Dr Janey Lowes pauses her run of over 600 km across Sri Lanka after finding a dog with severe skin disease and a moving reminder of why she is raising US$2 million for a new veterinary hospital.
She has hundreds of kilometres ahead of her. But when British vet Dr Janey Lowes spotted a dog lying on the sand with severe skin disease, she stopped.
In moving footage filmed during the Dog Jog, Janey explains why she cannot keep running while an animal in front of her needs help.
“I’ve just seen a dog with really severe skin disease, and I can’t run past. I really can’t,” she says.
Still wearing her running kit, Janey prepares treatment before crouching beside the dog. The animal has extensive hair loss and visibly damaged skin.
For Janey, this encounter captures the reason behind every kilometre of her challenge: getting veterinary care to dogs who would otherwise go without it.
The founder of WECare Worldwide, from Barnard Castle in County Durham, is running over 600 km from Point Pedro in northern Sri Lanka to Dondra in the south. She aims to raise US$2 million towards a purpose-built veterinary hospital, rehabilitation centre and veterinary training facility dedicated to street dogs.
But even with that demanding goal ahead, she cannot ignore the suffering beside the road.
“I know I should,” she says of continuing the run. “But I can’t look past this.”
After helping the dog, Janey explains how treatment could change her life.
“What we’ve done just now is literally gonna transform her life,” she says. “In two to three weeks, that dog will look completely different.”
Her words express an expectation of recovery. They also show what access to treatment can mean for an animal living with a painful condition.
Janey has spent almost 12 years caring for Sri Lanka’s street dogs. WECare’s existing hospital has become a lifeline, but the charity says demand exceeds its resources and its current premises can no longer meet its needs.
The new facility would expand treatment capacity and provide space for rehabilitation and veterinary training, helping build lasting access to care.
The Dog Jog asks supporters to help turn that ambition into a reality. As Janey runs across the island, encounters like this bring the appeal into sharp focus: behind the fundraising target is an individual animal who needs someone to stop.
On this stretch of road, Janey did.
To donate and follow Janey’s progress, visit thedogjog.co.uk.
