Dear People. Dear Animal Lovers. Dear Supporters.
Namaste'. I bow to your Inner-most Selves.
This is a Special Report. It is deep. Moving. Not processed.
It's the beginning of the Hot Season here in Southern India. It's difficult for the animals. Hoping it rains some...or the water holds out.
These are my closing years of full-time/active work with the Shelter. Dr.Raja and Vishwa are really running things, and I am overseeing and advising. They are s-o-o-o good, it's humbling. At times, I feel inadequate. What a blessing they are.
In this closing stretch I'm focused on getting the Shelter into a much-needed larger facility...and laying a donation base that will go indefinitely into the future.
In this Report I'm going to talk about "stuff"...deeper stuff...to give you a sense of the Specialness of our beloved Shelter.
Yes, the testimonials are impressive, several of which I'll talk about. And the statistics are impressive. But they don't tell the story of the Specialness. The totally transformed and uplifted quality of the life of animals on the streets shows the effect of the Work, but not the Specialness. What we do doesn't tell the story.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN OUR BELOVED SHELTER IS HEART! It's something that you really have to experience. I wish you could see the inside of our Shelter. It would gladden your Heart. Nevertheless, I'm going to try to tell you some of the things that give rise to the wonderful feeling of spaciousness and love you feel inside.
Sometimes when animal lovers are visiting for the first time, I tell them to close their eyes for a minute and just experience the feeling of the energy. I tell them that the softness, the quietness that they're experiencing is Grace. And that it's within this field of Grace that everything is unfolding.
Sometimes, people visiting for the first time get teary, because they didn't know a place such as ours existed.
Sometimes, early evening, I'll just come and sit in the energy...experiencing the wonderful creatures around me...not focusing on anything in particular. Just...sitting. And it feels s-o-o-o GOOD...and so-o-o PEACEFUL...and it's s-o-o-o HEALING.
THE DOGS AND PUPPIES ARE NOT KEPT IN CAGES, BUT RUN FREE AND ARE HAPPY. They are not simply "in captivity". They have a life. They have choices.
OUR STAFF IS DEVOTED AND LOVING. From the very beginning, they understood that deep healing would only take place if the animals felt safe, cared for, and loved. That it was they who gave the animals that love and caring. And that the expression of this was different for everyone, and each of them had to find their own way of that expression. They understood that the Furry Ones could tell the difference between someone being just "very nice', and someone who really cared. So it was important to be real.
OUR STAFF ARE SPECIAL,SPECIAL PEOPLE. Most have been with us five or six years, several longer. All of them, with no exceptions, truly care for the animals. But some Special Ones (Sekar, Supervisor Raja, Pandi, and Ramesh) I call the 'Pure Hearts'. And their attention alone can heal where medicine fails...The animals know this. The animals love them.
THE VERY CORE OF OUR WORK IS DEMONSTRATIVE LOVE--HUGGING, STROKING, REASSURING, KISSING.
Over these years, we have gotten so many beautiful Heartfelt emails from people who have visited and experienced the almost/magical vibration. One of my all-time favorites is from a lady who didn't speak English very well. I want to share it with you--unedited for spelling, punctuation, or language.
For the first seven or eight years, Vishwa and Dr.Raja were my students. We worked very closely together. Day. Night. It was intense, always. Always. The motivation was pure. But they are no longer my students. They are on "their own legs", moving with their own strengths, and have taken things beyond where I could have possibly gotten them, even in my prime.
Often we moved thru Darkness. Traversing incredibly difficult terrain. "What," one might ask, "are the qualities that enable one to move thru these spaces?" I think the two main ones...the ones that must run deep, deep, deep...are Earnestness and Perseverance.
These beautiful, innocent, vulnerable creatures we serve have such difficult circumstances to go thru. In Eastern terms, it's called karma. Many succumb. It's just too much. Many are crushed. Many become crazed. Many fall into a deep pit of nothingness...depression...immersed in unrelenting pain. Having just to go on.
Our sole purpose for being is to lift suffering from these Precious Creatures.
When we traverse these difficult spaces in doing the Work, it helps to remember that these aren't just "regular difficulties" we are encountering. This is the unrelenting battle to lift difficult karma from some of the Precious Ones'...to transform the wall of indifference towards them...and sometimes, the outright malevolence.
As for us...we just have to keep going. It's never total "success". In those spaces, in those times where it's almost overwhelming, where the important thing is to somehow manage just to take the next step, it helps enormously to remember that we really are "lightening" it for the Precious Ones. And to see that we're actually making a profound difference. You can see it getting "lighter and lighter", "better and better" for them.
And it has unfolded here like in no other municipality of size in all of India...THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HAS HAPPENED IS THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE HOMELESS DOGS AND THE PEOPLE AMONGST WHOM THEY LIVE DAY IN, DAY OUT, HAS BEEN TOTALLY TRANSFORMED.
Without that transformation, the impact of whatever else is done is significantly limited--the animals would be subject to the same indifference, the same absence of protection when they are in harm's way, the same unaided difficulties in their ongoing search for food and water. The same absence of affection.
