Back from traveling. Did you miss me? I missed you.

Before I get all ahhh owwww about designed objects; I want to tell you a little about me/my trip. Here goes:

I have this thing for dogs. Well, animals really. But since I have a darling dog they are close to my heart. Specially the stray dogs you see when traveling in certain areas/countries of the world. My dog is a stray dog adopted from Spain. This is she:

She is absolutely lovable. She might be a mix, she also might be a Podenco Andaluz. Well, the breed is not important, she is simply adorable.

The trip we made this time was bound for Sri Lanka. And boy, do they have a lot of stray dogs. It seems to me that the stray dogs that live in the city has a much harder life than those living in the countryside. With that I am not saying that life is easy for them, but anyhow different from the lives of those in the city.

Some dogs seem to be… OK. They seem to be able to find something to eat and are not hit by cars or three wheelers. Whereas some has a terrible life. No food, diseases, broken legs etc. Yes, I know that happens to humans too. But this time around it is the dogs that I want to talk about.

We came across this one on Galle Road in Colombo.

And it broke our hearts. We felt we had to do something so we contacted Embark. They came promptly, got the dog to the veterinarian where it got tested for diseases, got medication, rest, food etc. We are still in contact with the Embark people to follow the progress of this dog.

However. Embark. A wonderful organisation founded by the CEO and founder of Odel, a department store in Colombo (well, more like THE Department Store in Colombo), Ms. Otara Gunawardene. Ms. Gunawardene has two stray dogs herself.

This is from the Embark website:

“As Otara’s personal CSR initiative, Embark was launched in March 2007 with the sole mission of reducing animal cruelty and focusing on the well being of animals throughout the country.

The overriding objective of Embark is to change attitudes and mindsets of people. Embark has identified strategic goals that will assist in the movement to eradicate cruelty and raise awareness of animal welfare issues. To date Embark has undertaken and implemented a number of targeted activities that have made huge inroads into the achievement of these goals.

Its key activities include sterilization surgeries, puppy re-homing campaigns, and caring for injured stray animals. Each of these activities is supported by a comprehensive and consistent campaign of education. An overriding objective for Embark has been to change attitudes and mindsets amongst the public. To date, this has been achieved by raising awareness of the importance of animal welfare, and advocating practical approaches to connecting and enjoying community animals.

Embark appeals to animal lovers of all ages, and we are delighted to say that we have converted many indifferent members of the public into dedicated supporters of Embark.

Embark’s Long Term Goals

International Distribution and Recognition:
We aim to sell Embark merchandise internationally and increase our exposure to animal lovers world-wide also bringing in more funds for our activities here in Sri Lanka. Plans are already underway in Singapore.

Transit Shelter Project:
We are in the planning stages of a Transit Shelter Project whereby injured dogs recovered from the road receiving treatment will have a transit shelter to reside until they are re-homed.

Animal Hospital:
An Embark long-term goal is to create an Animal Treatment Centre that meets international standards in terms of facilities, qualified staff and the medical treatment on offer to animals.”

If you want to know more about Embark, please have a look at www.embark.lk. Not only for the fantastic mission they have but also for the great design of their website, advertising and merchandise. I take my hat of for Ms. Gunwardene and her fantastic staff.