in 2014, the charity says it has carried out tens of thousands of rabies vaccinations and neutering procedures and treated thousands of sick and injured animals.
The proposed new development will include a purpose-built veterinary hospital, dedicated rehabilitation centre and veterinary training centre.
The two clinical facilities are expected to allow WECare to help around 3,000 additional animals every year.
The training centre could have an even wider impact.
WECare plans to provide practical training for veterinary surgeons, workshops and continuing professional development, with the aim of up-skilling over 200 veterinary professionals each year.
The charity also hopes to help develop Sri Lanka’s first nationally recognised veterinary nursing qualification.
Dr. Lowes added: “This project isn’t only about the dogs that come through WECare’s doors.
“We receive reports about sick and injured dogs from communities across Sri Lanka that we simply don’t have the resources to reach.
“By sharing knowledge and practical skills with the wider veterinary community, we can help create an impact far beyond our own hospital.
“This country has given me so much. I want the Dog Jog to help create something that belongs to Sri Lanka and benefits its animals, veterinary professionals and communities for years to come.”
Running the length of Sri Lanka
‘The Dog Jog’ begins at Point Pedro on 9 October 2026 and is scheduled to finish at Dondra 22 days later. Along the way, Dr. Lowes and the WECare team hope Sri Lankan communities, dog lovers, veterinary professionals and supporters will follow the challenge, meet the team along the route and help spread the message.
Dr. Lowes admits she is far from a natural endurance runner.
“I hadn’t run since school before I started training for this,” she said.
“Training while working full-time as a vet in Sri Lanka has been tough. There have been days when I’ve wondered what on earth I’m doing.
“But every day at the hospital we meet dogs that have survived extraordinary injuries and suffering.
“When I think about what they go through, running 620 km suddenly feels like something I have to try.
“I’m suffering so that street dogs don’t have to.”