One can experience the change by walking on the streets. Each year street conditions get better and better, and Tiru is amongst the very few municipalities of size where this has happened. IN THE POIGNANT WORDS OF LONGTIME TIRU RESIDENT DEV GOGOI WRITTEN AT THE TIME OF OUR FOURTH ANNIVERSARY PUJA. ”Public memory is short. Few can recall the rampant stray dogs everywhere, young and aged, starving and diseased, scavenging in the garbage heaps, fighting amongst themselves, ignored and abused by the human population, while remaining a menace to all including themselves. In four short years, the roads are more peaceful, with few strays to be seen, and the naturally loving relationship between humans and animals restored to its true state.”
FROM A PUBLIC LETTER OF ENDORSEMENT BY THE ANIMAL WELFARE BOARD OF INDIA WHO OVERSEE ALL THE ANIMAL SHELTERS IN THE COUNTRY. “In the short span of time that they have been in existence, they have established themselves as one of the very best animal sanctuaries, veterinary clinics, rescue shelters and hospices in the Nation”
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We've been busy since I've last written. Our stats for January, February, and March are:
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Some Shelter happenings.
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This brings us to the end of the Report.
Hoping that each of you is doing excellently...And if it's difficult inner-terrain that you're traversing, that it may bear great spiritual fruit. Hoping that you're unfolding beautifully and strongly inside. My Baba said that nothing is gained without some inner austerity. It seems that we have to go thru some inner burning to clear the way.
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. Remember...the theme is simply LOVE.
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PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.
THE PRECIOUS ONES NEED US...AND WE DEFINITELY NEED YOU!
PLEASE...DIG DEEPLY...GIVE GENEROUSLY.
RECURRING DONATIONS, EVEN QUITE 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.
Dear, dear People,
I'm at the Dreaming Tree, a wonderful rooftop restaurant in Tiru that has become my favorite place to work. So I'm overindulging, gaining weight, loving it, as I write this Report.
Blessings to All of You this Holiday Season. May each of us pass thru it in warmth, bathed in love-filled energy. May we all, All of Us, without exception, be blessed with more compassionate understanding this year.
The Shelter is going beautifully. A major topic these last two months has been puppies. Many, many of them. At one point we had forty. This created two distinct needs--caring for the Precious Little Ones, and finding homes for them.
The most important care is simply touching and babying them. And we have four village ladies--two in the morning and two in the afternoon-- whose only job is to cuddle and baby our Precious Ones, puppies and adults alike. If you saw these ladies, they would warm your Heart. They have little packets to help clean their fur babies' eyes and ears, and to remove ticks. They hold them, baby them and stroke them. It has really made a difference, so we're in the process of increasing our ladies to four in the morning, and four in the afternoon. Also of importance is that puppies have each other to snuggle, play, rest with, and touch. They're a real "Heartwarmer" to watch.
Finding homes for them, though, is a big problem and requires major, major effort. Vishwa has three students from the nearby college who go out up to 100kms looking for good homes…Then Vishwa goes to check the homes out. (About half are good.) The students can receive 500 rupees from us for each puppy placed…but they’re “deeply into it” and refuse to take any compensation other than reimbursement for their expenses. Our beloved Vishwa spends an incredible amount of time doing this. It’s not easy to find good homes. Sometimes a full day’s searching yields none. (At this point in time, since opening, Vishwa has remarkably placed over 1000 puppies in good homes.)
We’re concerned about the increasing number of puppies coming to us. So we’re doubling our efforts to sterilize the homeless dogs. We hope to do 100 to 150 a month. If that doesn’t bring the number of puppies being born under control, then we’ll have to radically increase our efforts from there.
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Many of you like to hear about our emergency rescues: (We do 60 to 120 a month.)
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The remainder of this Report is different than all the others. It’s mostly about the healing power of love, and about positive feelings.
Most of you know that my Main Teacher told me thirty years ago that the physician heals with the Heart. And we believe deep healing will only take place if an animal feels safe, cared for and loved. So the very core of our Work is demonstrative love—touching, stroking, reassuring, hugging, kissing.
There are many stories of the healing power of positive energy---Hope…Love…Belief.
For many years we’ve known thru the “placebo effect” that just the belief that getting (or doing) something that is beneficial creates a healing force. Medical science didn’t fully follow up on the implications of the placebo until the last twenty or thirty years. At this point in time, there’s been a lot of research done.
I remember 35 years ago, a dear beloved friend of mine found out she had an advanced case of metastasized cervical cancer…and for months I dedicated myself to finding “a way”. It’s during this period that I became aware of the healing power of a “good inner-state”...
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I came across the miraculous story of Norman Cousins. He had been the editor of the Saturday Review of Literature for over 30 years. The Saturday Review was quite prestigious and Norman was well known.
He had been in the hospital with a life-threatening, potentially terminal illness. It was a good hospital and he had all the top doctors. After a period of extended treatment, they told him that there was nothing more they could do, and that he had only a month or two to live.
Norman, in consultation with a dear doctor friend, decided that he would stop treatment. Their thinking was that if negative emotions could precipitate illness, positive emotions might be able to cure it. So the two of them pulled together all kinds of uplifting movies (including Charlie Chaplin) and books and moved into a hotel. They ate good food. Laughed. Enjoyed. And his doctor friend who was monitoring his vital signs, saw that his vitals were getting better and better……End of story—HE RECOVERED.
