Our dogs Archives - GlenMyu Estate

Street dogs in Sri Lanka

Animals that live at our visit GlenMyu Estate., Charity work in Sri Lanka, Holiday, Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs, Things to do on holiday in Sri Lanka / By Mikeez

Street Dogs in Sri Lanka

When you visit Sri Lanka you will come across lots of Street dogs as you travel around the country.

Street dogs were highlighted in Dr Scotts Animals of Asia for ITV’s This Morning programme.

There are around 3 million street dogs in Sri Lanka.

They don’t want a home however, they need feeding, medical and support.

Spaying and neutering dogs in Sri Lanka will help keep the over population of street dogs in Sri Lanka under control.

Ben Fogle was also in Sri Lanka

Ben Fogle has visited Janey on two occasions which highlighted the issues with street dogs in Sri Lanka.

Find out more about We Care Worldwide

Dr Janey and her team at We Care Worldwide do a fabulous job and are deserving of support.

Find out more about We Care Worldwide by visiting their website.

Other great work supporting Street Dogs in Sri Lanka

There are many other organisations doing great work supporting, feeding, caring and arranging adoptions for the street dogs in Sri Lanka.

Here are a few links to others in Sri Lanka that are worthy of your support.

We do our bit for street dogs at GlenMyu Estate

At GlenMyu Estate, we have collected several dogs since we moved to the area in 2018.

We did peak at around 35 when our first dog, Clove, managed to have 7 puppies with her first litter! Yes, we were in trouble.

However, as Clove has a wonderful personality, all of her puppies were in great demand. Is she had 20 puppies, we could have found homes for them all.

We kept one, her grumpy son Roti.

At this date (November 2024), we have 9 rescue dogs that live on the 5 acre estate.

They are all vaccinated, friendly, and love meeting guests.

Some of our guests come and stay at GlenMyu Estate to meet the dogs and explore the many wonderful places to visit within a drive from the estate.

Support our work by staying at GlenMyu Estate

If you read our reviews, you will see that our guests really love their experience at GlenMyu Estate whilst they are on holiday in Sri Lanka.

By staying with us, you support employment for local people and also help to feed and care for our 9 dogs, ducks, chickens, cow and bull!

Stay at GlenMyu Estate to explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country

See sights like Horton Plains National Park is a unique experience.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more.

Street dogs in Sri Lanka Read More »

New puppies at GlenMYu Estate. Dogs in Sri Lanka

The Stress and Heartbreak of searching for a missing dog

Animals that live at our visit GlenMyu Estate., Holiday, Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs / By Mikeez

The stress and heartbreak of searching for a missing dog.

Never having given up finding him, a Tik Tok video gave us a bit of hope!

A missing pet - it's hard to explain the feeling

It’s hard to explain to someone that doesn’t have a pet that they adore with undying love.

Before we moved to Sri Lanka, my wife and I didn’t have pets of our own.
I remember my boss at the bank losing his dog to a hot and run by a car. My thoughts were, it’s only a dog and I’m sure you will get over it. I managed to deal with the loss of elder family members, so a dog should be no problem.

How wrong and naive I was!

If you have a pet and it lives to a ripe old age, although it is heartbreaking when they pass.

Eventually you can accept that they are fine because they had a good, loving and fulfilled life.

They were treated like a member of the family and were the recipients of unequivocal love. It was their time to go and they had a good life.

You have to live life to really understand how it can affect you.

Being responsible for a dog is a special experience that is hard to communicate to someone that has not had a relationship with a dog.

From afar, it would be understandable for someone to have the view that you have so many dogs, if you lose one, then it’s not really a problem.

All I can say is that you didn’t meet Fleur.

The male dog with a female name. That is another story for another time.
We were blessed to have two dogs who were the stars of GlenMyu Estate.

We got lucky with our first

Clove was our first dog. We got so lucky! Clove and her sister were delivered to us by our staff who had seen that they had been dumped at the entrance to GlenMyu Estate. She had been abandoned along with her brother an sister and were all were the sim of my palm.
The brother had perished by the time that our staff had alerted us to these unwanted pups.
Reluctantly we took in the two waifs and named them Clove and Cinnamon due to they dark coats and relaationship with the spices of Sri Lanka

A Sri Lankan Tragedy

Cinnamon didn’t make it. That is another story. We failed Cinnamon and it meant that Clove was precious to us.

Perhaps she was a spoilt child. The guilt led us to be overprotective to this petite soul that we felt that we had a obligation to protect. Clove was over from outside to inside. She was allowed to sit and snuggle in between us on our expensive London department store settee.
We fell in love with this adorable, fun bundle of joy that was full of love that we envied. She broke into our hearts and would never leave us.

Fleur was a different case altogether.

The sickest of dogs that was not meant to live. A desperate plea by a neighbour to try to save this dying dogs. We picked that half alive bundle and took him to the nearest vet. A saline drip and several injections limped life into this lost soul.

We were travelling from the Sri Lankan Hill Country to the countries Capital of Colombo and he would hopefully recuperate with my in-laws.
Fortunately for this waif, my other in law had several dogs through her hands over the year. A dose of worm liquid delivered the main problems then next morning. A mess in the garden but issues expelled giving a hope for the future.

Getting better in Colombo

Convelescene in Colombo was the doctors orders and over time Fleur was managed back to “reasonable health”. A bad start in life led to ongoing medical problems. Multiple visits to various vets gave hope for an average life.
Loved (and named) by our nieces and spoilt by may mother in law Fleur was weaned back to reasonable health.
However, he was a dog that was always going to need regular care and vet visits. He has touched our hearts and we were committed to doing as much as we could.

Living in Colombo, Fleur, being a really furry creature, was happiest under the air conditioning unit. We concluded that dogs with fur should not be living in 36 degrees celcius.

With the air and graces of a Colombo City dog, Fleaur was eventually despatched back to the area where he was born in th Sri Lankan Hills.

It was a challenge meeting and assimilating with his new brothers and sisters at Glenmyu Estate. A loner dog that was used to being King of the Hill had to adapt. Fights, working out places in the hierarchy, and domain were eventually agreed and harmony mainly existed. There is always the occasional toff between brothers and sisters!

Our two stars

Clove believes that all our guests visit to meet and spoil her. She is a special soul that can reach into you heart within seconds of meeting. Clove has an energy of love that makes is hard for you not to reciprocate.

Fleur was our other star at GlenMyu Estate. This furry ball was hard not to fall in love with. We were embarrassed often about his antics with our guest, but all were taken in the spirit that they were given.

Photobomber

A photo bomb at a wedding photo shoot at the estate. The star of many a photo with our guests. Turning the fear of dogs for small children into love. We has so many guests asking to take Fleur home with them.

For me, I will always appreciate the time he spent with me as I was working in the garden at the estate. Fleur would spend hours with me as I worked in the garden, He would demand some attention occasionally, but appreared to just like being near me as I worked. Perhaps he was my casual security guard, just making sure I was safe from snakes or other dangers I might face as I went about my work.

I just really appreciated his company, An occasional rub of his head was all he required to be content.

An unwanted birthday gift

My birthday in February 2022 was a great event. Neighbours and guests at GlenMyu Estate had a great evening. Poor quality wine and fabulous food was sampled. Conversations and debates were had over the course of the evening and a good time was had by all.

The next day the question was asked ‘Where is Fleur?”.

He had not returned to my mother in law, who now lived at GlenMyu Estate the previous evening. It was not unusual for him, and the other dogs, to want to sleep outside in the warm February nights.

A no show for breakfast meant that we stated to worry.

The search for the missing dog starts

Search and rescue teams were sent out and returned with disappointing results.
I drove for miles in search of our absent dog. I feared that he had met with an accident on the road.

We were bereft as we were unsuccessful in our search.
Posters were printed and displayed. Many red herrings were followed up in our quest to be reunited with Fleur.

Trips to and back from Colombo and Banderawella were treacherous as I couldn’t concentrate on the road as I searched for dogs on the side of the road.

