Rescue,Love,Save-1000's of Suffering Animals.India

Dear People...Dear Animal Lovers...Dear Supporters...

Namaste'. I  bow to your Innermost Selves.

My Guru...my teacher...many, many years ago during his lifetime, would give a short teaching each night. Many people would come. And he'd always begin with, "I welcome you All with all my Heart. This is my  most important Practice...Welcoming another Being with love."

I'm really old now. This is my last lap. And what a blessing it has been for me.  It isn't often in one's life that they get a chance to be involved in something that lifts so much suffering. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

These are such extraordinarily intense times...But there  appears to be some Light...a softening...a subtle increase in compassionate energy...May we, and all our Dear Ones, be Guided and Protected.

This is a very special Report about a major rescue effort we made to lift suffering from 20 precious dogs...a Report in which we put forth focused effort with Pure Motivation to "lighten the load," to infuse Light, Joy, and Hope. This is a Report about Heart and its healing power.

It's late evening here as I write. My dogs are quiet and resting on their pillows. My cats are probably curled up somewhere. The overhead fan is whirring. And you can feel the approaching  Hot Season.

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Every once in a while we get involved in something that requires unbounded effort, and lifts an incredible amount of suffering from the animals. These last two months one of those special things happened. As I saw it unfolding, I realized how exceptional, love-filled and powerful it was. And I was so pleased with My People.

This outstanding rescue effort was made on behalf of an "unauthorized shelter" in Pondicherry run by a lady named Helen Chitra. It involved two distinct major rescue efforts.

• One involved her shelter being overrun by ticks.
• The other, and by far the greater effort, involved rescuing her dogs and puppies that were in imminent danger of drowning due to flooding caused by cyclone Nivar.
• Each involved a deep, deep total effort.

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TICKS:

Wed. Nov.18th.  We received a call from Helen.

• She was frantically distressed, and said her shelter was overrun by tens of thousands of ticks, and that no one would help her.
• She asked that we permanently take her dogs - 20 dogs/4 puppies. I told her we couldn't do that, but that we could swiftly help her resolve the problem.
• She told me she wanted me to take them, and then commit suicide. Alarmed, I told her I would call back in ten minutes.
• I had hurried discussions with Dr. Raja and Vishwa. Compounding the problem was that her shelter was 2 to 2 1/2 hours away by car. But we were able to craft a plan.
• I called her back and told her:
• (A) Dr. Raja was ordering a costly "cutting edge" medicine  (13,000 rupees--we'd pay) in Chennai that she'd receive in two days (Fri.Nov.20th). It was a very advanced medicine. One dose in pill form for each dog and puppy would magically take care of all the ticks on the animals. No medicated baths were required.
• (B) The decontamination of her shelter was more complicated. Two were needed, each requiring a flame gun, a special solution, a spray, and several staff. But they would definitively resolve the situation. And she needn't do anything. Vishwa would come with Staff, equipment, and supplies to do it.
• (C) Dr. Raja also called, and told her tick fever was not life-threatening, and highly treatable. He told her to give all the dogs Doxycycline pills daily. It would be a treatment for those having tick fever, and operate as a prophylactic for those not having it.

Mon.Nov.23rd. Vishwa did the first decontamination. With two staff, he left Tiru at 7am. They arrived at Helen's shelter at 9:30am. It took 6 hours (9:30am to 3:30pm) to decontaminate. (Vishwa confirmed there were tens of thousands of ticks.)

The second and final decontamination that would totally resolve the situation was set for Fri.Nov.27th.

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BUT!!!!!!         

On Thurs. Nov.26th, the day before Vishwa was to do the final decontamination, desperate for help, Helen called at 4pm, and told us......CYCLONE NIVAR HAD CAUSED FLOODING IN HER SHELTER OF UP TO 5 FEET.....ONE DOG HAD ALREADY DROWNED, AND THE OTHERS WERE THREATENED.

• Time was incredibly short. She called at the last-minute, and it was already late in the day. Vishwa, however, was able to get five Staff who could work throughout the night. And with the large ambulance and a car, they left Tiru before 5pm. But they still didn't get there until after nightfall.
• It took 2 1/2 hours...in the darkness...wading thru two to five feet of water to rescue the terrified creatures, and get them loaded into the vehicles. But they managed to save all twenty! Bless you Vishwa...Bless you Dear Ones...Om Namah Shivaya!
• They didn't get back to Tiru until midnight. Everyone was exhausted. And no one realized the terrible condition the Precious Ones were in until they were unloaded in our Shelter.
  
• Their ribs were protruding. Their stomachs were sunken in. And they were emotionally broken. It was clear they had been suffering deeply for a long time.
• Five of our Staff stayed with them throughout the night...nursing them...feeding them. Loving them. Talking to them.

Dr. Raja gave them thorough examinations in the morning. All, without exception, were very, very weak. Several were in life-threatening condition. A number had tick fever.

We put two caretakers on them around the clock...our very best. Stroking. Loving. Kissing. Feeding. Reassuring.

We also prepared a special area for the poor babes within our compound walls while they healed. It was separate from the main Shelter and consisted of two large adjacent retaining cages, 15 by 20 feet--one for the 5 younger dogs(puppies); the other for the 10 adult dogs. And there were two aggressive dogs that were cared for separately. (We initially had 20 dogs, but we lost three in the first week. One pup was attacked by an older dot, and two basically died thru weakness. We simply weren't able to save them.) We also had an area outside the cages in which they could run around and lounge.

Food:

Food was initially available 24 hours a day. Special food: eggs, milk, fruit, Pedigree, dal, and a multi-vitamin syrup. We included a strong ayurvedic immune system booster in their food, and a homeopathic Bach Flower remedy in their water that works directly in healing the emotions. There was also an ayurvedic potion in the food that heals the emotions.

Our dogs are fed twice daily. After the point where their weight and energy were fully restored, and they did only little nibbling throughout the day, the new dogs were moved to that schedule.

They healed and did beautifully. Their healing and recovery in our care was stunning. It shows the Power of Love. We wanted to keep them. But Maneka Gandhi, one of the most influential and best-known animal activists insisted on them being returned to Helen, and she has taken full responsibility for overseeing their care.

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Each of the below links will take you to a short video...(ALERT: TO GET BACK TO THE REPORT AFTER WATCHING A VIDEO, YOU HAVE TO CLOSE THE LINK!!!!) One video was taken the first night and shows the condition of the Precious Ones when they were rescued. The other was taken after they had been in our care for six weeks. The improvement is truly stunning. They don't even look like the same dogs. (The second video will lift your Hearts!)

https://youtu.be/_sxazzwd_Wo

https://youtu.be/yus9Uz1dxMM

May they, going forward, be loved and well taken care of...May they have beautiful lives...Please...Say a prayer for them...Om Namah Shivaya.

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Many of you most enjoy the short rescue stories I write about. Here are some recent ones that our beloved Vishwa has just given me.