His story was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the most prestigious medical journals in the States. And he became a lecturer at the University of California Medical School, expounding on the subject of the healing force of positive emotions. Om Namah Shivaya.
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Also in the 80’s, I came in contact with an organization in Los Angeles (supported by local doctors) that helped women dealing with cancer…They had considerable success. I used a tape of theirs for a dear friend who was getting chemotherapy. It guided her thru visualizations, recollections of things she loved, and meditations, as the chemo was being administered.All of it had to do with positive feelings. I believe it really helped.
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There have been a number of times when the condition of one of our Precious Ones in the Shelter was getting serious, when medication wasn’t working, yet we were able to reverse it just by focusing on being gentle and loving.
I remember late one night when Vishwa and I were in front of the Shelter with a puppy who was clearly fading and wasn’t going to make it. In the darkness, I held the baby against my Heart, stroking and kissing him. Then I noticed a light start to come thru his eyes. Vishwa was going to take him home to spend the night. I told him to hold the tiny creature against his Heart. The young babe experienced a strong reversal, and lived.
We have many, many such stories…The Power of Love…The Power of Positive Energy.
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This brings us to the end of the Report.
Hoping that each of you is doing excellently...That you're unfolding beautifully and strongly, inside. My Baba said that nothing is gained without some inner austerity...It seems that we have to go thru some inner burning to clear the way.
As in previous reports, I've included a collection of photos. Hoping you enjoy them. Remember...the theme is simply LOVE.
PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.
THE PRECIOUS ONES NEED US...AND WE NEED YOU!
RECURRING DONATIONS, EVEN QUITE MODEST ONES, ARE BEST FOR US. THEY GIVE US STABILITY.
PLEASE...KEEP YOUR SUPPORT COMING.
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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
Dear People. Dear Animal Lovers. Dear Supporters.
Namaskaram. I bow to your Inner-most Selves.
This is a Special Report. It is deep. It is moving. It is not processed. Plastic. Or edited in a way to zip right along. I’ve never written anything publicly like this.
Our beloved Shelter is going beautifully. To visit it is healing. One experiences Spaciousness and Love. Animal lovers experiencing it for the first time often get teary because they didn’t know a place such as this existed.
The Voiceless Ones, except for those that are infectious and contagious, run free and are happy. They are not “in captivity” simply passing their precious lives. They have choices. Of friends. Of activities: To be solitary. To be social…To run. To play…To snuggle. To sleep…To pass the time watching the World go by…To be grumpy. To be loving…To simply be themselves—each day, throughout the day…To change, whenever……
The Staff. How special they are. How genuinely they relate to and care for the Precious Ones. It is truly a place…Of Love…Of Life…And, most of all, of Heart.
We are all very, very grateful it unfolded to be what it is. It didn’t happen thru any penetrating, deep planning. The motivation was always pure. From moment to moment, from day to day, it was always imbued with love, caring, and intelligence. And what happened, what evolved, is this wonderful, wonderful place.
We couldn’t have worked harder, but almost all the important things happened magically thru Grace. I personally believe in a Divine Being, a Master of the Universe and I truly believe that this is a Divine Manifestation, not simply the result of our hard, dedicated effort…Those of you who don’t share my belief can say, “You’re off the wall, Leslie…You guys did a magnificent job.” And I say to you, “Okay, so you believe whatever you want.” And being a liberal, giving space and credence for other opinions, I say back to you, “Fine. You guys believe whatever you want. But you’re so wrong. And that’s not the way it is!!! This place, this oasis of compassion and healing, is simply not the result of any person’s actions, or efforts."
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In this Report I want to focus on one happening. One incredible, complex expression of compassion, caring, and Grace that unfolded so beautifully. I am deeply proud of the Staff that so lifted what could have been, what would have been, what should have been such deep suffering for six vulnerable creatures—Leo, Lady, Winnie, Oscar, Max, and Muffin—two 9 month old German Shepherds, one three year old Himalayan Shepherd, a five year old Lab, and two Indian dogs—an eleven year old, and a fourteen year old.
It conveys some of the sensitivity and awareness with which we’re blessed that surfaces to handle things compassionately as we move from situation to situation…Om Namah Shivaya.
This involves a lovely being, a lady, who had lived here for thirty-five years. She encountered some serious visa problems, real ones, not created by some “bureaucratic mind”. It happened feverishly fast—three days from the time she first heard ‘til the time she had to leave the Country. I’ll give her the name Eethera.
She built a fine life here. Her footprints on the Planet were big, and thru her good works she was able to lift a lot of suffering. AND she was a total Animal Lover. She had these six whom she adored. She had each since they were pups. Leo, Lady, Winnie, Oscar, Max, and Muffin.
We met--Eethera, Dr.Raja, Vishwa, and myself. For 2 1/2 hours. The situation was incredibly complicated and intense. We arranged to meet again the following morning. (She was supposed to leave the day after that.) It gave space for things to settle down and to move towards clarity.
She called me that night, and I said, “Eethera, my mind is still confused. It’s too soon. Wait until morning.”
