‘Dog Walk and Carnival’ by Rotaract Club of Colombo Central

The Rotaract Club of Colombo Central, as a part of the youth community of Rotaract District 3220 Sri Lanka and Maldives, is committed to making a positive change in the local and international communities. 

The Club is a part of the movement Rotaract, which stands for ‘Rotary in Action’, an international youth organisation consisting of nearly 300,000 members aged 18 to 30 from around the world. The motto ‘fellowship through service’ commits all Rotaractors to a common cause in serving our community, developing professionalism in youth and promoting international understanding among all people. Interact and Rotaract are the youth partners of Rotary International, one of the largest service organisations in the world. 

In keeping with the aims of Community Service in Rotaract, the Rotaract Club of Colombo Central has organised a ‘Dog Walk and Carnival’ which is scheduled to be held on 20 October at Stanley Jansz grounds, Colombo 8 a.m. onwards. It is designed as an entertaining and interactive fundraiser event for all canines and dog lovers in the country. It is a significant Community Service project organised by the Club conceptualised around the larger theme of promoting the protection of animals against harassment.

The walk is scheduled to start at 8 a.m., and the participation of over 1,000 interested parties is expected on the day of the country’s first communal dog walk. At the carnival stalls dedicated to the well-being of dogs will also play an important role, where a dog show, dog adoption, fun games for dogs and a health camp for dogs will take place. 

Stalls dedicated to food and beverages will also be a part of the event. One of the main objectives of the Dog Walk and Carnival is also to raise awareness about the outdated Cruelty to Animals Act No. 22 of 1955 of Sri Lanka, and to bring people together to make a change to this law which has not been amended for decades. 

Thus, as an integral aspect of the project, the Rotaract Club of Colombo Central also hopes to make awareness about the Bill of Animal Rights designed to amend the Act, which is currently under discussion at the Sri Lankan Parliament. A petition will be initiated at the event to gather the support of the public for the passing of the Bill. 

Alongside preparations for the event, an online competition to choose The Most Popular Dog is currently underway on the Facebook event page. Participants can enter the competition by posting a creative picture of them and their dog on the Facebook event with the hashtags #DogWalkAndCarnival #RACCC #Rotaract3220 #50yearsofcelebrations #MineIsTheBestDog. The winners will be announced on 20 October at the Carnival itself, based on the number of likes a photo receives on Facebook. 

For the event, the Rotaract Club of Colombo Central has partnered with Pet Talk as the Official Digital Medial Partner, YES FM and Legends as the Official Radio Partner, Pulse as the Official Photography Partner, TV1 as the Official Television Partner and Dr. Pet as the Official Pet Care Partner.