• We got a 5pm call from the bus station. A monkey had gotten an electric shock and couldn't move. Pandi and Dharma went out. The poor babe was unconscious on the side of the road opposite the bus station. He was a 6yr.old male. They bought him in. Dr. Raja gave him an i.v., a painkiller and antibiotics, and treated the burn wounds on his legs and arms. In about two hours he started gaining consciousness. It was about 8pm and Ravi, on the nightshift, lovingly took over. He put him in a small, padded cage in isolation, and gave him little chunks of apples, bananas, and grapes, gently stroking, and reassuring him. After two days our new monkey was moved into the large monkey cage upstairs. He made friends with a female monkey, and they would sit together, touching a little. After three weeks they were released together on Pradakshina Road, a really lovely area. They were very, very happy to be free, and immediately ran together into the forest...Om Namah Shivaya...Be happy, Precious Ones.
• An 11am call from the railway station. A young, small dog had been attacked by several other dogs. She was hurt. Dharma and Prem went out. The sweetie was a female, about 2 years old. She had deep bite wounds on her neck and back, and was not able to move. She knew she was being rescued and was very glad to see Dharma and Prem. They took her to the Shelter.  Dr. Raja gave her an i.v. with a painkiller and antibiotics. He also started a regimen of anti-rabies vaccine, and treated her wounds. She was put under the loving care of Purehearts Sekar and Supervisor Raja. She bonded with them right away. (Who wouldn't?) There were three other dogs who affectionately accepted her straight away. They lay next to each other and played, some, throughout the day. At the writing of this Report, we've had her for a month, and she's now on the veranda playing a lot. Vishwa will first try to release her into her territory. If she doesn't do well, she's white and very beautiful, and he'll find a good home for her.

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The feeling inside the Shelter is simply uplifting. It is not something that can be contrived. It just is. The Precious Ones feel safe, content, and are happy. The Staff are connected with each other through the Heart. Visiting animal lovers are deeply moved...We are so, so pleased the way everything has unfolded.

The relationship between the people and the homeless animals on the streets is now also very good. It was awful when we first opened in 2007. There were 350 suffering and dying animals on the streets...unbounded suffering... widespread abuse. This is no more. We have 40 to 80 emergency rescues a month. When an animal is in need,  people move to help them and call us.

The Peoples' Hearts have truly opened to the animals. And this is so auspicious! When the Heart opens, it doesn't only open in one direction. It simply opens, and people are nicer to each other, too. It's profoundly there. You can't see it, but it's there. The societal implications for this are immense...

We humans are so complicated. It's so difficult to work with us directly to get us to be nicer to each other. It's so much easier, and more effective, to work on opening our Hearts to the animals, and thereby deepening the compassion we have for each other. It's a real, effective way, of uplifting communities...Om Namah Shivaya.

This brings us to the end of the Report.

I'm hoping that each of you is doing excellently in these most difficult of times.

As in previous Reports, I've included a collection of photos. Hope you enjoy them. The overall theme is love.

ALSO...At the beginning, I've included several photos of Helen's dogs so you can see the power of loving care in uplifting them. Two of the photos were taken the first night they were rescued. And two of the photos were taken after they had been in our care for six weeks.

Say a prayer for us All...For our beloved World...That we be healed...That we be Blessed, Guided, and Protected.

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PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS!

THE PRECIOUS ONES NEED US...AND WE NEED YOU!

PLEASE...DIG DEEPLY...AND GIVE GENEROUSLY.

RECURRING DONATIONS, EVEN MODEST ONES, ARE BEST FOR US. THEY GIVE US STABILITY.

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With love, blessings, and wishes for all things good...May we All, each of us, do actions that emit uplifting, healing energy. These are difficult times for our beloved Planet...and each of us can help in a major way.                        

Leslie, The Ageing Expatriate Warrior

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Links:

• Interview of Leslie-3 1/2 minutes.
• Really, really good video-Hridayam-8 1/2 minutes.
• Henri Jolicoeur-Interview of Leslie-15 minutes.

Dear People... Dear Animal Lovers... Dear Supporters...

Namaste'. I bow to your Inner-most Selves.

Such incredibly intense times...May All of Us, no exceptions, be blessed with more compassionate understanding. May we, and all our Dear Ones, be Guided and Protected.

This is a Report about lifting suffering...about infusing Light, Joy, and a sense of Well-being into the Community. This is a Report about Heart. About its healing power.

It's afternoon here as I write. I'm in a lovely, lovely restaurant called the Dreaming Tree. It's not very far from our beloved Shelter. Most at the Shelter are now at lunch...Vishwa, Dr. Raja, Dr. Ramakrishna, Dr. Heera, Supervisor Raja, Our devoted Staff... And dear, dear Sugana.

The doctors will be back for our afternoon Clinic. We, all of us, understand the admonition given to me by my Guru many, many years ago..."that the physician heals with the Heart". So love, tenderness, and caring infuses the treatment of all the creatures brought to us. As a doctor is treating one of our Precious Creatures, there is also a Staff person present--touching, stroking, reassuring--just to help the creature feel safe. Without the quiet "love/caring" emitted by the doctor...and the reassurance and touching by the Staff...it can be very scary. Being bathed in that energy helps open the creature's body and Heart to the examination and treatment.

There was so much suffering when we first opened fifteen years ago: Over 7,000 homeless dogs. The stray population was out of control. There was no small animal vet within 75 kms. No treatment facility. Rabies. And widespread abuse... There was unbounded misery: 350 suffering and dying animals on the streets--mostly dogs and puppies, but others too (monkeys, cows, squirrels, peacocks, horses, goats...) It was awful!

But using love, love, and more love...everything has been transformed. We have seven major programs:

• A sterilization/anti-rabies program. (We do 75 to 125 operations a month.)
  
• A busy, busy Clinic. (We have 400 to 800 visits every month.)
• A hospital.
• Sanctuary. If a creature cannot make it on its own. (Between the hospital and sanctuary, we have from 200 to 250 creatures in-house at any one time.)
• Adoption program. We have trained students going out up to 100 kms looking for homes for our Precious Ones... We have placed over 1,300 puppies in good homes.
• 24/7 emergency rescue. No matter what time, if it's in town we'll be there in 20 to 30 minutes. Sometimes it involves a creature in distress that is 100 to 150 kms out. Our doctors are on 24-hour call. And we have 40 to 80 creatures coming to us a month thru emergencies.
• Hospice. We are a "no-kill" shelter. If an animal is on the last stretch, we give love, caring, stroking, and protection from pain...They are snuggled by puppies. Kept company by dogs lying alongside. And chants are playing continuously... They are put on a Tibetan Buddhist Red Tara prayer list when they pass. Protective and guiding energy is sent to them for 49 days. Red Tara is the Tibetan Buddhist Goddess of Compassion...Om Namah Shivaya.
  

Today it is different!  The homeless dog population is decreasing for the first time in forty years, AND it is rabies-free. There are no more suffering and dying animals on the streets. There are 10,000 fewer puppies born each year, almost all of whom would have suffered and died. There is no more widespread abuse, and thus few aggressive dogs, and only a small fraction of dog bites.