She called me 7am the following morning, and said she couldn’t meet early because she had to go to the Police Department. I was not pleased. Our meeting was set for 3pm. I called Dr. Raja and Vishwa, and the three of us met in a local restaurant.
I’m not usually affected strongly emotionally when we go thru very difficult things, I just do what’s needed, and focus on keeping my Heart and Awareness open. But in this situation, the night before, I got teary and was deeply afraid for her six Furry Ones, and what they might have to go thru.
In the morning, though, once Vishwa, Dr. Raja, and I started discussing possibilities, things lightened, and it was clear that we could do a lot to soften the blow.
One major problem was that her dogs weren’t typical “owner dogs”.
For example, by typical, we have an older dog, Jingles, that we took in over a year ago. She was loved by her owners, but she wasn’t the center of the family or the center of attention. They went thru difficult circumstances where they simply could not care for her. Because they had done so much for the Shelter, we took her. After getting over the separation, she has a good life with us and is happy.
Eethera’s life revolved around these creatures. She lived in a two story, non-traditional house that had a lot of nooks and crannies. The Furry Ones had the run of the house. And she was with them throughout the day. She kept two large tubs of water they could soak in to keep cool during the Hot Season. They had the run of the yard. The house itself was set in a sparsely populated area. It was ¾ km from a small lake. Every day they went for a walk and four of them adored the water.
Eethera’s Precious Ones just wouldn’t fit into the Shelter. They’d be unhappy, and probably end up getting into a lot of conflicts. And it’s hard to find homes for adult dogs. But Vishwa thought he might be able to find homes for the four pedigrees. (It was critical.) The two Indian dogs, aged eleven and fourteen were more sedentary and might be happy in the Shelter.
Just as an aside, when people are moving, we will not take in their dogs, and find homes for them. That’s not what we’re here for. We’re fully engaged with what we do, and don’t have the resources to deal with those situations, which they can handle (perhaps with some effort). But this was an exception, a circumstance we’d never before encountered.
And this is the setting with perhaps the deepest, most complex, rescue you will ever read about.
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Dr. Raja, Vishwa and I decided to meet with Eethera on the upper floor of her house, and to take Venkatesh (from our Staff) along to start forming a bond with the Furry Ones on the ground floor while we met.
We knew that we couldn’t just take them into the Shelter and let them run free. They had to be in a large retaining area. There was only one that was suitable. It had a high chain link fence around it (25ft x 30ft). There was a hut inside that had a good coconut leaf roof, and open entrance, and benches along the sides. It was in the center of the garden, so the dogs could run around and have a view of everything that was going on. Vishwa had it prepared.
Eethera called around noon. We met straight away. At the meeting she “dropped the bomb”. It turned out she wasn’t leaving the next day but had to leave 7pm that very night.
This now had the potential to be shatteringly traumatic for the poor creatures.
It was important that Eethera be present when they were moved. At 3:30pm Vishwa and Eethera took the dogs to the Shelter in a lorry. Their eating bowls had been taken to the hut, along with a few familiar pieces of furniture. Venkatesh was there to greet them, and was going to sleep with them throughout the night. (Actually, to stay with them continuously for the first 48 hours, and to sleep with them the first two nights.) Eethera had a caretaker that the dogs really liked. She was in Chennai when they were moved. But Vishwa picked her up 9pm at the bus stand that first night and brought her to the Shelter for a few hours. She returned in the morning, and was hired for the next three weeks.
It went off beautifully. They were fed and given treats shortly after they arrived at the Shelter.
Venkatesh, after the first two days, “double shifted” for two weeks so he was with them a number of hours during the day and night.
Eethera’s food lasted for four days. Then they got special, special fare. (Pedigree, milk, eggs, rice/chicken).
Vishwa arranged to take the four younger pedigrees for two walks a day on retractable leashes, each walk lasting one to two hours.
Vishwa was able to find good homes for the four pedigrees. Tho’ he had good homes for the two German Shepherds (Leo and Lady), he fell in love with them and they now live with Vishwa in beautiful circumstances out of town.
Max (the Lab), and Winnie (the Himalayan Shepherd) went to beautiful homes. They were two families that lived outside of town in the country. Each had land. One had two children; the other four—between the ages of six and twelve.
The dogs were all with us for a month. And each of the prospective adopters came to the Shelter between twelve and fifteen times. We had earlier decided that we would wait until the dogs were emotionally ready to be adopted.
As for Leo and Lady, the young German Shepherds, their home at Vishwa’s is like heaven itself…There’s a lot of land and open fields behind his house…He has three children…But Leslie, his ten-year old (The name sound familiar?), has a special relationship with the dogs and they adore each other. And, of course, they love Vishwa and he loves back. On most days they’re taken to the lake near Eethera’s old house, for a swim…and he goes in with them…Vishwa said they’ve become so strong they almost overpower him…I pity anyone who tries to harm Vishwa if they’re around.
Then there’s Oscar and Muffin, the two older Indian dogs, who are adjusting nicely to the Shelter. It takes time, but they’re given a lot of love and support, and they are content and increasingly into their new life…It really helps that they’re good friends…After the first week, we started introducing them to life on the Veranda. Starting with a half-hour, and increasing the time each day. We had decided that we wouldn’t place the other dogs until they were full-time on the Veranda mixing with more dogs, so they wouldn’t feel abandoned when the others went to their new homes.