Searching for the missing dog goes on

Two years on I still look for Fleur.

My thoughts are “Why did you pick my birthday to disappear?”. Is that the depressing memory you want me to have on my special day. It’s not that I want to feel better in my misery. But could you not have chosen another day. My hope would be that my birthday would be a happy occasion every year.

I had given up hope and hoped he has passed. We were always concerned that if someone had taken our lovely character that he would be abandoned when the stealers worked out how many time he would need to be seen by the vet.

A glimmer of hope

A chance video on Tik Tok in July 2024 gave us hope. Hopefully what we saw was not a Doppleganger and our hopes are going too be dashed. Confidence is low, but what can we do but investigate with the hope that we will be reunited.

My confidence is at an all time low but we have to go.

I wonder whether I will get any sleep tonight on the anticipation that I will be reunited by and old loving friend. Tonight I will hope and pray that we will have happy ending.
If we do find Fleur we will hold him so close he will never leave us again.

The morning arrives

Both my wife and I were anxious and full of hope that we might find our missing dog.

Bomburu Ella Waterfall

We had not visited Bomburu Ella Waterfall before. In order to maintain a positive outlook, if we didn’t manage to find Fleur, then at least we would see something new.

The waterfall is located near to Nuwara Eliya and was around a one hour forty minute (51 kilometre) drive away.

We set off early on a Monday after a long weekend. If we had gone on the weekend, then the waterfall would have been very busy with local tourists.

It was an enjoyable drive to the waterfall and we parked close to the walkway up to the falls.

There were a few other Sri Lankan tourists who had extended their weekend to enjoy Bomburu Ella.

We asked the person taking the money for parking about the dog and showed him the video.

He recognised the dog and this gave us the encouragement to start the walk.

Commencing our journey to find our lost dog.

The pathway was a little hard to navigate, but with advice from some locals we were on our way.

Climbing up a concrete pathway we were amazed by the view of the agricultural landscape below.

We were pleased to see the recycling bins and the notice boards asking people to dispose of rubbish properly.

Ticket costs for Bomburu Ella Waterfall

Entry fees to Bomburua Ella Waterfall are quite reasonable.

LKR 700 is around US$2.50

(August 2024)

Entry Fees (Sri Lankan Rupees)

Local Adult 100
Local Child 30

Foreign Adult 700
Foreign Child 300

Disappointed, we carried on

After the heartbreak of the disappointment, we thought that we would make the best of the day and carry on to the waterfall.

After the disappointment - something to make us smile

We certainly needed something to cheer us up and put a smile back on our faces.

Bomburu Ella Falls were the right tonic for us.

What an amazing sight. The falls are spectacular, albeit we did not visit in the best weather. The local Sri Lankans that were enjoying an extended their long weekend added to the atmosphere. It’s great being surrounded by people that are having fun.

Our mistake was not to have brought our swimming costumes with us. We had focused on finding our lost dog, and therefore we couldn’t enjoy the full experience of Bomburu Ella.

However, the amount of rubbish dumped in the pools and the streams made it less attractive an option. We will certainly visit Bomburu Ella Falls again, but we will steer well clear of a busy long holiday weekend.

After chatting to the ticket attendant on the way out, he assured us that a team would be picking up the litter later on during the week.

Sri Lanka is full of many sights of outstanding beauty. It’s unfortunate that education pressing local people to look after their natural environment and not use it as a garbage dump had not been effective. We hope that in future years the people will respect this amazing environment and take their litter with them.

A rollercoaster of emotions

As we made our way back to GlenMyu Estate, we talked about our day. We were happy that we pursued this little chance of finding Fleur.

He is worth the time and effort.

We will continue searching for our lost dog and hope to be reunited with him some day.

Support our work caring for rescue animals.

By staying at GlenMyu Estate, you do not use support giving employment to local people and restoring the five acre estate. You also support our efforts caring for the street dogs that now have a home on the estate. We also have a rescue cow and bull, chickens and ducks which all have been provided with a loving, caring home.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate to explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country

Stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country

See sights like Horton Plains National Park is a unique experience.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

The Stress and Heartbreak of searching for a missing dog Read More »

No televisions, no problem

Animals that live at our visit GlenMyu Estate., Birds, Birdwatching, Hiking in Sri Lanka, Holiday, Life in Sri Lanka, Natural Swimming Pool, Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs, Things to do on holiday in Sri Lanka / By Mikeez

No Televisions, No Problem!

No Televisions, No Problem

I don’t know about you, but I really didn’t enjoy watching television when I was away on holiday.

Whenever we would get to our hotel room my wife and I would flick through the channels to find something that we would like.

There is something about watching television when you are in your own country.

You know what you like, you know when the program is on and you know where to find your favourite programme.

I can't find it, there are too many advertisement breaks.

We tended to watch a lot fo BBC programmes in the UK and therefore didn’t to have to deal with advertisement breaks.

There is something about the rhythm of the programme, even when you watch commercial tv, that is quite comforting. You are used to the timing and the length of the advert break. Years of programming our brains makes it alright.

Television abroad - no thanks

However, I used to get frustrated watching television on holiday as the rhythm wasn’t comfortable for me.

It was a real turnoff.

So, I didn’t watch any television programmes when I went on holiday.

The world has changed

Since moving to Sri Lanka in 2016 the world has been through some incredible changes.

Sitting down in front of the television to relax after a stressful day in the office is no longer the norm.

The global pandemic left lots of people stuck at home looking for entertainment to while away the hours.

Netflix and other streaming services became the go to place for entertainment. Binge watching box sets was what everyone was talking about.

When we were in the UK we only watched a few programmes when they were being broadcasted. Most if what we viewed was on catch up.

No televisions at GlenMyu Estate, no problem

Since living in Sri Lanka we have been weaned off television.

I could see from our first six months on the island that we really craved our favourite programmes that we enjoyed together.

However, as we couldn’t get our usual BBC programmes, we used to buy the occasional DVD and watch them together.

The environment in the Sri Lankan Hill Country has changed our requirements in life. It’s hard not to be affected by the surrounding nature. Whether it’s the noise from the birds, the ever changing view from the lounges or spending time on the five acre estate, sitting in front of a square box does not seem to be important now. If we don’t know who is in Masterchef, the Bake Off or Strictly, it really doesn’t matter.

Immersed in nature

Living in London for many years we were really out of touch with nature. So many people living in big cities must be in the same position.

I don’t know what happened to me.

In the UK I wasn’t interested in birds and trees. My inquisitiveness appears to have been injected into my veins since living here. Planting trees and watching them grow, getting up early to catch the birdsong or making sure I catch the sunset sky.

It’s hard to get the feeling over to you. You really need to come and experience this for yourself.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate to explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country

A stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country and see sights like Horton Plains National Park is a unique experience.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

No televisions, no problem Read More »

Our Cow and a dog. Wandering around GlenMyu Estate. Inspires my though for the day

Dogs in Sri Lanka

Animals that live at our visit GlenMyu Estate., Charity work in Sri Lanka, Holiday, Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs / By Mikeez

Dogs in Sri Lanka

Dogs in Sri Lanka.

When you visit Sri Lanka on holiday you will see lots of dogs in a poor condition.

Learn how you can help and what we do.

New Lives in the Wild - Ben Fogle revisits the British Sri Lankan Vet

The plight of Sri Lankan dogs was highlighted again when Ben Fogle visited British Vet, Janey Lowes, who lives in Sri Lanka. (Channel 5, Series 18, Episode 11).

Bon Fogle originally met Janey Lowes in 2019 (Channel 5, Series 9, Episode 4).

The update highlights the uncontrollable issues that have added to the pressure on the work WeCare Worldwide does in Sri Lanka. With events such as the global pandemic, the economic crisis and the lack of medicines available during the period increased the challenge caring for the dogs.

Issues all around the island

We at GlenMyu Estate also were affected by the issues that were beyond our control.

Over the years since we moved to the Sri Lankan hill country we have cared for and re-homed many street dogs.

