A Week at Christina's - Our Visit to Dog Passion Sri Lanka.
March 2026, Sri Lanka.
Oh, you mean Christina - "the lady with the many dogs and the blue car."
We had not been in the country for twelve hours when a surf instructor told us that on the beach. We had just cancelled on him – no time for surf lessons, we wanted to go to Dog Passion. He nodded and immediately knew who we meant.
That was our first lesson about Christina: Anyone who spends more time in this corner of Sri Lanka knows her. Not because she markets herself. But because she is there – with her blue car, with her dogs, usually on her way to the next animal that needs help.
Christina originally comes from the Nuremberg area. In 2016, she was a tourist in Sri Lanka, encountered an injured stray dog that no one helped – and decided not to look away. One dog turned into many, private aid turned into Dog Passion Sri Lanka, and one woman with a blue car turned into a team with two shelter locations and 16 local employees.
What Christina does every day.
Christina not only cares for the dogs living in the shelters. She drives to injured and sick street dogs. She organizes vet visits, medication, and food. She has dogs spayed and neutered to prevent new suffering. She employs local staff because she is convinced that animal welfare must be supported locally.
And she tries to do something difficult: to reduce the fear of street dogs in the population. To change the idea that this suffering is simply part of life.
While we spent a week trying to comprehend all of this, for Christina it was simply her everyday life.
100 dogs that are quiet after two minutes.
The Beachland Shelter stands on a piece of land that a monk left to Christina. Right by the sea. When she arrives, she opens the door, and the dogs run with her briefly to the beach and into the water.
When a new visitor arrives, it's briefly loud - as it is everywhere where 100 dogs live. But then, after two minutes, it's surprisingly quiet. The animals know their daily routine.
What we noticed:
- Many dogs walk on three legs, some on two. They move surprisingly fast across the sand.
- There are dogs that regularly climb a tree. Just like that. We saw it ourselves.
- Christina staffed the shelter with local employees. Volunteers come in addition, one or two are usually there, one can always stay with her.
We have a dog. His name is Buddy.
Christina has had a dog living with her for quite some time, and we cover his monthly care costs – 35 euros, for the rest of his life. We named him after our brand: Buddy.
He is not "our" dog. He is Christina's dog, and he lives at her home. But he bears our name. And we know he is in good hands there.
A trip to the vet that lasts.
A male dog, Aurelio, in the shelter had chafed himself raw from sitting. His rear end was so abraded that the wound went down to the bone and had to be stitched.
Tom was visiting at the same time as we were – the man who built Dog Passion's website. So the two of us rode the scooter to the vet, with Aurelio between us. A journey I won't soon forget.
Meanwhile, Val was at the gas station with an employee's scooter. Gasoline is scarce in Sri Lanka. Tourists are served preferentially. Val was terribly uncomfortable. But without gasoline, there are no supply runs to the dogs. So Val went.
These are the moments when I realized what this work entails every day.
In 2021, almost 30 dogs were poisoned in Beachland.
Let's be honest, even if it hurts: animal welfare in Sri Lanka is not just about beaches, wagging tails, and rescued dogs.
In 2021, poison bait was thrown onto the Beachland premises at night. Almost 30 dogs died.
For Christina, it was clear: this attack was not only aimed at the dogs. It was meant to drive her away from Beachland. After everything she had built there. After all the animals that would probably no longer be alive without her.
Christina didn't leave. But she knew that the safety of her dogs could no longer depend on whether she was tolerated in that place.
So she made a decision: she bought a plot of land inland. Not because she wanted a bigger shelter. But because her dogs needed a place from which no one could drive them away.
A country of their own for their dogs.
Since 2022, Christina has been building a new shelter in Kalawila. When we were there in April 2026, around 370 dogs were already living on the premises. Construction continues – wall by wall, area by area. Funded by donations, and only as quickly as the money is available.
The new shelter is not an extension that was once on a wish list. It is Christina's answer to the poisonings. A property that Dog Passion owns itself. A home that doesn't depend on someone else not changing their mind.
We went to see the progress on site. It's moving forward. Slowly, because the money comes in slowly. But it is moving forward.
What 10% means for us.
Dogvanture is a young company still in its early stages. Our first annual payout to Dog Passion will be at the end of 2026. Initially, it will be small, but it is a firm commitment. And it will grow with us.
Having seen what Christina accomplishes there day in and day out, we understand even more clearly why we do what we do.
A dinner, no photo.
One evening, Christina invited us to her home. We ate, talked, and most importantly, listened.
I tried to understand how one person carries that burden every day: the injured animals, the poisonings, the vet visits, the responsibility for hundreds of dogs, 16 employees, and the constant question of whether there's enough money for everything.
Christina doesn't talk about it to be admired. She tells what happened. What is needed next. Which dog needs to go to the vet. Where a wall is still missing. When she has to leave again.
Perhaps that's precisely what's impressive about her: She doesn't constantly talk about saving the world. She gets into her blue car and takes care of the next dog.
There's no photo from that evening. Some moments are not pictures.
A gift became an edition.
We brought Christina a buddy shirt with the Dog Passion logo on the sleeve. She liked it so much that we decided to make more of them.
Today, there are two versions:
– the Dog Passion Crew Edition for Christina's 16 employees. We sponsored the first batch of these shirts.
– Dog Passion Sri Lanka shirts, which travelers can buy directly on site. Every sale directly supports Dog Passion.
In parallel, the Dog Passion Sri Lanka Edition is available in our shop. Anyone who wears this shirt in Berlin, Munich, or anywhere in between is sharing a story that is being written in Sri Lanka.
End of the year, if all goes well.
We cancelled our summer vacation and are flying back to Sri Lanka at the end of 2026 instead. To see Christina. To see the progress at the inland shelter with our own eyes. To visit Buddy.
If you want updates – we post what's happening at Dog Passion on Instagram (@dogvanture.official).
Want to join us?
Every purchase from Dogvanture supports Dog Passion. 10% of our profits go directly to Christina's work in Sri Lanka.
However, you can also support Dog Passion directly, independently of us. In the end, it doesn't matter where the help comes from – only that it arrives.