I am so, so proud of the Shelter Staff. This is just one happening. There are many, many. And all this is taking place with all the other activities happening…AND 200 other in-patient dogs.
I place my head at their feet.
Om Namah Shivaya
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This brings us to the end of the Report.
Hoping that each of you is doing excellently...That you're unfolding beautifully and strongly, inside. My Baba said that nothing is gained without some inner austerity. I sometimes think of it in wordly terms for myself as, "Growing up ain't easy!"
As in previous reports, I've included a collection of photos. Hoping you enjoy them. Remember...the theme is simply LOVE.
PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.
THE PRECIOUS ONES NEED US...AND WE NEED YOU.
RECURRING DONATIONS, EVEN QUITE MODEST ONES, ARE BEST FOR US.
PLEASE...KEEP YOUR SUPPORT COMING.
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With love, blessings, and wishes for all things good...May we all be blessed with more compassionate understanding.
Leslie, The Ageing Expatriate Warrior
Links:
Namaste' dear People. Good morning!
It's morning here and the hot season is winding down. Nights and early mornings are comfortable, tho' it does get close to 100 degrees midafternoon.
Our Precious Ones still cluster around the eight air coolers in the Shelter. Mornings, they're starting to get pretty active...chasing...romping...or, simply trotting around, solo, every once in a while stopping for a Furry One exchange.
There are aspects of it that are like a human community. The younger ones energetic. The more mature ones, having more civil-like, dignified exchanges. The older ones, a little more sedentary--sometimes lifting a critical eye as two or three of the youngsters bolt by. Friends "hang out" together. Some, going thru a healing energy/body period, lie close to one another.
We've been busy since I've last written. Our stats for April, May, and June are:
The rest of this Report is about love. A few of you have seen the below write-up, but it captures the vibration of the Shelter. So, with joy, I repeat it here for all.
I used to talk about how our Voiceless Ones run free and are happy. And how beautifully our devoted Staff cared for them. And I would talk about how deep healing would only take place if they felt safe, cared for, and loved. From the beginning I regularly talked to our beloved Staff, telling them how centrally important the love and caring were. How it wasn't Dr.Raja, Vishwa, or myself that gave them that love and caring, that is was them. That no one could tell them how to do it, and that they had to find their own way. But that it wasn't just a case of being "nice, gentle, and attentive". The Furry Ones could tell the difference between someone that was just being "very nice", and someone that really cared. It was more important to be very real than to just be very nice. They, over time, found their own ways...and each has a different relationship with the Furry Ones.
For many years I viewed the main reason our Voiceless Ones were happy running free was our loving, devoted Staff caring for them.
But my understanding, only recently, has deepened. The foregoing is certainly true, but I no longer think it's the central thing. it's part of a much broader thing: that is, the energy of the entire place. Everyone feels good. And that is the overall setting these creaures live in.
The relationship between the doctors and Vishwa (and now, Elaine) is not structured...and their relationship with the Staff is not structured. Everything is flowing and moves around permeated with Heart. There aren't fixed layers of authority, tho' there are clear understandings of whose responsible for what, and who has authority. There are clear paths of communication. It's hard to describe. You have to spend a couple of hours here just observing. Nothing seems to be rigidly organized. Yet, everthing is getting done--not in a confusing way, but in a flowing way. There is no laxness. But everyone is comfortable going with the general energy flows that require them to rest, or take a break in some way (understanding that they don't have to be busy, just to be busy). When concentrated, coordinated effective action is needed, which happens frequently, it unfolds quite naturally.
Supervisor Raja has an incredibly light touch. In a real sense he's simply mingling as the day unfolds. There's no separation between him doing very basic things, and being aware of how everything's unfolding in the entire Shelter. He's the epitome of "ordinariness". And what a beautiful ordinariness! His energy subtly pervades the Shelter. The Staff are really close to him. Exchanges between him and directions to do something, unfold in the most ordinary way. He's one of our PureHearts. The animals adore him. He loves and is devoted to Dr. Raja. He and Vishwa are very close...Keep in mind that Vishwa is fully responsible for the overall running of the Shelter. Vishwa has a gazillion things to do, and he and Supervisor Raja are in communication a number of times throughout the day.
I tell my people that I could come into our beloved Shelter...and write volumes on what's wrong. I tell them, tho', that that's just "mind" coming in. When you walk into this place...This Haven...This wonderful, wonderful sanctuary...you could write a book on what could be done differently...But that is being blind to "What is"..."What exists before your very eyes"...My Baba used to say, "The world is as you see it...You can be in Heaven, itself, and have a whole litany of grievances of what's wrong...You can be in very difficult circumstances and have a collection of things that are right. It all depends on Ones Inner State."
It is a place of Love...Of Peace...Of Life. And above all, a place of Heart.
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On a lighter note...Here are some of the Shelter Heart stories and vignettes that many of you tell me you enjoy and are moved by. Several of you have said that of all things I write about, this section is, by far, your favorite. Well...here it goes
Starting out with a really light one.
The Mongoose.