Historically, after giving the puppies that were dropped off at GlenMyu Estate, a good start in life, vaccinations, nutritious food and medical care, we were able to re-home many puppies.

We have also funded spaying and neutering dogs villagers close to the estate. Many of our neighbours do not have the means to pay for the surgery. The aim was to control the rise in dog population and ensure that the females did not have letters every seasons of their lives.

The effect of the 2022 financial crisis in Sri Lanka on re-homing dogs

The effects of the financial crisis in Sri Lanka during 2022 and its recovery since led to us finding it more difficult in er-homing dogs.

People had to think carefully as to whether they could afford to care for a puppy when inflation was so high reaching 60% and incomes had not followed.

There was also a lack of medicines during this period coming into the country. This led to an additional concern as to whether vaccinations would be available to protect the dogs. A major concern was the shortage of rabies vaccines which would create a health risk of the owners and their families.

A lot of good work is going on

There are several organisations, in addition to WeCare Worldwide that care for street dogs in Sri Lanka.

Embark Passion

Embark has been transforming the lives of street dogs and the communities they live in since 2007.
They do great work for dogs in Sri Lanka by providing medication, spaying and neutering and finding new homes.

Dogs of Ella

Dogs Of Ella is where the stray dogs from the hills of Ella and neighboring towns come to claim their second chance at life.

They have more than 30 rescues currently residing in the Ella shelter

Individuals doing their own bit for dogs in Sri Lanka

Similar to us at GlenMyu Estate, there are lots of individual around the island that are all doing their bit to help the street dogs.

Many Sri Lankans feed the street dogs in their local area. We had personal experience of this when we lived in Colombo before moving to the Sri Lankan hill country.

A retired doctor drove around the neighbourhood in the mornings and evenings feeding the street dogs in the area.

Support the work we do with street dogs by staying at GlenMyu Estate on your holiday in Sri Lanka.

Feeding the dogs at GlenMyu Estate. Twice a day, 100 kg of rice a month makes several happy dogs.

Some of guests at GlenMyu Estate enjoy helping feed our dogs when they holiday in Sri Lanka.

A stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country helps to fund feeding our rescue animals and the work we do locally with street dogs.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

Dogs in Sri Lanka Read More »

Ben Fogle and the Sri Lankan Vet

Animals that live at our visit GlenMyu Estate., Charity work in Sri Lanka, Holiday, Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs, Sri Lanka / By Mikeez

Ben Fogle and the Sri Lankan Vet

Ben Fogle and the Sri Lankan Vet.

Channel 5’s New Lives in the Wild revisited Janey, the British vet, who cares for dogs in Sri Lanka.

Ben Fogle’s original visit to see Janey Lowes work, was aired in 2019 on the Channel 5 series.

The latest program highlights how the charity WeCare Worldwide is struggling to cope with the growth since 2016. Capacity at it’s home in Talalla, funding and a shortage in medicines such as rabies shots are key issues.

You can read more in the following Daily Mirror Article.

Janey is confident in approaching street dogs in Sri Lanka. You can watch this clip on Facebook of Janey and Ben meeting a stray dog.
Janey diagnoses the issues that the dog has before starting some treatment.

Click on the following link to be redirected to Apple TV to find out how to watch the programme.

Ben Fogle has an Instagram page where you can read all about the people and places he meets and visits on New Lives in the Wild.

Janey, the British Vet doing amazing things in Sri Lanka

The British vet is located on the south coast of Sri Lanka. She has been doing amazing things for the animals that she treats since she moved to this paradise island.

WeCare Worldwide is a worthy charity which is in need of support.

Please visit their website to find out more information and see how you can provide help and support.

You can follow Janey on her Instagram account to see what she has been doing since the TV program.

Animal Charities is a website which has a blog on what animals charities you can help.

They have highlighted WeCare Worldwide on their most recent blog.

If you want to know more about Janey’s storey, you can read this article “Rugby WAG turned street vet reveals how a row with her ex at the airport changed her life forever” published in MailOnline in May 2021.

Other Dog Charities in Sri Lanka

Dr Janey does fantastic work. There are several other organisations that also support street dogs.

Local to GlenMyu Estate is Dogs’ of Ella.

Dogs of Ella

We, at GlenMyu Estate, are aware of the work that the Dogs of Ella charity does for two reasons.

Firstly, we met co-founder of the charity, Jessica Nehlich, when we were visiting the vet in Bandarawella with some of our dogs for treatment.

Jessica was there with three dogs being treated by Uva Pet Care Animal hospital.

We also knew about Dogs of Ella as we have had guests from Germany and the Netherlands who have visited the charity, volunteered and provided some financial support.

Embark Passion

Philanthropist, Otara Gunewardene, through the Otara Foundation, founded Embark which work to improve the welfare of street dogs in Sri Lanka.

Many dogs are provided with healthcare before being fostered or adopted.

Here are some videos that show the great work that the foundations supports.

Tails of Freedom - rescuing commercially bred dogs in Sri Lanka

Another excellent initiative is by Tails of Freedom which is a non profit organisation in Sri Lanka.

It is dedicated to the rescue of abused purebred companion animals.

We support rescue dogs at GlenMyu Estate

At GlenMyu Estate, we love our animals.
We have taken in and re-homed many puppies since we moved to the area in 2018.
Our rescue dogs are an important part of the estate and our guests really enjoy interacting with them.

They are used to regularly receiving and entertaining our guests.

You will also find rescue cows and chickens at the estate. We enjoy telling our gifts all about stories of how they arrived here.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate and meet our rescue dogs, cows and chickens.

A stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

Ben Fogle and the Sri Lankan Vet Read More »

Our cow got a friend.

Animals that live at our visit GlenMyu Estate., Holiday, Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs, Things to do on holiday in Sri Lanka / By Mikeez

Our cow got a friend.

Our cow got a friend.

Maali is excited as she finally has a friend at GlenMyu Estate to accompany her as she grazes at the 5 acre estate.

Read on to find out how this came about.

If you want to read about how Maali arrived at GlenMyu Estate please read our articles “We got a Cow” and also “The Cow, a year on (almost)”.

Dogs and ducks as friends and playmates?

Maali was a little confused. She cleary was lonely and decided that her playmates were the dogs, ducks and chickens.

Maali would graze for the morning until mid afternoon and then we would let her free to room and forage.

So cute, but such bad behaviour.

Maali settled into GlenMyu Estate quite quickly. She was let free on the estate to forage and eat what she liked. Life is a learning curve and we realised that we would have to tie Maali to one spot for a few hours to concentrate on feeding in one area. She had a tendency to flit from one place to the other. Sometimes she would come bounding towards us when we were working on the land. It was funny, but sometimes scary and dangerous.

When we started to take her to forage in one part of the land she was quite stubborn and wouldn’t move. I used to play rugby in the front row so there was often a tug of war to get her to move to where we wanted her to go. Luckily I still have a bit ion technique and she hasn’t neaten me yet!

When Maali was released in the early afternoon she would run around like a crazy cow. The puppies would run after her and she would try to butt them with her small horns. This was the same for any ducks or chickens that she came across. We think that this was play rather than anger as she appeared to seek them out when she was loose.

She would bound around the land running more like a cheetah rather than a cow.

Although this did provide some entertainment, I was worried that she would create an accident either to her playmates or herself.

There needed to be a change at GlenMyu Estate.

A little bit of research - Our cow needed a friend.

We did a little bit of research and found that when cows are alone they sometimes develop bad behaviour. They are herd animals and really should be with other cows.

According to Farm House Guide “The truth is that cows are herd animals, and they need friends to help keep them happy and safe”.

We had known for some time that Maali really needed a friend.

So spoilt!

Doesn’t the first one always get spoilt? Maali was certainly spoilt and given a lot a leeway at GlenMyu Estate.

Here she is waiting near the outside kitchen for a snack.

An opportunity arises for our cow to get a friend.