The Community's Heart has opened to the Precious Ones. The relationship between them and the people with whom they live day in, day out, has profoundly transformed. And that is the way to truly uplift the quality of their lives...You can experience it as you walk on the street...AND, it gets better and better every year. I think that there is no other community of size in the Nation where the relationship between the animals and the people is so good. Om Namah Shivaya.

When I'm speaking to the Staff, I tell them how important our Work is. How our efforts have not only affected the animal population, but the human population too... For when the Heart opens, it doesn't only open in "one direction", it simply opens more. And tho' you can't see it, people are being nicer to each other, also.

This is a way of uplifting a whole community. It's so difficult to deal directly with us humans to get us to be nicer to one another. We're so complicated. It's so much easier to get us to open our Hearts to the animals, and thru that, to be kinder to each other...Om Namah Shivaya.

Compassion isn't as elusive as we think. The Tibetan Buddhists have practices to deepen one's compassion. When I was first exposed to them, I thought they just wouldn't do anything. My feeling was that one is either compassionate, or not compassionate. But the practices actually worked, and they did deepen my compassion... I remember speaking to one of our doctors a number of years ago whom I felt could benefit. I told him/her to act as tho' they had a lot of compassion for the animal (and for the people), and that in doing this compassion would come... People exposed to people who are moving compassionately are moved by it. It reaches their Hearts, and affects the way they are. We all affect one another...thru interconnectedness.

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I worry about Vishwa sometimes. He puts in unbounded effort, even when he's depleted. It's not unusual for him to go 100 kms at 2am to rescue a baby monkey at the side of the road, or to descend into a 60 foot well in the middle of night to rescue a creature that is trapped and injured.

Here are some recent happenings which many of you tell us you really like.

The first is the story of the rescue of a baby goat that deeply moved me. I want to share it with you in more detail than usual.

• It was 6pm, getting dark, and Vishwa was 25 kms out, returning from just placing a puppy in his new adopted home. He passed a baby goat lying lifelessly on the side of the road. He stopped the car to bury him, but when he got close, saw there was a shallow breath. The creature's stomach was sunken in and he was starving. The poor babe was only 1 1/2 months old.
• Vishwa gently stroked, kissed, and whispered to him as he picked him up. He took him to his house and snuggled him on his lap as he gave him a 100 ml nippled bottle of "room temperature boiled milk". The poor sweetie wasn't afraid and started drinking right away. He was too weak to move at the beginning, but enough energy remained to really drink...and he finished three bottles. After the milk, he was able to pick up his head and nestle into Vishwa's tummy.
• Vishwa called Dr. Raja at the Shelter, who sent some pills for the babe, I think primarily for energy and deworming. (The following morning, he had a full blood panel done.)
• Vishwa spread a padded bedsheet on the floor and lay down next to the little one and the two cuddled together with Vishwa's arm around him. About 9:30 or 10pm the sweetie took two more bottles of milk. Vishwa slept with him throughout the night. Whenever the babe woke up Vishwa would stroke him and softly whisper, "You're safe, sweetie. Don't worry. I'm going to take care of you...and you're not going to die."
• Vishwa had two other goats about the same age--a boy and a girl. Now, in the mornings, the three of them go out foraging...and when they come back, they steal Google's food. (Google is Vishwa's giant bull that he rescued a year ago.) But Google loves them, and lets them do it. Sometimes they play by running under and around him.
• In another two or three months, Vishwa will find a good home for them where they will live out a natural life. 
• Om Namah Shivaya.

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• We got a 5:30pm call from one of the "adoption guys". There was a dog with a ten inch wound on his back that had become infested with thousands of maggots. It smelled awful. Vishwa and Arunagiri went in the car. The dog was fast, and it took a half hour to catch him. Dr. Raja gave him a painkiller, and anti-biotic injections. It took him three days to completely clean the maggot wound. This boy has been with us for two weeks at the writing of this note. He's in cage 4, convalescing. His energy is good. Pandi has been treating and feeding him, and the babe has come to love him. He'll be released back into his territory soon. It's a good area...Om Namah Shivaya.

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• Noon call from the railway station. A dog hit by a two-wheeler. Pandi and Seenu went out. The poor babe was only two years old. She had a seriously mangled back leg. She also had a bad spinal wound. Dr. Raja operated. He couldn't save the leg, but she still had feelings in her back behind the spinal wound. So they were able to bring her all the way back. After a week she started to stand, and then in a few more days, started walking... She made two dog friends on the veranda. They sleep and eat together, wander and play together. And they lay side by side. They mostly like our old office room which is almost like a closet. Sekar, Supervisor Raja, and Anu all bonded with them. (Anu secretly gets special food for them--boiled eggs and gravy. She thinks no one knows.) They'll have a good life. Om Namah Shivaya.
  

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It feels so good inside our beloved Shelter. It's not something that can be arranged or structured thru practices, schedules, rules, and so on...

It isn't an atmostphere that is contrived, with everyone being "nicey, nice"...The relationships between the Staff and with those overseeing things is close and real. The animals are cared for in real ways. Everyone does it differently, according to their own essence. They aren't doing it as they were told to do it. It's REAL, and the animals know that, are a part of it, and feel safe and secure. They have choices. They have lives. They're not just in captivity with people "being nice to them"... You really have to experience it. I've mentioned to you that sometimes animal lovers coming for the first time get teary because they didn't know a place such as ours existed.

What a blessing this has been for me. Rarely, in life, do you have a chance to be involved in something that lifts so much suffering.

Dr. Raja...Vishwa...Such incredible Beings sent to do this Work... (In another Report I'll talk about Dr. Raja. Thousands of people love that man. Sometimes, joking around, I look at him, shake my head, and say I don't understand it.) But the two of them, who were my students for the first 7 or 8 years, are no longer my students. They are running the Shelter...and have taken it beyond where I could have gotten it, even in my prime... As you might expect, sometimes I feel inadequate!!! Om Namah Shivaya.

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Our stats since opening in 2007 to the present are:

• Clinic Visits...............................  64,454
• In-patient Treatments................185,336
• Emergency Rescues.................    7,105
• Dogs Sterilized.........................    8,320
• Anti-rabies Injections................  18,354
• Animal Adoptions.....................    1,277
• Other Animals Treated..............    6,895
• "Other Animals Treated" includes: (2,064 cow & calves,1,805 goats/sheep,1,129 cats,1,064 birds, 234 rabbits, 233 monkeys / 114 horses/pigs/squirrels/peacocks/eagles/parrots/bullocks/deer / snakes/turkeys/ducks/chickens/mongoose/chameleons/turtles)

Sometimes it's stunning for me to see the stats...But the most important thing is HEART...HEART...HEART. It really is uplifting to experience it inside the Shelter, and it feels so good to see, on the streets, how the Precious Ones' lives have changed.

We are so grateful the way it has unfolded...We pray, and it is so important to millions of animals across the country...that the knowledge that has been given to us spreads...and that their relationships with the people they live with, day in, day out, may be transformed.

