His name is Shiru Gamage. He lives in the Colombo district of Sri Lanka. Surprisingly, there is a man like this in our society. But believe me, that is the service he does every day. Moreover, would you believe that he clears kilos of dog poop a day? I will bring you his story in his own words.
There was a dog in front of our house. I gave food and drink and that dog became friends with me. But due to my wife’s disapproval, I cannot take that dog into our garden. One night, we heard a dog screeching and barking on the road. I remember very well that was a day in June 2012. We were sleeping. I jumped out of bed and ran to the street. Oh, a van hit that dog while sleeping on the road. It cannot stand up because its legs are broken. I gave water and made that dog sleep by the side of the road. My wife objected to bringing that dog home. So I left the dog on the road and came back to bed. But I couldn’t sleep because I heard the dog’s moans of pain all along. Immediately, heavy rain started. Then I couldn’t bear it anymore. I quickly ran to the street and picked up that injured dog inside the house. Then I covered that dog with a cloth and put it to sleep on the porch. After that, I fell asleep.
I woke up the next morning and called the organization named Embark and with their help, I took this dog to a vet, got the necessary surgeries, and brought him back to my home. I gave her the name “Kella”. Ever since I gave life to “Kella”, I thought why can’t I help these helpless dogs on the street? So from that day, if there was a helpless dog on the street, I would bring that dog to my home and treat them with the help of Embark if they were sick or injured. After that, I started taking care of them.
I take care of 75 dogs. They are given two meals. Twelve kilos of rice is cooked twice a day for the dogs in my house and for the dogs on the street who are waiting for me to bring food. About 150 kilos of rice are consumed per week. Fish, meat, pet food, pumpkin, and eggs are mixed with rice. About 100 eggs are consumed per week. Also, a tank of cooking gas is consumed per week.
There are six dogs of the paraplegic with me in my room. Those dogs need to supply everything. There is one dog who can’t even turn around. That dog is wearing a pamper. About 150 pampers are consumed a week. There is another dog that gets epilepsy. That dog is sleeping near me. Because if it gets sick at night, I have to get up and hold the dog’s head.
Even if I have 75 dogs, if I meet another one tomorrow, I will bring it home. They are not trouble for me. But due to the lack of space in the house, if I find good families, I will give them some dogs to raise. But on the condition that the dogs are treated well. I am going to check if they take good care of the dogs. If they do not take good care of the dog, I will bring the dog to my home again. Also, when the dog gets old or for some reason, if they get tired of the dog, I will take the dog back.
Image credit: https://sandunsevana.blogspot.com
Some people see this work that I do without any profit as crazy. And some complain that the sound of dogs is too loud. Another person complained that I was running a racket selling dogs. Only a few people speak well about this good work. But I have the pleasure of feeding the dogs every day.
So, I am now thinking that I will settle these dogs somewhere else and take care of them. When I posted about this on the Facebook page, a good gentleman who recognized me from Facebook gave me land worth around 50 lakh rupees in a tranquil area. I realized that there are gods among people.
My next plan is to move there. A big fence should be built around that garden and parts should be made inside so that the dogs can walk freely. Also, I need to build a shed for the dogs to stay out of the sun and rain. I am sure someone will help me with that too. I never put my dogs on hunger for a single day. All 75 dogs live together like brothers and sisters in one family.