One of our neighbours has cows which are used to supply milk. One of his cows had a bull calf. His mother had been sick when he was born an he was not fully weaned on his mothers milk. This left him with a pot belly which is normal in these circumstances.

Another neighbour had told us that the owner of the bull calf was looking to sell him.
We asked him to get in contact with us.

After a discussion with the owner and the vet, Ru asked the bull calf to be brought along to meet Maali and see whether they would get along with each other.

What was the alternative for the infant calf?

Unfortunately, if we did not buy the calf, he would have been sent to the butcher. This is the normal outcome for these animals in Sri Lanka.

Ru met the calf when he was brought to the land to see whether Maali would accept him.
Both Maali and Ru made a connection straight away and there was only one choice.
He was going to have a new home at GlenMyu Estate.

We try to do our bit.

Unfortunately, we cannot save all the animals we would like to from the fate that this calf would have met.
We have limited space at GlenMyu Estate to allocate to the animals and being on a hill limits our capacity.
However, at least this animal will have a good life ahead of him.

No room at the inn?

We did not plan to have a second cow.
In early 2023 we had constructed a new home for Maali where she was now settled. We had not planned for two animals and there was “no room at the inn’ so to speak.
Therefore, we had to identify a suitable site for a home for two.

A big move and a some investment.

The land at GlenMyu Estate is bisected by a stream that runs through the middle of the land.
The stream runs alongside the swimming pool and forms a natural barrier for each side.

Maaili did some major damage to our flowers and other plants that she found tasty. We used to have a beautiful array of flowers alongside the lawn in front of the house.
Maali used these flowers as a buffet when she wanted some variety from the grass she normally eats. This has left our flowerbeds devastated and not looking very attractive!

The site is identified.

We decided that we would site the two cows in a new spot across the river. A gate would be placed at one side of the stream to protect the plants we have nearer the house.
This would result in the cows being focussed on one side of the land where we would be happy for them to forage.

More work to make a new home for our cow and her new friend.

The arrival of the prodigal son.

Here are some videos we took of the big moment when Maali met her new friend.

Maali was not aware re at first but in the end she looks very happy.

Happy together -Our cow got a friend.

You can see from this photo that Maali is making her acquaintance with her new friends.

The start looks good, let’s se if it continues and they become good friends and companions.

Our hopes for the future for our cow and her new friend.

Our aim is to provide both Maali and her new friend a good, safe life at GlenMyu Estate.
In exchange we expect lots of manure to put on our organic garden.

How can you help?

Income we generate from guests staying at GlenMyu Estate when they are on holiday in Sri Lanka is the way we fund the costs to run the property.

By choosing GlenMyu Estate you will support what we do.

You will also have a great experience when you stay and explore the fantastic sights in the Sri Lankan Hill Country.

Your spend with us help fund the following:
Maali, our cow and her friend.
The cost of feeding and providing medication for our rescue dogs.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate, meet our animals and explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country

A stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country and see sights like Horton Plains National Park is a unique experience.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

Our cow got a friend. Read More »

A view from the lawn of the the house at GlenMyu Estate, Hotel and Bed & Breakfast, Haputale, Sri Lanka.

5 things I love about gardening.

Holiday, Life in Sri Lanka, Natural Swimming Pool, Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs, Sri Lanka, The Organic Garden at GlenMyu, Travel, Vegan, Vegetarian / By Mikeez

5 things I love about gardening.

5 things I love about gardening.

From London banker to unpaid gardener in Sri Lanka.

The money is lousy but I wouldn’t change it for the world!

When I moved to Sri Lanka, I did not envisage ending up changing my office job for one outdoors.

A career banker, based in and around London, I had no idea where I would end up.
My destination was working for free on the 5 acre estate in Sri Lanka that we have developed into GlenMyu.

I had little experience as a gardener in London. Why would I when the only outside space was a small terrace? There was very little room to plant anything at all!
I had little idea also that I would end up having a love for gardening and don’t find it like work at all.

1. Things I love about gardening- Gardening is my form of meditation.

I get lost in my thoughts as I use my brush cutter keeping the pathways and lawn in good shape.

It’s amazing how calming and relaxing it is. I do make sure that I am alert enough not to have an accident though, so it’s not like I’m in a trance.

Maybe the hum from my brush cutter through the ear plugs I use gives a sense of comfort.

Trying to get the grass as even I as I can do, on the hill country slopes, is my continuous focus.

I don’t practice meditation, however, this is the closest I get. I love it!

2. Making the GlenMyu Estate garden look good, makes me feel good!

I take a lot of pride in my work and try to make the grounds as attractive as possible.

When guests say that the garden looks good, I feel good. Actually I feel great. It makes all my efforts worth it.

I say my efforts, however there is a team at GlenMyu Estate who all contribute to making the garden look good.

Ru is the designer of the garden (and most things) at GlenMyu Estate. Some of our daily workers are so adept at using the besom to sweep up the grass cuttings and leaves, I could never be as efficient or fast.

Doesn’t everyone like a pat on the back for the work that they have done?.

3. I get to feel closer to nature and I feel that I am improving the estate as a home for wildlife.

One of our aims at GlenMyu Estate is to restore the land from an abandoned tea estate to a home for wildlife. Encouraging biodiversity on the land which makes it a healthy place for plants and animals to visit and live.

GlenMyu Estate was part of a larger abandoned tea estate prior to being bought by my wife. It had also been a sugar cane estate which had failed when the government started to import sugar cane.

Over the years the land was overrun by Guinea Grass which was brought in during Colonial times as a fast growing cattle feed. This fast growing plant takes th light and nutrients from the endemic plants of Sri Lanka and dominates the landscape. It is not a good environment to welcome biodiversity.

Out with the old, in with the new. Things I Love aboutgardening

We have slowly removed the Guinea Grass over the years and replaced the plants with a fruit forest to feed us and the animals. Hundreds of endemic species have been planted and are starting to establish themselves on the five acre estate.

We regularly see dragon flies during the day, a variety of butterflies and some fireflies at night. This, we understand, shows that the land is healthy.

There are no chemicals or pesticides used at the estate and everything that we grow is organic.

4. Things I love about gardening -Getting to enjoy the fruits of my work.

It’s a pleasure walking around the garden on attractive paths and weed free borders.

The order calms the mind and allows me to concentrate on the nature that surrounds me.

Listening to the birdsong, watching the parrots flit from tree to tree and the Kingfisher fish in our stream.

The sound of the water softening any vehicle noise, the feel of the ground on my bare feet and playing with the dogs on the lawn.

A landscape that could be painted.

An inspiring landscape which brings out my hidden artistic side which was out of sight during my banking career.

One of the best things about GlenMyu Estate is our swimming pool.

The pool is fed by a natural spring and the only heating is from the daytime sun.
We don’t add chlorine to the water so I swim in a completely natural environment.

An evening swim is refreshing and eases the muscles that I have used during the day.

Finishing off the evening with a well deserved bottle of local Lion lager beer puts icing on the cake!

Our dogs turn up from time to time looking for a petting.
Maali our cow comes over and looks for her head to be patted. It’s as if she just wants me to remember she is around.

I sometimes have to chase the Eagles when it perches on branch eyeing our chickens and ducks.

Moving on the monkeys when they are trying to eat our Jackfruits, Mangos and Avocados when they are in season (don’t worry there is plenty for them to eat on the periphery of the estate).

There are lots that I love about gardening at GlenMyu Estate.

It's more than just cutting the lawn.

I don’t just cut the lawns and paths around the estate in my gardening duties.

Cutting and replanting coleus, cutting down fallen branches and general weeding is all part of my day in the garden.

It’s great to get variety in my day.

5 things I love about gardening - Summary

Gardening is my form of meditation.
Making the GlenMyu Estate garden look good, makes me feel good!
I get to feel closer to nature and I feel that I am improving the estate as a home for wildlife.
Getting to enjoy the fruits of my work.
The reward of a swim at the end of the day (and perhaps a Lion lager!).

Stay at GlenMyu Estate and enjoy the gardens.

A stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country and see sights like Horton Plains National Park is a unique experience.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

5 things I love about gardening. Read More »

Inspiration to paint in the Sri Lankan Hills

Is this my favourite place?

Holiday, Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs, Sri Lanka, Travel / By Mikeez

Is this my favourite place?

Is this my favourite place? I often think where is my favourite place to live? At this time in my life, it is the Sri Lankan Hill Country.

My favourite places have changed throughout my life.

I think that my feelings about places have changed over the years. There clearly was a right time and right place at different times of my life.

Formative years in the countryside.

When I was young I spent my secondary school education at a boarding school on a 64 acre estate in the Suffolk Countryside. I loved it there. Spending the time with my school friends, playing rugby with my teammates and enjoying the grounds was a far cry from Brixton, South London.

London - a city with so much to offer

Starting in Banking in Mayfair (the most expensive property on the Monopoly board!) was a great place to start my career. Unfortunately I did have to commute, so it wasn’t ideal.

Working in Kilburn and being able to walk to the office was a joy. The vibe in the area as it was slowly becoming gentrified was an interesting time in my life.

London’s pace and energy was a great place to live in my mid twenties until my mid forties. I used as many of the elements that this city offers (within my budget). The atmosphere in the pubs, bars, restaurants and nightclubs were just what I wanted at that period. London emits a power that inspires and creates art, music and fashion. It was a pomace that I felt comfortable and proud to live during that time.

Colombo, Sri Lanka - a new place, a new continent

Moving to Sri Lanka at fifty was a deliberate choice to slow down the pace of life and get some time back. Living in Colombo initially was enjoyable. My early morning walk along the walking tracks that abut Parliament was a healthy start to the day. The smiles and relationships that we started to build with the people we met on our walk or in the neighbourhood gave us a good felling of community.

As I got older the realisation that family, friends, people and community are a major part of what makes living in a place more enjoyable and brings elements of happiness.

And then to the Sri Lankan Hill Country.

My favourite place at this time in my life is GlenMyu Estate and the Sri Lankan Hill Country.

What makes GlenMyu Estate my favourite place?

Great people make this my favourite place.

We are so fortunate to have great neighbours that have a similar outlook on life. They go through the same trials and tribulations that we go through living in the hills means that we have empathy for each other. The fact that most have travelled widely, have lived interesting lives and enjoy good food and drink are a bonus.

We get to meet people

Starting GlenMyu Estate and inviting guests into our house was quite daunting at first. We were not hoteliers and would it work. Both my wife and I had lived on our own together in North West London for many years, so how would we manage with strangers coming in and out of the house?

Well, it worked out great and we love it.

We live on the top floor of the house and have a separate entrance which gives guests their separate space.

Meeting new guests exploring this paradise island adds so much colour to our lives. We really enjoy getting to know our guests, finding out about their lives and where they live. As our guests are on holiday and they have enjoyed their tour around the country spirits are positive and high.

Having people to stay with us is one of the most enjoyable parts of living here and the main reason that it is my favourite place.

The estate keeps us busy

With fives acres to maintain and look after we are always busy. There is always something to do, Lawns and pathways need cut, shrubs and trees need pruning and trees, flowers and vegetables need planting.

We are continually developing the estate to improve it for ourselves and our guests. The development of our version of Lombard Street is taking longer than I wanted. Our circular pathway around the border of the estate needs completed. We always have new ideas on what we want to do and the work needs to be planned between guests and seasons.

We wait for the rainy season to start and clear areas in readiness for planting. The rain doesn’t come and we can’t plant what we planned.

There are great places to visit nearby

We love living at GlenMyu Estate because it is close enough to so many great places to visit. A day trip to Ella to see Nine Arch Bridge, Ravana Waterfall or people watch from a bar in the high street. Visiting the UNESCO heritage site Horton Plains became one of our favourite places to go when we first started living here. Being in the Montane Cloud Forest and enjoying the eleven kilometre hike makes life interesting and makes you feel good.

Finding Upper Diyaluma Waterfall when accompanying a German couple on their trip was a wonderful find. We feel that we were lucky to visit the second tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka before it gets too busy with tourist.

Seeing the views from Lipton’s Seat, Haputale looking over the manicured tea estates are also an enjoyable experience. There are so many other places to see and visit nearby, like the stages of the new Pekoe Trail and we never have enough time to go as regularly as we would like to.

Never a dull moment

Whether it’s the animals, the weather or our staff’s stories, there is never a dull moment for us at GlenMyu Estate. We have a crazy cow who keeps us entertained. Ru is regularly nursing one of the chickens who may be under the weather. We can be searching for a duck who has decided to nest in a dangerous location as the nigh falls. Some of our dogs are needy and refuse to let me get on with my work unless I spend time petting them.

My favourite place - at the moment.

So GlenMyu Estate and the Sri Lankan Hill Country is my favourite place at the moment. I love it when guests stay and enjoy their time here so much. The reviews that they leave make both Ru and I feel great and it gives us inspiration to work hard and provide our guests with the best experience.

We hope that this also becomes their favourite place also.

Is this my favourite place? Read More »

One of the rescue dogs at GlenMyu Estate and Hotel, Haputale, Sri Lanka.

A holiday for Animal Lovers

Holiday, Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs / By Mikeez

A holiday for animal lovers.

When we initially opened GlenMyu Estate Hotel, in the Sri Lankan Hill Country, we were concerned that having dogs would be detrimental to the business. What we have found though is that there are animal lovers from all parts of Sri Lanka and the World

The animals that we have at GlenMyu Estate have really added to the guest experience. We have been amazed that one of the reasons that guests have chosen us is because we have our rescue dogs.

All vaccinated and loved.

All of our dogs are vaccinated and are also used to greeting new guests on a regular basis. Sometimes I feel sorry for the dogs (and guests) because I can see how quickly a relationship and friendship is developed, only to be broken when the guests leave to discover more parts of this paradise island.

So you thought that you didn't like dogs?

We have had a few guests come that are not too keen on dogs. However, I don’t know how the dogs manage it, but they are able to forge a relationship really quickly. We recently had a family stay and the mother didn’t want the attention from the dogs unlike the rest of her family. A few hours later she was cuddling one of our abandoned puppies and didn’t want to let her go!

There was also a Sri Lankan family comprising of Mum, Dad and three delightful daughters. The girls were pinned close to their mother when the alighted the car and were met by several excited dogs. Within an hour they were playing with the dogs and there were tears in the morning when the left as the youngest wanted to take one home with them!

The house with the seven dogs.

Early on we had a French family living in Colombo stay at GlenMyu Estate. The parents and their two young daughters really loved their time here and picked out their own favourite dogs.

On their second visit their mother told us that we were known as “the house with the seven dogs” and that they had remembered all their names!

We often have puppies at GlenMyu Estate.

Over the few years we have been at GlenMyu Estate we have had puppies from time to time.

As spaying a neutering dogs in Sri Lanka is not the norm there are lots of unwanted puppies that turn up throughout the year.

Sri Lankans are animal lovers however we do wish that a sterilisation programme was enacted by the government to control the population.

We have lots of tourists arrive and comment on the number and poor condition of the street dogs that they have seen around the island.

There are charities and organisations that do their best to help, treat and care for the street dogs. However, the challenge is huge and overwhelming. We just do our best to care for these animals at GlenMyu Estate. After providing them with them with a good start in life with a good diet, additional vitamins and the relevant vaccinations we try to re-home them with loving families.

Were you always animal lovers?

Both Ru and I had been around dogs and animals all of our lives through each of our parents who had dogs, cats and so on. However, we had never had the full responsibility of the animals ourselves. Living in London in a small apartment, working long hours and travelling meant that it was not feasible to have a pet. We were so busy that it was not even a consideration.

Living in Sri Lanka has reconnected us with animals.

Ru’s dream was always to have an organic farm up in the mountains with her own animals. I suppose that the original intention was to have farm animals that we functional on a farm. However, the focus has changed since we have been in Sri Lanka and the main driver is being animal lovers providing a good safe environment rather than seeing their role as part of farming.