Deep well, maybe 20 to 25 feet. Vishwa descended on a rope to a ledge where the little, innocent-looking, gentle babe was stranded.
He lowered himself to the level of the ledge, and started talking sweetly to her. She wasn't very big, and seemed a little threatened. She didn't respond at first, but he went on, and slowly moved towards her...Then - suddenly - she let out a loud ferocious, terrifying (don't know what to call it,but let me use the word "roar"). It jolted and frightened our fearless hero, who let go of the rope and fell backwards into the water.
Then, more respectfully, Dharma, who was topside, got ahold of a blue plastic bin with a metal cover. Vishwa used it to capture the "little sweetie". They got her up and out, where there were thick bushes and trees nearby. And off she went. In a flash she was gone, without even looking back for a "civilized thank you".
Mongooses are formidable hunters. They're lightning-fast, and have razor sharp teeth. Their speed and agility in attacking poisonous snakes is legendary.
Pooja...Gentle...Good natured, Pooja.
She was young. Maybe eleven or twelve months. Half Dalmatian. Medium size. Slender.
She was first brought to us in the clinic when she was one month old. She’d been blind at birth. Dr.Raja tried to treat her eye disorder, but she couldn’t be helped. Some months later a small boy found her at the side of the road. So weak she could barely stand. And very frightened. The people who “owned her” had thrown her out.
We put her in a room off the veranda. To keep her in the room we put a 2 ½ foot high board across the gate leading to the veranda. Three puppies were kept with her so she’d have company and could snuggle when she slept. And there she stayed for over a month. Her strength and confidence slowly built, and she came to know where all the objects were.
She’d race in really tight circles without going anywhere. I thought because that way she wouldn’t run into anything. Dr.Raja thought it might be an emotional problem. Who really knows? (Just thought of a great animal psychic in Mt. Shasta California who would actually know.).
And then we unblocked the gate leading to the veranda. It took a week to start putting her paw outside the door, but quickly pulling it back. For her…anything could be out there…A chasm?...An endless field?...One day she stepped onto the veranda, and then quickly back. After some time she was wandering around amongst the other Furry Ones. They were harsh with her at the beginning as she walked into them or stepped on their heads while they were resting. The Staff gave her a lot of reassurance and support. The Furry Ones started realizing that something was wrong and that she simply couldn’t help it. She became joyful…and would run around bumping into everyone. Kissing. Sniffing. Sometimes moving back when another dog was irritated and started barking at her. Sometimes she barked back.
Sometimes I’d put her on my lap, gently, stroking and hugging her. She loved it. She was very happy, but I think the Shelter was too stressful for her.
We found a home. A quiet home, with a really sweet older couple.
Dear…Dear...Sweet Pooja.
Ten Calves Rescued from Slaughter.
The Shelter received a call that 28 calves, illegally bought for slaughter, were being held outside in the sun. No water. No food. Suffering.
I sent Vishwa. Told him to take photos. And to be careful, not to get aggressive until I got there. In the meantime, I called the Vice-Chairman of the Animal Welfare Board of India, and verified the law. (We didn’t have the authority to impound. Only the Police Dept. or the Municipality could do it.) I asked Dr.Raja to contact a police sub-inspector who supports our work to see if he could be ready to move quickly for us.
When I got to the scene, the Municipality had already moved to impound them, and were waiting for trucks to transport them. The Police Dept. was going to turn them over to the Shelter. The calves had been moved into the shade and given water and grass. We left and prepared to receive them at the Shelter.
We then got word that thru political pressure the Police Dept. had released the calves to the butchers on the basis of a written statement that they would be treated well and would not be slaughtered. (Right…They were going to keep them as pets?). Some “heavy hitter” political figures had intervened and we were unable to offset it.
We then got a pledge of 60,000 rupees to try to buy them. But it was too late. They were all gone…and probably slaughtered.
But then, miracle of miracles. A week later, totally unexpectedly (we still have no idea what happened except that the counter political pressure we put forth bore fruit), the police turned over ten of the calves to us on the basis of an order from the Court.
Thru an animal activist in Chennai we were put in touch with an organization that saves cows and gives them a good life. They had rescued over a thousand.
We had them for a week. Vishwa took beautiful care of them (what else would our Martian do)…Hay, green grass, oil cakes, etc…But most of all, and most importantly, they were bathed in love—tender strokes, hugs, kisses, massages. Veera, who loves cows, watched over them at night.
Vishwa then sent them off to Chennai in a large lorry where they had an enormous amount of room. He put dry straw on the floor so it would be soft. Good hay for eating. Arranged an elaborate cover over the back of the lorrey to protect them from the sun. Arranged to stop and give them green grass and water half way. Sent Veera along to reassure and care for them.
Almost anyone else would have stuffed them in an open back lorrey and just shipped them…That’s our Saint Vishwa.
A Sweetiepie Doberman Pup
She was only four months old, and had been throwing up and not eating. Her owner travelled 100 kms in a hired car so that Dr.Raja would be the one to treat her.
Dr.Raja took an x-ray that revealed a large mass of stones in her stomach. She had been eating them over a period of time.
The operation lasted 2 ½ hours. And it turned out to be about 40 stones weighing 1/2 kg.
