Charity founder organises vet clinic for hundreds of Sri Lankan street dogs – but she needs your help to treat more.

AN animal lover from Sturminster Newton is heading on a volunteer trip to Sri Lanka in a bid to improve the lives of street dogs in the poverty-stricken country.

Alena Warburton first visited Sri Lanka in 2019 on her honeymoon, but was left devastated at the plight of dogs living on the streets. Since then she has self-funded two volunteer trips and set up a charity called Lucas Helps Dogs – named after her late pet – to support the some six million street dogs in Sri Lanka.
It funds spay and neuter clinics, rabies vaccinations, emergency treatments and aims to educate locals in animal welfare.
Alena said: “When I was first in Sri Lanka I saw a waiter brutally kick a heavily pregnant dog at a restaurant. At the time it really shocked me but I now know that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“The charity pays for emergency treatment to help injured and disabled dogs, but we are determined to spay and neuter as many street dogs as possible. Rabies is also prevalent over there, so we ensure every dog we treat is given a rabies vaccination.”
Alena runs the charity with two friends and in January the trio carried out their first spay, neuter and vaccination clinic in a part of the island called Ella. They funded the treatment of 50 animals..

They had planned to carry out a clinic for 500 dogs in 2023, but the economic crisis has sent costs soaring and means they will have enough for only half that number.
Alena said: “The vet bills in Sri Lanka have nearly doubled due to petrol and medication costs which has vastly reduced the number of dogs we can treat.
“It’s devastating after working so hard all year that we might not reach our target, and now we are desperately trying to raise as much money as we can. The cost of neutering and vaccinating one street dog is now around £25 but it is the only way to reduce the number of dogs on the street and more being born into a life of misery.”
Alena added: “There’s very few animal lovers in Sri Lanka and the ones who do care for them really do have their work cut out. We are doing our best to help as much as we can, and appreciate any support to continue our work changing the lives of street dogs.”
Visit www.lucashelpsdogs.com for more information or to donate to Alena’s campaign.