A holiday for animal lovers?

There is so much to enjoy about a stay in the Sri Lankan Hill Country at GlenMyu Estate. Sri Lanka’s Hill country offers lots of wonderful places to see and visit. Ella Town is around one hours drive and lots of our guests visit Nine Arch Bridge, climb Ella Rock and Little Adam’s Peak. They also visit Ravana Waterfall and Ravana’s Cave.

Hiking at then UNESCO Heritage site of Horton Plains National Park and seeing the spectacular views at Lesser World’s End, Greater World’s End and the beautiful Baker’s Falls is a favourite.

Upper Diyaluma Waterfall is a relatively new discovery for us and as it is only a 40 minute drive it is now one of the most popular day trips. A visit to Lipton’s Seat and seeing how tea is processed at Dambetenne Tea Factory is also a great experience.

After exploring the area coming back to the five acre estate and being welcomed by the dogs adds to your holiday memories.

GlenMyu Estate has more than street dogs to provide interest for animal lovers.

We also have a rescue cow called Maali. She has been a resident at the estate since December 2022 and adds to the landscape. Maali provides us with manure for our organic garden and grass around the estate. She is interested to meet new guests and give them a sniff and perhaps even a lick with her coarse tongue!

You will see lots of ducks wandering around the estate foraging for food and then bathing in the streams that run through the land. They are a perfect way to lose some hours watching them go about their daily lives. We find them very relaxing (apart from when they are mating!) and it is our form of meditation.

Our chickens and roosters also wander around the estate looking for tasty things to eat. We do keep them in an enclosure for part of the day to protect them from predators such as the mongoose and eagles.

Meet some of our animals.

Here are some of our dogs that will be happy to meet you!

Our ducks provide a relaxing experience at the estate.

And Maali may also welcome you

Other visitors to the estate.

Apart from the animals that we care for at GlenMyu Estate there are lots of visitors, some you will see and some are hidden. Occasionally you may see a Barking Deer in the distance eating leaves and fresh grass. You are unlikely to see a porcupine or Wild Boar as they tend to come in the middle of the night, however you may see the damage that they do to our crops.

There are a variety of birds that visit the estate daily and seasonally. We have a bird book to help you identify what you see whilst you are here.

We also have lots of squirrels and occasionally a beautiful Giant Squirrel eating our Jackfruits on the tree.

GlenMyu Estate Hotel - a holiday for animal lovers.

To find out more about a holiday in the Sri Lankan Hill Country please visit our website and contact us via the WhatsApp button to inquire about direct booking rates.

We are also listed on Airbnb and Booking.com.

You can also see videos of the animals that visit the estate on our social media channels.

If you are particularly interested in the dogs we have a separate YouTube Channel.

Read our guest reviews

Please read how our other guests have found their stay at GlenMyu Estate on Google, TripAdvisor, Booking.com and Airbnb.

A holiday for Animal Lovers Read More »

Rescue Dogs of GlenMyu Estate

Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs / By Mikeez

Rescue Dogs of GlenMyu Estate

Since we moved to the Sri Lankan Hill Country we have adopted many rescue dogs at GlenMyu Estate. Some have been kept on the 5 acre estate, some have been re-homed and unfortunately we expect to have to continue to do this work.

We try to give these orphans a good start in life by providing them with nutritious food, added vitamins & minerals and the necessary vaccinations to protect them against diseases.

It was not part of our plan and we did not really expect to have dogs on the estate. We thought that it might deter some people from booking a stay with us in the Hill Country.

A few people have booked and cancelled when they find out that we have dogs – which is fine with us. We would not want anyone to feel uncomfortable staying here at GlenMyu Estate.

We have however, been surprised that, often the dogs are the star of the show. Our welcome message includes a small commentary about the dogs and we have had lots of people really excited about meeting them.

As it is a little dangerous interacting with dogs in Sri Lanka due to the risk of rabies, guests are delighted that they are able to pet the animals at GlenMyu Estate. They know that the dogs are all vaccinated and there will be no issues.

Also, our dogs are so used to meeting new guests sometimes they are quite blasé about the situation. We find that when the vehicle carrying our guest arrive they just want to have a sniff and then they get on with their daily lives. If however, guests make a fuss of them, they know that the guests are dog lovers and that they will get plenty of attention when they are here.

We didn’t plan to have dogs however Clove was delivered to us and we have never looked back. You can read about Clove’s story on the following BlogPost.

Donie is the mother of Patch and Biscuit

Here is Donie with Patch and Fleur in the background.

Patch is Donie’s son and was born at GlenMyu Estate.

Donie (and Kahlu) were owned by the caretaker to the construction company who built the main structure and roadway into GlenMyu Estate. The contractors were here for about one and a half years and both Donie (and Kahlu) were supposed to go with their owner onto the next site.

Donie had a litter whilst living at GlenMyu Estate and her son and daughter, Patch and Biscuit, survived.

We decided that we would keep Patch and Biscuit as we brought them up on the estate and it was their home.

The caretaker was happy for Donie to stay and Kahlu was to go with the contractors to the next construction site…..however….(read about Kahlu’s story here).

Patch and Biscuit - brother and sister!

Patch and Biscuit have different colourings however, they certainly act like brother and sister.

Like most siblings, sometimes they get on well together and sometimes they don’t. Patch acts like a guardian to both Donie and Biscuit and will run and protect them if there is any disturbance.

However, Patch has a large appetite (being the boy!) and he will try to take food off Donie or Biscuit once he has gobbled up his breakfast or lunch. Motherly Donie is happy to share her food but Biscuit will snarl at him warning him to keep away.

Donie is a great mother and she still, after almost 4 years, cleans Patch’s eyes and ears almost on a daily basis. Sometimes Patch looks a little embarrassed when this happens, however we have also seen him offer his ears and eyes to his mother to clean!

Clove and Roti

We made a mistake!
Being new to having dogs were foolishly missed the time when Clove was on heat and were not able to stop her mating (with half the neighbourhood!)

Oh No! Puppies!

We have realised that when you give a puppy a really good start in life, giving them a wholesome diet supplemented by vitamins and minerals, that they will be very healthy. In turn this appears to have made Clove very productive when it came to having her first litter. Fro our discussions with neighbours they would expect a litter of perhaps three, four or five.

Can you imagine our horror when Clove had her litter and produced nine puppies over a very long night.

Unfortunately two of the puppies did not survive the next day and we were left with seven healthy and hungry little ones.

Support or work with the rescue dogs by staying at GlenMyu Estate

I think of GlenMyu Estate as more of a social enterprise than a “proper” business. By opening the house and grounds to paying guests we certainly benefit by being able to live in a nice environment whilst meeting really interesting people.

By holidaying at GlenMyu Estate you also support the staff that we have by effectively contributing to their wages so that they can support their families.

You also are providing money so that we can support the work we do with rescue dogs, providing them with a good start in life prior to being rehoused into loving homes,

We have lost count of the number of abandoned puppies that we have taken in that have been dropped close to our gate or brought to us by our staff.

At the Estate we have decided that we can only have a maximum of seven dogs. This is still too many however we got to seven and decided that must be the limit. The puppies that we take in are given a good healthy start and then we make sure that they go to good, loving homes.

We ensure that the puppies get all the relevant vaccinations and also have committed to pay for neutering and spaying in the future if the owner wants to go down that route and doesn’t have the funds to meet the costs.

In conjunction with a local vet we have also supported the funding of sterilisation of dogs owned by poor villagers who cannot afford to pay the vet bills.

We support these costs due to, as you will see from your travels around this Paradise Island, that there are too many street dogs that are in really poor conditions. By reducing the number of litters. Most females can have litters two or three times a year. Even if a mother has three puppies twice a year the number of dogs increases by six, so you can understand the problem if there is no control.

If you want to find out more about a stay at GlenMyu Estate please click on the following link to our website.

You can also see some videos on our YouTube Channel for the dogs on the following link.