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This brings us to the end of the Report.

I'm hoping that each of you is doing excellently.

These are such difficult times we're going thru. Let us remember, it's important for us to connect with the Light inside. And equally important to put that energy into the World.

May we all be unfolding. May we all be getting more and more space inside. May we all be getting closer to our own Hearts.

As in previous reports, I've included a collection of photos. Hoping you enjoy them. The overall theme is Love...

Say a prayer for us All...For our beloved World...That we be healed...That we be Blessed, Guided, and Protected.

=========================== 

PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.

THE PRECIOUS ONES NEED US...AND WE NEED YOU!

PLEASE...DIG DEEPLY...AND GIVE GENEROUSLY.

RECURRING DONATIONS, EVEN MODEST ONES, ARE BEST FOR US. THEY GIVE US STABILITY.

===========================

With love, blessings, and wishes for all things good...May we All, each of us, do actions that emit uplifting, healing energy. These are difficult times for our beloved Planet...and each of us can help in a major way....                          Leslie, The Ageing Expatriate Warrior

===========================

Links:

• Interview of Leslie-3 1/2 minutes.
• Really, really good video-Hridayam-8 1/2 minutes.
• Henri Jolicoeur-Interview of Leslie-15 minutes.

Dear People... Dear Animal Lovers... Dear Supporters...

From my Heart to your Heart... Difficult, difficult times for our beloved Planet. We are being critical of each other. The issues are many...This is such an important time. No matter what's being debated. Having nothing to do with what's happening on the outside. We must uplift our Inner State...It's a time for healing. For lightening. We must reach inside ourselves...For Light...For Joy...For caring...For love...We really do need each other. We need support. We need Light.

Shantideva, a 7th Century Buddhist Master said, "All the joy the world contains has come through wishing happiness for others... All the misery the world contains has come through wanting pleasure for oneself."........One of the great 20th century Masters whose entire life was an offering to others said, "I have shown the methods that lead to inner liberation...but you should know that liberation depends upon yourself."

There is so much Light within us--memories, thoughts, feelings. This is a time to connect with those "Heart things", and feelings thereby uplifting ourselves...AND to project that energy outwards. It depends upon us. Thru "interconnectedness", the energy we exude affects those we come in contact with. And they, in turn, pass it on to those they come in contact with. And on and on. We are all connected and affecting each other. This is the time to look for Light inside, and to project it out...It is so, so important. All good actions/energies are immeasurably transferred.

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A very beautiful thing happened with the homeless animals and people in Tiruvannamalai during the pandemic lockdown, which was country-wide.

All the provision and snack stands where the homeless dogs would normally get food were closed...and there were few, few people on the streets from whom the dogs also normally get food. I was really concerned about the Precious Ones going hungry. It's the "hot season," too, so I was also concerned about them having sources for water.

Elaine, who was with us for several years, is now beautifully caring for animals in Mamalapuram. The lockdown was throughout India, so she was faced with the same situation. That normal food sources were no longer there, was a real crisis for her. The animals were going hungry. So she and two other ladies have been spending three hours a day feeding 100 to 200 homeless dogs. (They are also feeding hungry cows.)

But here in Tiru, there are 7,000 homeless dogs, a number of wandering cows, and many, many monkeys. The possibility of having to feed them is almost overwhelming. Repeating...I was really, really concerned.

Vishwa has been going around the Municipality periodically to see how things are. And miracle of miracles, there is no problem here!  All the creatures are okay.

This is a manifestation of the transformed relationship between the dogs and the people amongst whom they live, day in, day out. We knew this relationship had been totally transformed, that the Community's Heart had opened to the Precious Ones, and that it was very, very good.  (Not only for dogs...but for all animals--cows, monkeys, goats, and so on.) And we knew this relationship existed here in Tiru like in no other municipality of this size in India. And it gets better and better each year...What happened here with the lockdown is that the people were aware of the Precious Ones' predicament and the possibility that they could starve, and they have been finding ways to get food to them and are also making water available.

Bless them. Bless them. Bless them...Om Namah Shivaya.

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Concerning coronavirus, the Tiru Municipality is slowly opening. Thank God, the impact of the virus is not overwhelming here. Our beloved Vishwa, though, was exposed to a neighbor who had just returned from Bangalore and tested positive, so Vishwa has just gone thru a 15 day quarantine. Otherwise, everyone else in the Shelter is clear. Thru Supervisor Raja, Vishwa was able to oversee the operation of the Shelter from home.

The real danger to the Shelter, though, is the possibility that someone on our Staff tested positive for coronavirus, with the Municipality overreacting and requiring the entire Staff to do a 15 day quarantine. That would leave no one to care for our Precious Ones and would really be bad. To minimize the risk of this happening, Vishwa divided the Staff into two sections. These sections work alternately for two week stretches. If one were quarantined completely, the other would still be free to work...And if it so happened that both were quarantined, Vishwa has a skeleton crew of individuals who would live in the Shelter until our regular Staff were free.

I'm  comfortable with the steps we've taken operationally. What I'm concerned about is the financial impact of the pandemic on our donations going forward. Please say a prayer for us...And if you can interest new people in supporting our beloved Shelter, please do! This is a time of need.

Love, Leslie

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The energy inside our beloved Shelter feels s-o-o-o good. Our Precious Ones still feel safe, cared for, and loved....AND are happy. Vishwa says that our Staff, too, is really "Up"....Thank God for our two pillars who are running the Shelter -- Dr. Raja and Vishwa. And thank God, too, for Drs. Heera and Ramakrishna, and our devoted Staff.

It's been another busy quarter. The stats for March, April, and May are:

• Clinic.....................................1,372
• In-patient Treatments..........6,960      
  
• Emergency Rescues...............164
• Dogs Sterilized..........................33
• Anti-rabies Injections..............218
• Animal Adoptions.........................7
• Other Animals Treated............212
• (61 cows & calves, 69 goats & sheep,
•  31 cats, 32 birds, 7 rabbits, 9 horses,
•  2 monkeys, 1 pig)

("Dogs Sterilized" and "Animal Adoptions" are significantly lower than prior quarters because of the lockdown for the pandemic.)

A little note...As mentioned, it's the "hot season" here, and it gets REALLY hot during the day...Vishwa has just finished  a 10 x 12 foot pool, 1 1/2 feet deep, for the dogs. And he is working on a 12 x 16 foot shaded enclosure for cats, away from the dogs.

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The stats are impressive. But that's not the main thing. THE IMPORTANT THING IS HEART! For deep healing...for profound transformation to take place...a creature has to feel safe, cared for, and loved. You can really experience it when you're in the Shelter. Some animal lovers experiencing it for the first time get teary because they didn't know that a place such as this existed.

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Here are some recent Shelter rescues. (Many of you tell us this is your favorite part.)