She convalesed for two weeks. When her owner came to get her, you can only imagine how overjoyed she was.
A benediction I wrote at the time: You are a sweetheart…And your owner loves you…May all Beings benefit…Om Namah Shivaya.
A Duck.
This guy was about six months old. Some compassionate person brought him in.
I don’t know where they got him. But he was almost dead from malnutrition. Dr.Raja gave him neurobion injections for vitamins. We fed him fruit and veggies (bananas, carrots, etc.) and both raw and cooked rice.
When he gained some strength he liked to swim around in a large tub of water.
We kept him a month and then got him to a good bird sanctuary in Chennai.
May all beings gain compassionate understanding
.
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This brings us to the end of the Report.
Hoping that each of you is doing excellently...That you're unfolding beautifully and strongly, inside. My Baba said that nothing is gained without some inner austerity. I sometimes think of it in wordly terms for myself as, "Growing up ain't easy!"
As in previous reports, I've included a collection of photos. Hoping you enjoy them. Remember...the theme is simply LOVE.
PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.
THE PRECIOUS ONES NEED US...AND WE NEED YOU.
RECURRING DONATIONS, EVEN QUITE MODEST ONES, ARE BEST FOR US.
PLEASE...KEEP YOUR SUPPORT COMING.
==========================================
With love, blessings, and wishes for all things good...May we all be blessed with more compassionate understanding.
Leslie, The Ageing Expatriate Warrior
Links:
Good Morning Dear People,
Yes, it’s morning as I start. Actually, I’m fond of the beautiful Indian greeting, ”Namaste’”—"I bow to your Innermost Self"...So..."Namaste".
In the West we don’t have stray dogs. In India, it is an enormous problem, and they can suffer, deeply.
Early 2006, after forty years of Municipal slaughtering, we managed to stop the brutal killing of the homeless dogs in what was an unsuccessful attempt to cull the population - but with the caveat that we establish an effective population control program.
Things were really bad when we opened January 2007. There were well over 5,000 homeless dogs. Perhaps over 6,000, or 7,000. The population was out of control. Starving. Fighting. Diseased. Injured. There were 350 suffering and dying animals on the streets. Mostly puppies and dogs, but among them were stricken cows, monkeys and others, too. The relationship with the human community was terrible. There was much abuse. There were many aggressive dogs. Many bites. Rabies. There was no small animal vet within 70 km. And no facility for treatment. There was unbounded suffering. It was the worst situation I’d seen and it was awful.
Eleven years now since we opened…and this has all changed. Thru December, 2017 we have done:
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 very few aggressive dogs, and only a small fraction of dog bites.
The most important thing that has happened is that the relationship between the homeless dogs and the people amongst whom they live day in, day out has been totally transformed. Without that transformation, the impact of whatever else is done is significantly limited—the animals would be subject to the same indifference, the same absence of protection when they are in harm's way, the same unaided difficulties in their ongoing search for food and water. The same absence of affection.
One can experience the change when walking on the streets. Each year, street conditions get better and better, and Tiru is amongst the very few municipalities of size where this has happened. In the poignant words of a longtime Tiru resident named Dev, made at the fourth anniversary puja…”Public memory is short. Few can recall the rampant stray dogs everywhere, young and aged, starving and diseased, scavenging in the garbage heaps, fighting amongst themselves, ignored and abused by the human population, while remaining a menace to all including themselves. In four short years, the roads are more peaceful, with few strays to be seen, and the naturally loving relationship between humans and animals restored to its true state.”
Monthly:
Things are going excellently. The expanded space for the Veranda dogs is fully open. It has two to three times more room. The Precious Ones love it. They're running around chasing, wrestling, and playing games. They're finding new places to rest, and to snuggle, and to bask in the sun. They're hiding under the stone benches, cuddling in the baskets and, one of their favorites...sitting in chairs. We purchased a dozen more chairs for them, that we occasionally use, too!
The new clinic is very, very busy and we need a third doctor. Fortunately, and this is a real blessing, there’s a young woman who was with us for six months, two years ago, who left to do her postgrad work in Surgery at Madras Veterinary College. She’s finishing in June and is going to rejoin us. Her name is Dr. Heera. She’s a solid clinician, and her energy is like the rising sun. Om Namah Shivaya…In the meantime, a young vet who recently finished her post grad work and wants to teach at the college needed temporary work, and she is going to be with us until June.
I want now, to take a little time to tell you about the love in which our beloved Shelter is immersed. We are all connected thru the Heart. Whenever I show up I'm simply swallowed in the mutual gladness of seeing everyone...And, blessing of blessings, our Precious Ones bask in that energy.
First and foremost, there are Dr. Raja and Vishwa. They're such incredible Beings, that I deeply feel they were yogis with significant attainment in a prior life. (And I very, very seldom experience or talk about prior life things.) That such incredible souls were sent to me...that I was entrusted with being their teacher...is humbling. And, of course, I'm no longer their teacher. They are on their own legs now, with their own strengths, and have taken things beyond where I feel I could have taken them, even in my prime. They are running things. I am overseeing. Distantly though. I place my head at their feet.