Here are some pics of some of the puppies we have re-homed.

Rescue Dogs of GlenMyu Estate Read More »

The dog looking upon the swimming pool at GlenMyu Estate, Hotel and Bed & Breakfast, Haputale, Sri Lanka.

Our Rescue Dogs

Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs / By Mikeez

Our Rescue Dogs - making GlenMyu Estate a special place.

We have seven rescue dogs here at GlenMyu Estate.

Dogs were not in our plan!

Ruwanthi and I didn’t intend to have any dogs, they just found us.

We ended up with Seven!

How we ended up here.

In 2018 we were living in our temporary abode whilst we develop the land at Beragala in our “Garage” at the top part of the land – a 1,000 sq ft building with one bedroom, attached bathroom and internal garage.

Ruwanthi had started planting various fruits and vegetables in the kitchen garden new the garage and we were losing produce on a regular basis to various raiders during the day and night which included a wide variety of birds, monkeys and wild boar.

The onsite caretaker for the construction company had two dogs, a male and female called Kahlu and Donnie and we were regularly disturbed at night by the barking warning us of predators looking for a midnight snack or two.

Some of the construction workers alerted us that there were three puppies that had been dropped off at the top of our road which they had been feeding as they arrived and left for the evening.

We were to subsequently find out that dropping off unwanted dogs, especially females, was a regular event in Sri Lanka. It is particularly prevalent around the monthly Poya day and puppies are dropped near temples with the expectation that a worshipper would take on the problem.

Ruwanthi went with one of our workers to investigate and found that the male puppy had died and there were the remaining undernourished female puppies remaining. Despite not being a dog lover the natural instinct was to take the two orphans and provide some sustenance and shelter as you would with any animal in need.

We fell in love

We named them Clove and Cinnamon as they were dark with some flecks of white and brown on them. It was a steep learning curve for us both with lots of searching on the internet finding out what we needed to do.

We didn’t want the dogs inside the garage and their quarters was a box outside with a towel to provide the warmth that they would have gotten from their mother.

At the time Donie was due to have some puppies so we were going to have more animals on the premises than expected however we did think they would all be found new homes and Kahlu and Donie would move on to the next project with their owner.

Donies pups were born and the dog numbers were raised by three. We were feeding Clove and Cinnamon and Kahlu and Donie were mainly fed from our spare rice with their main meals being provided by the unwanted leftovers from the construction workers.

Disaster Strikes and we are heartbroken

Clove and Cinnamon were very sweet and we unexpectedly had gotten quite attached very quickly. A few trips to the vet for advice and the relevant injections they started to grow and get stronger with their regular feeding of rice and curry several times a day.

Cinnamon was the more adventurous of the two and they both provided us with lots of entertainment watching them grow and develop.

One evening we didn’t have too much food available left over for Donie and her pups however they were fed by their owner. Perhaps there was little provided there as some of the workers had gone home for a few days.

In the middle of the night I was awoken by Ruwanthi shouting at the dogs as there was some racquet going on outside. It took us a minute or two to get the garage door open and find out what was going on in the pitch black of the night.

Ruwanthi had seen Donie with one of our puppies hanging from her mouth and she went searching outsides soon as able. Eventually, after what appeared to be an age she returned with the limp body of Cinnamon cradled in her arms. Within a few minutes Cinnamon stopped breathing and was gone.

The Grief Cycle

An event like this never leaves you and I do think about our Cinnamon quite often and wonder what type of character she would have grown into. Early on Clove had attached herself to Ruwanthi and Cinnamon to me.

It was very traumatic for us to think what Cinnamon must have gone through and we were confused and bewildered in trying o work out why this had happened. We felt guilt and sorrow for what Cinnamon must have endured as a shocking end to her short life.

We went through the established emotions of grief and my anger towards Donie was difficult to abate.

We had really become attached to the dogs and were distraught by the events that had taken place.

We came to the conclusion that Donie had not had sufficient food to eat as she was providing for three suckling puppies and perhaps had seen Clove and Cinnamon as threats to her food source. Cinnamon, being adventurous may have been disturbed during the night by the new puppies and went to investigate and Donie decided to protect her pups.

A change or lifestyle

We now changed our outlook to protect Clove until she had grown to a size where she would be able to defend herself. Our reticence to have a dog inside the garage abated and Cloves home was over into the Garage part of the building.

Prior to her moving inside we did not have to worry about midnight trips for the dogs to relieve herself or investigate any potential nocturnal predators at our vegetable garden.

Sleep depravation was now to follow with the garage door being raised and lowered regularly during the night. Clove took some time to work out that the garage was not her toilet and we were regularly met with presents for us to avoid in the morning.

It was all worth it in the end.

Our first dog that we named Clove.

It turns out that Clove was not going to be the last of the dogs that came to us at GlenMyu Estate, however that story will have to wait for another Blog post.

To be continued - the story of our rescue dogs.

We now have Seven dogs. It has not been our maximum number as we have taken in a rehoused lots of puppies over the short time we have been at GlenMyu Estate.

At the time of writing another female puppy has just forced her way into the estate!

Pictures to follow.

See our Dogs YouTube Channel at this link.

A stay at GlenMyu Estate to meet the rescue dogs and so much more.

At GlenMyu Estate we have 3 guest bedrooms nestled in the 5 acres of land.

If you are looking for a different holiday and to meet our rescue dogs please contact us by WhatsApp for our best rates 00 94 752 999 272.

Contact details are also on our website.

Our Rescue Dogs Read More »

Abandoned Puppies

Charity work in Sri Lanka, Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate, Our dogs / By Mikeez

Abandoned Puppies

On Sunday morning (18th September 2022) four abandoned puppies were left at the main gate at Glenmyu Estate.

Our existing pack of seven dogs alerted us to the new arrivals with excited barking and running up and down to the gate.

I was brush cutting at the time, keeping GlenMyu Estate neat and tidy in anticipation of new visitors to enjoy a stay in the hill country.

Eventually I cut the engine on my machine and investigated what the fuss was about.

I had a feeling, as this was a Sunday, that perhaps some puppies had been left on the road

Why Sunday?

Unfortunately since living in the Hill country since 2018 we have found that puppies are dropped off on a Sunday or a Poya (Full Moon) day. I can only surmise that people believe that sympathy and charity will be provided on a “religious” day.

Hoping for 1 or 2 and finding 4!

I was a little taken aback when I discovered four abandoned puppies snuggled up together at our gate! There was only one action to take – call for back up from my wife!

My wife - the Queen of abandoned dogs.

I asked for my wife to come and see the new arrivals and decide what we should do. We are reluctant total on more dogs as we already have seven on the estate.

GlenMyu Estate has five acres for the dogs to roam so realistically we could cater for more.

However, there are several factors why we have decided that seven is a maximum that we should have.

One factor is cost. Feeding seven dogs is expensive and as food prices have risen substantially this is becoming more of an important factor. Dogs in Sri Lanka are mainly ‘rice hounds’ (unless they are a pedigree dog). Their diet is mainly rice with some protein (usually fish or chicken) and some finely chopped vegetables. The cost of rice has more than doubled in the last six months and we buy around 100 kg of rice a month.

Another factor is that dogs are social animals and they need attention. I find it challenging spending enough time with each dog individually during the day and adding more friendly faces would add to this difficulty.

Ticks, fleas and worms

The abandoned puppies were full of fleas, ticks and you could also see from their extended bellies that they had worms. The worms are typically passed through from the mothers milk and needed to be treated as they can be deadly in such small fragile beings.

Our plan with the Abandoned Puppies

Unfortunately we have been through this process on several occasions.

We have lost count of the number of dogs that we have taken in and rehoused since we have been in Beragala.

Ruwanthi cleaned up the puppies, removing ticks and then dusting them with tick and flea powder. The temporary visitors dropped off from the puppies in their numbers.

Some sustainence in form of rice mixed with chicken juice was gobbled up by the hungry four.

A cardboard box with some fabric to provide some warmth would be the puppies temporary home.