• An 8:30pm call from a nearby village. A dog had fallen into a well. Vishwa, Pandi, and Kanagaraj went. The well was 50 to 60 feet deep. They lowered Vishwa in with a rope. There was three feet of water and no ledge, so the poor babe was paddling to stay above the waterline. She was three years old. Exhausted. And afraid of Vishwa. And gentle, as she didn't try to bite him. Pandi and Kanagaraj lowered a basket. They brought her topside. She seemed healthy, and had no wounds...just exhausted and afraid. She ran away as soon as they finished examining her. I imagine she was very happy to be free...Om Namah Shivaya.
• A 9:30pm call. A homeless dog had collapsed in front of someone's house and wasn't moving. Vishwa went out. The poor guy was 2 years old. A male. Unconscious...Vishwa called Dr. Raja, who met them at the Shelter. The dog had apparently eaten something that was poisonous. Dr. Raja gave him an i.v. that included antidotes and Neurobion for nutrition. Three hours later, he regained consciousness. Ravi gave him special attention throughout the night. He was given i.v.'s morning and evening for the first five days. He bonded with Ravi and made two dog friends. (They hung out together during the day, and slept together at night.) We kept him for another two weeks, then released him into his territory. The person who had originally called was very fond of him and very happy to see him. And the Precious One was very happy to be released...Om Namah Shivaya.
• A shopowner called about 10pm. A dog had been hit by a vehicle. She was bleeding a lot from the mouth, and her right back leg was injured. Ravi and Venkatesh went out. The babe was 2 years old. She was only moving a little, but not much. Ravi and Venkatesh were able to pick her up and bring her to the Shelter. Dr. Raja met them, and treated her. Her wounds weren't serious, and her leg was not broken. We kept her for two months. She started out on a mattress in the old clinic. She bonded with Ravi, but didn't make any specific dog friends, tho' she was friendly and played during the day. The shop owner who had called loved her. And they were both happy when she was released...Om Namah Shivaya.
• A mechanic called the Shelter about 10am. An "owner dog" was chasing another, had fallen down, and was having difficulty getting back up. Dharma and Prem went out. She was a 4 year old female and was just lying there when they arrived. She seemed to be afraid of everything. Dr. Raja checked her out, and found she was basically okay. He gave her a nutritional i.v. that included something for shock. He also gave her a 7-in-1 injection...We kept her for three hours. Then the owner picked her up.
  
• 9:30am call from a nearby shop owner. A homeless dog  was running around with a wire around one of her legs, which was cutting in deeply. Pandi and Prem went out. She was a year old, and was limping badly. She'd become entwined by the wire from a trap, and tho' the cut was deep, and she probably got it a month ago, it wasn't badly infected. But she was in pain...They snipped the wire off with a wire cutter, and brought her into the Shelter. Dr. Raja treated her. After two days, she was running around and playing. She loved Pandi. She had no dog friends in particular, but she was friendly and enjoyed playing. The shop owner who had called was very fond of her. And she was happily released into her territory several weeks later...Om Namah Shivaya.
• 2am. Vishwa heard two kittens crying outside his house. They were only 3 weeks old, and somone had dumped them under his car. They were weak and anemic. Vishwa kept them at his house. Leslie (his daughter) and Sundari (his wife) cared for them--need I say, with a lot of love an affection. Vishwa found a good home for them after three weeks. They both went into the same home, where there were three children--a 9 year old boy, and two girls, 13 and 14. Vishwa checked back a week later. The family adored the kittens, who were very, very happy...Om Namah Shivaya.
• A 2:30pm call from two foreigners at the backside of Yogi Ram Surat Kumar Ashram. There was a dog with a wire around her right front leg, which she'd got from a trap. The leg was badly infected, and she probably was in pain. Vishwa went out. She was young, 8 or 9 months, and difficult to catch. She ran away as soon as she saw Vishwa....Then Vishwa, Pandi, and Prem all went out several times and still couldn't catch her. Finally, on the fifth day, late at night, the three of them ran her down. (It took a half hour.) Dr. Raja treated her. She bonded with Pandi and Supervisor Raja and was generally happy.  We kept her a month and then released her into her territory. It was a very good place for dogs and she was very happy to be free...Om Namah Shivaya.

==================

This brings us to the end of the Report.

I'm hoping that each of you is doing excellently.

Remembering....These are such difficult times we're going thru...It's so important for us to connect with the Light inside. And equally important to put that energy out into the World.

May we all be unfolding...May we all be getting more and more space inside...May we all be getting closer to our own Hearts.

May each of us, no exceptions, be blessed with more compassionate understanding...May that understanding spread throughout our troubled World.

As in previous Reports, I've included a collection of photos. Hoping you enjoy them. The overall theme is Love... 

Say a prayer for us All... For our beloved World... May we all be Blessed, Guided,  and Protected.

==================

PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.

THE PRECIOUS ONES NEED US...AND WE NEED YOU!

PLEASE...DIG DEEPLY...AND GIVE GENEROUSLY.

RECURRING DONATIONS, EVEN MODEST ONES, ARE BEST FOR US. THEY GIVE US STABILITY.

==================

With love from All of Us here, Precious Ones included.

Leslie

Links:

• Really, really good video-Hridayam-8 1/2 minutes.
• Interview of Leslie-3 1/2 minutes.
• Leslie's talk at the 13th Anniversary Puja-10 minutes.

Dear Animal Lovers... Dear Supporters... Dear People,

My Guru...my teacher...many, many years ago would always begin his evening talks with, "I welcome you all with all my Heart. This is my most important Practice, welcoming another Being with love."

So many things I learned from him. One of the central things was that it isn't how many people love and appreciate you that is important. The whole world can love you, and if your inner-state isn't good, it doesn't help a lot. What is important is that your own Heart is open to loving and caring. And it is loving and caring for others that is uplifting and gives everything meaning and fills life with joy.

These are difficult times for our beloved Planet. There is so much Dark Energy. We are so critical of each other. We are so involved with our own selves. Compassion and caring are in decline. It is important, especially now, to move towards the light within us, and to move in a way in which we put good energy out. Thru interconnectedness, if we put good energy out that "lightens others", they, in turn, will put lighter energy out that will affect those they encounter, and that in turn sets off an unbounded chain of "good energy". It's so strange to realize that we are all, without being in direct contact, affecting each other.

There was a Great Being called Nisargadatta. I came into contact with him in India about forty years ago...not extensively, just for a few hours one morning. He had written a book called "I Am That," which profoundly affected me. The book is a series of transcripts of exchanges he'd had with people who came from all over the world to meet with him. Most were on the Spiritual Path. But many weren't. He was a Wise Man. And people came to ask him life questions that were important to them. I remember one person from the West (I don't think they were on the Path.) said, "You say that nothing that happens has a cause or causes, but that makes no sense to me. I see almost all happenings around me have very observable causes, What are you talking about?" Nisargadatta's answer to this person was, "Any one thing happens because everything else is the way it is...that in the sense that everything else is really the cause for anything happening, there is no explicit cause."

Om Namah Shivaya... Pretty heavy way to start a Report, huh?!!!

==================================== 

In a lighter mode...JANUARY 10th WAS OUR 13th ANNIVERSARY.

