An important clarification for our Team Dogstar family

You may have seen a recent article in the Telegraph, written by a UK tourist, describing their experience volunteering at a rescue organisation in Sri Lanka. After a supporter kindly reached out, concerned it might be connected to Dogstar, we felt it was important to clarify this openly.

We want to be absolutely clear: the article is not about Dogstar, and we are not connected to the organisation described in any way.

Volunteering with animals in Sri Lanka

Volunteering with animals in Sri Lanka is complex and highly regulated. The country has strict immigration laws, and anyone working with Dogstar must have the legal right to live and work in Sri Lanka. We do not accept volunteers on tourist visas under any circumstances.

A few months ago, we wrote a blog exploring this topic in more detail, explaining why volunteering in Sri Lanka is often not as simple as it might seem.

Our feeding programme

The Telegraph article also refers to volunteers participating in a street dog feeding programme – another area where Dogstar’s approach is very different.

Our feeding programme is carefully designed to protect both animal welfare and human safety. It is carried out exclusively by our trained, paid local team, who have the experience, training, and vaccinations required to work safely with street dogs.

Rabies is endemic in Sri Lanka, so all our staff are pre-vaccinated and undergo regular testing to ensure ongoing protection. You can find out more about rabies prevention here.

Taking all this into consideration, allowing untrained and potentially unvaccinated visitors to take part in our feeding programme would be dangerous and utterly irresponsible. It’s something we simply wouldn’t compromise on.

You can read more about why we protect this programme so carefully here.

A focus on long-term, responsible solutions

While feeding provides immediate support, Dogstar’s work is centred on long-term solutions that prevent suffering before it begins.

In the past year alone, our teams have sterilised and vaccinated more than 13,000 dogs and cats. This work helps to control population growth, prevent the spread of disease, and improve the health of both animals and the communities they live alongside.

Our commitment

At Dogstar, doing the right thing for animals sometimes means saying no. We follow the law, adhere to veterinary best practice, and hold ourselves to strict standards so that we can continue to help animals responsibly and sustainably.

We are grateful to our supporters for raising concerns thoughtfully and for supporting animal welfare work that is grounded in care, professionalism, and integrity.

For context, the Telegraph article referenced above can be found here. Please note that it sits behind a paywall.