Regular meals are needed for puppies at this age so that they get a good healthy start in life.

Worm treatment was a priority so I made a trip to the pharmacy in Beragala to buy some liquid worm treatment for the puppies.

Ruwanthi administered the medicine that evening and we were presented with the results in the morning. Not a pretty sight and to clean however it was a very important task that had to be completed.

Vitamins and minerals

To support that good start in life we provide vitamin liquid to provide the puppies with the best chance of survival and to become strong enough to survive life in the tropics.

A trip to the vet

We will take the puppies to the vet to get them checked out and some advice on what we need to do going forward. There will be vaccinations for rabies, parvo and DHL to come when the puppies are old enough.

Parvo is a contagious virus which mainly affects dogs. It is spread from dog to dog, directly or indirectly through contact with their faces.

Vaccines can prevent infection and mortality can reach 91% in untreated cases.

DHL is active immunisation against a Canine Distemper virus. It is required for puppies beginning at 6-8 weeks old, boosted twice at 3 week intervals and then a year later.

Abandoned Puppies on YouTube and Instagram

I decided that I would record our journey with the 4 new puppies as it would be of interest to dog lovers around the world.

You can see my videos at the following links.

GlenMyu Estate - YouTube Channel

D'Dogz Adventures of the Magnificent Seven Dogs - YouTube Channel

By Staying at GlenMyu Estate you can help abandoned puppies.

We use some of the surplus income we make at GlenMyu Estate to fund the costs of our wonderful street dogs that are resident at the Estate.

We also use funds to support abandoned puppies like these four paying for their food, medicine, vaccinations and vet bills.

We also have funded a spaying a neutering program locally helping those villagers who cannot afford the money to operate on their dogs to control the street dog population.

Find out more about GlenMyu Estate

To find out more about a stay in the Sri Lanka Hill Country at GlenMyu Estate please visit our website by clicking on the following link below.

Abandoned Puppies Read More »

Joined by one of the dogs on the balcony

How did I get here?

Birds, Holiday, Our dogs, Sri Lanka / By Mikeez

I sit on the balcony and just wonder “how did I end up here?”

It is a December morning with Christmas fast approaching.

About an hour ago I was woken up by the early morning light that washes over hills below our bedroom window which has a view towards the Southern coast of this Paradise Island.

My balcony sits below a glorious Sri Lankan Fig Tree which is bathed in a kaleidoscope of light.

Music is provided freely by the winged visitors that whistle, tweet and call to each other appearing to be saying “Good morning World!”.

My peaceful start is disturbed by three of my four legged friends that want to join the party.

Mans, and my best friends, are acknowledged by a gentle pat on their heads and then they settle at the balcony end to also enjoy the view.

I look at my temperature gauge and smile as I see the digits twenty three point nine degrees celsius.

Not many years ago I would be fighting my way through the throng of London’s Underground network targeting arriving in the office on time.

I would be wrapped up tightly to ward off the icy blasts of that the European Winter would throw at me.

Approaching the box that would be my coffin for the coming eight or so, hours I automatically pick up a generic coffee which is encased in a ,less than environmentally friendly, disposable cup and my blood pressure would eventually settle after being tormented on the start to a traumatic day.

My coffee today has been picked from the Estate, processed and roasted on a skillet over an open fire. Bean to cup has travelled about two hundred metres.

However I got here, I am just thankful.

To experience a relaxing morning listening to birdsong and being surrounded by a blanket of green come to the beautiful Sri Lankan Hill Country and spend some deserved vacation at GlenMyu Estate, Hotel and Bed & Breakfast, Haputale, Sri Lanka.

Please click on the following link to find out more details.

How did I get here? Read More »

A dog called Clove and a Clove Tree Orchard.

Holiday, Our dogs, The Organic Garden at GlenMyu / By Mikeez

A story of the rescue dogs we have at GlenMyu Resort and Hotel, Haputale, Sri Lanka.

A dog called Clove and a Clove Tree Orchard.

Cloves remind me of both Christmas and skiing in Europe.

Oranges peppered with cloves sunk in gallons of red wine and brandy on the stove creating an intoxicating beverage on a chilly December day just gives me a glowing warming comfortable feeling.

This perfect combination is something to look forward to as the temperatures dive towards the end of the year.

It’s not a drink for Sri Lanka, apart from maybe Nuwara-Eliya, as it just doesn’t get cold enough here to do justice to this delicious beverage.

What are Cloves?

Cloves are the flower buds of the clove tree which is a tropical evergreen tree known as Myrtaceae Syzygium aromatic.

The trees are native to the Moluccus Islands, or Spice Islands in Indonesia.

Cloves have a strong aroma and a hot, pungent taste. They are used to flavour many foods and in particular meat and bakery products. It is used in Europe to flavour Christmas foods such as …… hence my picture of Christmas when I smell the aroma of cloves.

Indonesia is still the worlds largest producer of cloves followed by Madagascar, Tanzania and Sri Lanka.

An accident or fate? - How we met Clove and she found a place in our hearts

Early on during the build of the main house on GlenMyu Estate we were made aware that some of the construction workers were feeding some abandoned puppies near our gate entrance. Once of the three foundlings had already dies and there were two black waifs struggling to survive. My wife Ruwanthi went up to investigate and brought the starving creatures down to the garage.

My parents had always had dogs when I was growing up and Ruwanthi was the same however, we had not considered having any animals ourselves. We both had worked long hours in the UK and it would not have worked for us and we would not have been able to provide the care for the animals so the thought had not entered our minds.

Our small Clove Orchard

The agricultural department supplied us with around thirty trees which we planted in an area where they would get sufficient shade for them to survive during the warmer months from mid June to mid September.

Our worker dug some rather large holes before planting however as the land is very rocky it was important to provide the trees with the ability to establish their roots without too many obstacles.

Once planted they looked a bit lost as they were so small however, as we have learnt over the last few years, they require sufficient space when they are established to thrive.

Early on I planted lots of coleus around the saplings which gave them a bit of shade when needed and a bit of colour in the developing orchard.

It has taken a lot of work initially watering, clearing around the trees and occasionally feeding with organic compost made on the estate. I patiently inspected them over the months hoping that they would change from waif like twigs into something that resembles a proper tree.

In the last few months however they really appear to have got going and hopefully it will not be too long until we are ready for our first harvest.

Clove and Cinnamon were destined to become part of our family

Our outlook on not having dogs soon changed as both Clove and her sister Cinnamon became embedded into our daily life.

After the initial continual feeding, trips to the vet, injections, skin treatments and so on they became lots of fun and something both Ruwanthi looked forward to waking up to.

Unfortunately Cinnamon did not survive, which broke our hearts, and we were left with Clove who became an important member of our family.

Clove is such a lovely dog, who is so friendly with everyone it is difficult for her not to melt your heart.

Cooking with Cloves

What are Cloves used for in Sri Lankan cooking?

Clove recipes

Come to GlenMyu Estate and see what other trees, fruits and vegetables we are growing

We were lucky enough to have some established trees on the five acre Estate and we have continued to plant more trees and other plants as we have developed the land.

We have an organic garden which provides the staples to lots of the items we serve on our menu. We are also developing Plant Based, Vegetarian and Vegan Menus as an offering for guests who stay at the Estate.

There are three king size on suite bedrooms for guests which all have superb views of the hills below.

A natural spring fed swimming pool is available for the use for guests and is a great place to have a refreshing swim or just hang out listening to the nature that passes by.

Please visit our website https://resortglenmyu.com for further details or contact Ruwanthi by WhatsApp.

We hope that you come an enjoy our little part of paradise and watch it grow.

Where we are located.

Can I bring my own dog to GlenMyu Estate?

We love dogs, however, as GlenMyu Estate is home to seven dogs we do not permit guests to bring their pets.

We believe that the risk, however small., would be too much and both the guests and ourselves would not be able to enjoy your stay as we would be concerned about your pet and ours.

A dog called Clove and a Clove Tree Orchard. Read More »