We had a puja (worship ceremony) in the evening with a Brahmin Priest. The whole Staff attended, and we invited several people. It was the most powerful, feeling puja I've experienced in forty years. Truly special. I've included several photos in the photo section.

I also gave a 10 minute impromptu talk which I've included in the "Links" at the end of this Report, after the photos.

====================================

The Shelter has been going beautifully...The most extraordinarily complicated things happen...and always...always...they're handled beautifully. Thank God for our two pillars who are running the Shelter--Dr. Raja and Vishwa. And thank God, too, for Drs. Heera and Ramakrishna, and our devoted Staff.

It's been another busy quarter. The stats for October, November, and December are:

• Clinic......................................1,608
• In-patient Treatments............5,026
• Emergency Rescues................294
• Dogs Sterilized..........................113
• Anti-rabies Injections...............295
• Animal Adoptions.......................33
• Other Animals Treated..............263
• (116 cows & calves, 65 goats & sheep,
• 33 cats, 27 birds, 21 rabbits, 1 horse.)

====================================

And the most incredible thing is that we're truly crowded inside the Shelter. We have less than 1/2 of an acre. And we should have at least 2 acres. Land is very difficult to come by here. We have been looking for suitable acreage for two years.

Even tho' we're crowded, it's stunning how spacious the energy is inside. The vibration is soft and open. If you close your eyes it doesn't feel like an animal shelter at all. Love and spaciousness exude from the air. Our Precious Ones are truly content, happy, and feel loved and cared for. Just the other day we had a group of seven visitors from the UK who spent two hours with us. Their Hearts opened to our Precious Ones and they spent the full time stroking and sharing love.

I mean, these are all territorial creatures. And almost all were homeless street dogs. You'd expect an ongoing riot, with ongoing fights, and intensity. You'd expect aggression towards visitors. It borders on the miraculous how good it feels inside, and how affectionate the Precious Ones are with people.

The stats are impressive. But that's not the main thing. The IMPORTANT THING IS HEART. For deep healing...for profound transformations to take place...a creature has to feel safe and cared for.

====================================

In the last Report, I wrote about Vishwa, one of our two pillars. This Report focuses on Dr. Raja, our other pillar, and the regimen of medicine that has unfolded under him.

I sometimes call him Schweitzer, after the famous Nobel laureate philanthropist, Dr. Albert Schweitzer.

We've been together, he and I, pretty much from the beginning.

One of his most profound qualities is his deep silence. It seems fathomless. When people relate to him, there's no window-dressing of created personality. He relates from the quietness of his own being in a way that you know is real and true. Thousands of people love this man. And for me, when I go off the deep end, I use him as a tuning fork of sanity.

In the earlier years, if I'd include him in meetings with government officials, I'd keep him off to the side. But then, as he got his "sea legs", I started moving him front and center. People instinctively open to and trust this man when he talks to them. You simply know there's no judgment, no duplicity. One really opens.

We have three veterinary doctors. They're solid clinicians, and each is an accredited capable surgeon. But in this Report, I'm simply focusing on our beloved Dr. Raja.

We are actually known as a Center for Healing. Dr. Raja is our Director of Veterinary Medicine. He was one of the top students at the Madras Veterinary College and has post graduate work in surgery.

Many owners come from as much as 150 kms away to have him treat their creatures.

Of the 60,000 clinic visits, he has handled at least 25,000 of them, and overseen almost all the difficult cases. Of the 6,000 animals other than dogs we have treated, he has treated most of them (cats, birds, cows and calves, goats, squirrels, snakes, eagles, horses, mongooses, turkeys...and on and on). He is one of the most experienced clinicians within 150 kms.

He is also believed to be one of the very best surgeons. He performs some operations that other surgeons would not even attempt. The Government Veterinary Hospital has him do all their serious cases. The Forest Department brings all their serious cases to him. Students from the Madras Veterinary College sometimes come to observe him. Three weeks ago, the main cow expert (whom we consult on difficult cases) from the Government Veterinary Hospital ran into a life-threatening situation while delivering a calf at Ramana Ashram. He called Dr. Raja in. It was an operation few surgeons would even attempt. It lasted four hours. The cow had a fifty percent chance of surviving but survive she did.

If Dr. Raja's knowledge on any particular case is lacking, we have a backup of experts and specialists he consults. In India: A top clinician in Puna, experts at both the Madras Veterinary College, and the Mumbai Veterinary College, a number of specialists, including a top microbiologist, and others. If Dr. Raja needs additional support, he moves towards the US because they have millions and millions of pets there, and thus have a well-developed system of small animal specialties in their veterinary colleges (India is moving in that direction as the number of pets increases). We have contact with two top veterinary colleges, and the two largest research centers. Our contacts include a group of eight specialists that have an oncologist, an anaesthesiologist, a small animal specialist, and an internal medicine specialist..

As an aside, a number of years ago the painkiller used in India produced serious side effects, and one had to periodically stop using it to give the body a rest, which was a big problem in controlling the pain continuously. Thru an oncologist in America, Dr. Raja started using a powerful painkiller that could be used continuously and had no side effects. It was  a big breakthrough, but it wasn't adopted for use in India for another 1 1/2 years. Now, it's used generally.

We do go to extreme lengths to heal our Precious Ones!

==================================== 

And here are some recent Shelter happenings that many of you tell us you really like.

• We got a call at 8:30pm: a mother goat had been hit by a bus 13 kms away. The poor soul died while Vishwa was on his way there in the car. The goat had a one day old female babe. Vishwa went back to the owner's house. He couldn't keep the baby, so Vishwa took her to his own house where Sundari, Vishwa's wife, wanted to care for her.....Sundari kept the tiny goat alongside the bed, and fed her cow's milk every 2 or 3 hours, whenever she cried. She held her, stroked her, kissed her, and gently whispered to her throughout the day. In several weeks the babe started sleeping during the night. After a month Sundari added ragi/rice broth and oil cake water to the milk. Sometimes Lakshman, Vishwa's young son, played with the baby. But it was Sundari she loved. They kept her three months, and then found a good home for her where she'd have a full life.
  
• While Vishwa was out 30 kms placing an adoption puppy in a home, he came upon an abandoned pup on the road. He followed him into the forest and found two others; that made two girls and a boy. The poor babes were only three weeks old and starving, skinny, all bones. Vishwa took them to his house where they devoured a bowl of puppy milk...and did so every two or three hours for the first week. Then Cereloc (baby food) was added. After 2 1/2 months,  Vishwa found good homes for them. The boy and one of the girls went to one house, and the other girl to another. Vishwa recently went to check on them. The boy and girl are with a family who have a 9 year old daughter and an 11 year old son. And they adore the pups! The other girl is with an elderly couple, and she's like their daughter... Om Namah Shivaya.
  
• Baby monkey: Ramana Ashram called. A female monkey had been killed by a car shortly after delivering a baby. Pandi went out to get the poor babe and brought him back to Sugana at the Shelter. Sugana is the Mom of the monkeys. The babies have to be fed every two hours around the clock for the first two months. She takes them home and they sleep with her. During the day, she carries them around much of the time in her sari for the first month or two. Then they go into the cage with the other monkeys where they start socializing. This baby was with us for 9 months, and she formed a family group with two other monkeys. They were happy when we released them.
  
• Another baby monkey: We got a call from Rangammal Hospital. There was a baby by a bamboo tree behind the hospital who was starving. His mother had died and he was only 3 or 4 days old. We named him Krishna, and Sugana cared for him. There was a 4 year old female monkey in the Shelter that adopted and cared for Krishna when he was 8 months old. We released both the sweeties, together, and they were happy. Om Namah Shivaya.

==================================== 

This brings us to the end of the Report.

I'm hoping that each of you is doing excellently.

These are such difficult times we're going thru. Let us remember it's important for us to connect with the Light inside. And equally important to put that energy out into the World.

May we all be unfolding... May we all be getting more and more space inside... May we all be getting closer to our own Hearts.

May each of us, no exceptions, be blessed with more compassionate understanding.

As in previous reports, I've included a collection of photos. Hoping you enjoy them. The overall theme is Love...

Say a prayer for us All... For our beloved World... May we be Blessed, Guided, and Protected.

==================================== 

PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.

THE PRECIOUS ONES NEED US...AND WE NEED YOU!

PLEASE...DIG DEEPLY...AND GIVE GENEROUSLY.

RECURRING DONATIONS, EVEN MODEST ONES, ARE BEST FOR US. THEY GIVE US STABILITY.

====================================  

With love from All of Us here, Precious Ones included...Leslie  

Links:

• Leslie's talk at the 13th Anniversary Puja-10 minutes.
• Really, really good video-Hridayam-8 1/2 minutes.
• Interview of Leslie-3 1/2 minutes.

Dear Animal Lovers...Dear Supporters...Dear People,

I welcome you all with love.

My Guru...my Teacher...many, many years ago, during his lifetime, would give a short teaching each night. Many people would come. And he'd always begin with, "I welcome you all with all my Heart. This is my most important Practice. Welcoming another Being with love."

I'm really old now. This is my last lap. And what a blessing it has been for me. It isn't often in one's life that you get a chance to be involved in lifting so much suffering...Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I was sent two Treasures in the earliest stages when we first started the Shelter twelve years ago: Vishwa and Dr. Raja.

Things were going so badly for the animals here. The year was 2006. We opened in 2007, and BEGAN.

Many of you know the story, but for those who don't...I was 70 and solidly on the Spiritual Path, the journey to One's own Heart. I was only intending to stay in Tiru for ten days, and then head for the Himalayas. Three days before I was planning to leave, I heard they were going to start killing the dogs street by street, to "cull the population". They had been doing this for forty years, but the homeless dog population had inexorably grown to over 7000 dogs.

It was a real, real battle. We managed, though, to finally, finally stop all those years of killing...with the agreement that a population control program would be put in place (our responsibility).

Tiru was one of the worst places for animals I'd ever seen. Widespread, visible abuse...beating with sticks...kicking...throwing stones...indifference to suffering and starving animals, even to puppies. Rabies. No facility for treatment. No small animal vet within 70 kms. Population out of control. 350 animals, mostly puppies and dogs, dying on the streets. It was awful...awful!

NOW that has all changed. And each year it gets better and better. Visitiors, especially foreigners, are so struck by how good the relationship is between the animals and the people. It's very moving.

In this report, I want to tell you about one of the two Treasures sent to help create this wonderful, wonderful facility: Vishwa, our Director of Operations. He oversees the entire functioning of our beloved Shelter...the hiring and development of the Staff...the physical facility...the rescues...the catching and releasing for sterilizations...the post-medical care of our beloved animals. And much, much more.

In another report I'll tell you the tale of our other Treasure, our beloved Dr. Raja. I sometimes call him 'Schweitzer' after Albert Schweitzer, a famous Nobel laureate philanthropist who after obtaining his MD, left behind everything he had known and travelled to Africa where, for the rest of his life, he built a medical facility that has lifted unbelievable amounts of suffering. (Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Schweitzer.)

But this report is about Sri Vishwa. The foregoing was simply an intro for those of you who don't know our history.

Most of you know that I sometimes call Vishwa 'the Martian', because an Earthling couldn't do what he does. He is like a son to me. (My name is Leslie Robinson. Vishwa's 12 year old daughter's name is Leslie. His 9 year old son's name is Robinson. His 7 year old son, whom I helped name, is Lakshman.)

So now on to the Martian.

When I'm drafting the monthly 'thank you' note that goes out to our donors, I always ask Vishwa for a few stories and select the ones I want. For the note that went out in October, these are the ones I chose to share, the ones Vishwa thought of during our 15 minute exchange.

• It was about 5pm and Vishwa was 90 kms out placing an adoption puppy when he saw a dog with a massive tumour on his back leg, just above the knee. (The tumour weighed around 2 to 3kg). The dog couldn't move very fast, so with cookies and Pedigree Vishwa was able to catch him within an hour...We strengthened him in the Shelter for three days with good food and good care. Then Dr. Raja operated. I'm writing this five days after the operation. The dog is only 3 years old and doing really well. Very joyful. Running around. Playing. In another 3 or 4 days Vishwa will release him back into his territory, which is a very good place for dogs.
  
• The Shelter got an evening call. Two puppies were found in a cloth bag on the side of the road about 45 kms out of town. Vishwa went to get them. They were only 5 or 6 days old and hadn't opened their eyes, yet. Both were females. Their bodies were in good condition but they were  dull and weak...We've now had them for two weeks. They're very healthy, happy, and hanging out playing with five other puppies. Om Namah Shivaya.
• A 4 month old goat near Vishwa's village was going to be sold for slaughter. Vishwa bought her with his own money for 2300 rupees. (The butcher would have paid 2000.) He found a good place for her with a neighbor the very next day. They're going to use her for breeding and agreed to keep her for life, and if anything changes, they'll give her back. (He told me he lied to them and said this was his boss's goat and if anything happened he'd lose his job.)
• Late night call from Vellore, 100 kms away. Vishwa got there at 10:30pm. It was a dog with a large wound on his head the size of a hand. The dog was very fast and clever. He would take Pedigree and cookies, but if Vishwa got too close, he'd take off, jump fences and run around corners. It took two hours to catch him. The poor babe was only 7 months old. The wound had hundreds of maggots, with pus coming out of it, and smelled horrible...We've now had this guy for two months. The wound is healed. He's gained weight, and his energy is strong. He plays a lot with another dog. A female. (Maybe he has a crush on her.) Soon he'll be released back into his territory.
  
• Another dog from Vellore...Vishwa saw her when he was catching the one above. She was only a year old, and had a big vaginal tumour. She trusted Vishwa and came right to him. Dr. Raja treated her with chemo. She's now completely cured, and will soon be released.
• Last story...A person called the Shelter at 10am. A large cobra had fallen into an empty tank near the big Shiva Temple, and couldn't get out. He was six feet long. Vishwa used a cloth to confuse him, and then got him by the back of the neck. He released him in the woods opposite the Shelter.

But that's just a few stories. Engaging, tho' not exceptional. So now on to the more gutsy, moving stuff...A series of events that began about two weeks ago.

Vishwa never, never tells me when he's exhausted, but I can see it in his energy. And he always says, "No problem Sir." He would never tell me if he's overloaded, which he always is. When I am aware that he is carrying an exceptionally heavy load I ask him, "Is there anything I can do?" And, he always says, "I will ask you if there is, Sir." But he rarely asks...Or if I feel he's in a money bind..."Vishwa how in the hell can you be tight on money? Payday was only five days ago?" I had to press him, otherwise I wouldn't have found out. He'd run into a guy who was taking four cows and two calves to be slaughtered, and Vishwa bought them for 30,000 rupees with his own money. Four weeks later I found out he had bought four calves under similar circumstances for 12,000 rupees. (They were all very weak, and we were only able to save one.) Last night I found out that a goat he had saved just delivered four babies. And he's supporting all these creatures in a cowshed setup he has behind his house...on his money!!! My beloved Vishwa.

Well, about two weeks ago I could see that he needed rest which he never really gets. But I made him, to at least take four hours off, and rest at my house. I wanted him to take a day or two off--which he always resists, and virtually never does. But I pushed hard. I called him the next morning hoping he was at home, resting. I found out he was 40 kms out of town placing two puppies in their new adoptive homes!

My reaction? "Vishwa...enough! I'm not just asking. I'm your boss and I'm ordering you to take time off." And that's when he told me he couldn't for at least another day.

A couple who had established a sanctuary for 45 puppies and dogs, and 35 cats in Coimbatore, 300 kms away, recently moved to Tiru. (It wasn't a shelter. It was a sanctuary. They didn't have a clinic or hospital facilities, or do sterilizations. They had taken these animals in permanently and basically adopted them. A number of these were adult dogs they'd had since they were puppies. Anyway, they found a place in the Tiru countryside, and fixed it up to care for their 80 creatures here. (We'll support their work medically, giving any advice we can, etc.)

They had just gotten word that all the animals had to be moved from Coimbatore that very night. Vishwa told them he would handle and oversee the entire move.

Transporting 45 puppies and dogs for a long distance is very different than moving two lorries with 6 to 8 cattle. With cows or bulls, if one of them gets agitated, it doesn't spread to all the others. The animal can be reassured and soothed and the others aren't too affected. Cats aren't a problem, they're in cages for the trip. But the dogs are a problem. And we had never done anything on this scale.

With 20 to 25 dogs in each lorry, it seemed that if two dogs got scared and started fighting, it might turn into a riot. Also, none of the dogs had ever been in a motorized vehicle! It would be scary for 20 to 25 dogs to be loaded into an enclosed space of only 9 by 21 feet. It would also be scary when the engine started up. It would be scary when the lorry started moving. And scary when they went over bumps...AND there was no way of explaining to them that it was just a temporary trip that would have an end...and that they were going to their new home. But most importantly, they would experience themselves being taken away from their beloved Girija and Mohan who had lovingly adopted and cared for them.

THE PLAN...To eliminate the possibility of an all-out riot, Vishwa divided (with plastic grating) the truck beds into four sections of 4 1/2 by 10 1/2 feet with only 5 to 6 dogs in each section...Two caretakers who had looked after them for years were coming along, one in each truck. Additionally, Vishwa was bringing three caretakers...The beds of the trucks would be heavily padded with thick cushions of dried grass so the dogs could lay down and be comfortable...It's a long trip, so Vishwa was planning to stop twice for an hour to give the creatures some rest and some milk as a refreshment. He further decided that either Mohan or Girija had to come, so that perhaps five minutes after the lorries started moving, and every so often the lorries would stop so Girija or Mohan could go to each of trucks to reassure their Precious Ones that they were right there with them.

OBSTACLES...Two large lorries were hired in Tiru, and they anticipated being ready to go at around 7pm Wednesday night. But it started raining heavily, and one of the lorries didn't show and had to be replaced. More significantly, around midnight, an emergency call came in that a full-term pregnant cow had been hit by a vehicle near the Shiva Temple. Vishwa had to get three fellows to help with the rescue. And with several other goings-on, they didn't get on the road for the 300 km trip to Coimbatore until 3am Thursday morning. And because of the heavy rains didn't arrive until 10:30am........When they got to Coimbatore it turned out that 22 of the dogs were running loose and had to be caught (which is major)...They were also slowed down by long stretches of heavy rains. So they didn't get started for the trip to Tiru until 6:30pm.

Amazingly, and I do mean amazingly, the 10 hour journey to Tiru went smoothly. (Hari Om, Vishwa!)...And Girija and Mohan's Precious Ones were settled into their new home in Tiru by 6am, Friday...Vishwa said that within an hour of being unloaded, knowing their beloved Girija and Mohan were also there, the joyful creatures were running around happily, chasing, and playing. The cats were fine, but tired from the journey.

Our beloved Martian did all this while having dozens of other things that he oversees going on. I mean he's the Director of Operations of the entire Shelter...The Staff loves him...And he loves the Staff.

At times I am humbled by him.

In a future report, I will regale you with tales of our beloved Dr. Raja.

===================================

The Shelter has been going beautifully...Thank you Dr. Raja, Vishwa, the other Doctors. And our devoted, wonderful Staff.

We've been busy since I've last written.  Our stats for July, August, and September are:

• Clinic Visits..............................................1,446
• In-patient Treatments.............................3,583
• Emergency Rescues..................................164
• Dogs Sterilized...........................................186
• Anti-rabies injections................................338
• Animal Adoptions.........................................19
• Non-dogs treated.......................................195  
• (70 cows & calves, 68 goats & sheep, 40 cats, 13 birds, 2 rabbits, 1 monkey, 1 horses)                                                 
  

  ===================================

This brings us to the end of the Report.

I'm hoping that each of you is doing excellently.

These are such difficult times we're going thru. It's so important for us to try to connect with the Light inside. And equally important to put that energy out into the World.

May we all be unfolding...May we all be getting more and more space inside...May we all be getting closer to our own Hearts.

May each of us, no exceptions, be blessed with more compassionate understanding.

As in previous reports, I've included a collection of photos. Hoping you enjoy them. The overall theme is love...This month there's a concentration on Rescues.

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                  PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.

     THE PRECIOUS ONES NEED US...AND WE NEED YOU!

        PLEASE...DIG DEEPLY...AND GIVE GENEROUSLY...

RECURRING DONATIONS, EVEN MODEST ONES, ARE BEST FOR US. THEY GIVE US STABILITY.

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With love...From All of Us here, Precious Ones included...To All of You out there...Leslie

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Links:

• Interview of Leslie-3 1/2 minutes.
• Really, really good video-Hridayam-8 1/2 minutes.
• Henri Jolicoeur-Interview of Leslie-15 minutes.