We meet very early every Monday morning for several hours at the Sparsa Resort restaurant for our regular weekly meeting-- Dr. Raja. Vishwa. Elaine. Dr. Ramakrishna. And myself. There is such Heart in the meetings. The discussions are so imbued with feeling, insight, and compassion. They are so productive.
And yes, Elaine, our beloved veterinary nurse, is back! We're not the only ones who are happy. The Voiceless Ones, too.
She told me a nice story about two young women from Europe who volunteered for three weeks. They were a little anxious about being so close to "all the pain" when they first started...and cried when they left...because the Precious Ones were so happy.
The shakti inside the Shelter is simply uplifting. People visiting us, now with the expanded space, are deeply moved. Some, who are animal-lovers, get teary because they didn’t know a facility like ours existed. Wish you could come visit and experience it.
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On a lighter note…Here are some Shelter Heart Stories and vignettes. Have heard from a number of you of how much you enjoyed and were moved by these stories…Several of you said that of all the things I write about, this section was, by far, your favorite…and asked me if I could expand it…Well, dear people, I’ll try.
Ranjeet Maharaj.
He was an awkward, gangly "teenager" in the dog world. He had yet to grow into his long legs, large paws, and oversized ears. He limped into Shivani's house with open mange sores, fleas, and smelling. He had been heavily abused on the street...and, no one wanted him.
He must have sensed a kind stranger in Shivani, for he immediately laid down on one of her cushions and slept and slept.
Shivani brougnt him to us, where Dr. Raja treated him with medication and the Staff gave him a special bath for his skin condition. After four days, Shivani picked him up and got his medication. It seems he had found a home. He has adopted Shivani! He is now called Ranjeet Maharaj.
The regeneration of young, forlorn Swetha.
We got her when she was a little over a year. She'd been an "owner" dog, but was simply abandoned when they left. Vishwa got reports of her for several weeks, and finally caught her.
She was scared and confused. The family probably had children whom she loved. They just dumped her…And left. She lost everything that was dear to her. Without any understanding, it was just GONE.
We gave her a lot of love. A lot of stroking...and kissing.
The beauty of it is how quickly she bounced back. She was absolutely joyful, and bounded around wrestling and chasing. She adored supervisor Raja! I named her Beauty. But someone else named her Swetha, which is what stuck.
She was a joy to watch. She played so hard, that she would sometimes drink enough for a camel to make a desert crossing.
We got a call from someone who found a home for her in Nilgiri, which is seven hours away by car. It’s a beautiful area. It was with an elderly lady who loved Dalmatians and had one whose partner had recently died. She had a lot of land, and a caretaker who really liked dogs. Swetha would have been outside on the land most of the day. Clearly, she would have been taken care of beautifully. But I told the lady that I felt Swetha needed a home-type setting, children, and a lot of active loving. And, that her situation, tho’ she would be taken care of beautifully, wouldn’t provide the essence of what Swetha’s super-affectionate nature needed.
Vishwa found a good home for her locally. She, in a sense, wouldn’t be given as much “care”. But they had two boys, four and eight, who were over the top at the prospect of getting her. They came to the Shelter several times…the father and the boys…It was a match made in Heaven.
(Om Namah Shivaya dear Swetha…We missed your joyful presence.)
He almost didn’t make it.
His owners brought him in. Only 3 or 4 years old. He’d taken in a lot of phosphorus pesticide. He was salivating. His breathing was forced. And, the upper part of his chest was convulsing. It was pretty bad.
Dr.Raja gave him two i.v.’s. First the antidote. Then one with an anti-acid and anti-convulsant, Neurobion for muli-vitamins, and a mega dose of vitamin C.
After an hour on the table, he slowly started making some relaxed moves. Gaining energy. And finally, safely making it across. But the lucky guy still couldn’t stand well. So Dr. Raja kept him overnight.
He got a good rest. A lot of loving. And while being examined the next day, gave a really solid sign that he was ready to go: he started barking at Dr. Raja while he was on the table. Dr. Raja told the owner to lift him down. And he was ready to travel.
Amu, the goat.
I was on my Honda Activa. A guy passed me on a TVS scooter, which had a goat, legs tied, straddled across the floor board. She must have really been suffering.
I pulled him over, handing him one of my official looking Shelter visiting cards, but fiercely said I was with the Animal Welfare Board of India (he only spoke Tamil). I called Vishwa and told him to threaten the guy over the phone and say he had a choice: either sell the goat to me on the spot…or, I was bringing in the police, who would impound her because of his mistreatment. He gladly sold her to me for 3500 rupees ($55US), which was a little more than he would have gotten thru slaughter.
He lifted her from his TVS and laid her on the ground. She was very, very weak. I gently stroked her, and kissing her, said, “Everything is going to be okay now, poor babe. We’re very good people and we’re going to take care of you, and you’ll have a full life.” The goat was beautiful, a golden color, with long ears that just hung.
I had the man untie her legs. She had a big wound on one of her hoofs. Vishwa showed up. He talked to the man, who said he had already hired someone to slaughter her who would have been there in ten minutes. Vishwa took her to the Shelter. Dr. Raja said the hoof wound was not serious, but it was slightly infected and would take time to heal. He cleaned and dressed it. Gave her pain killer and anti-biotic injections. She was very, very weak, and she was given an i.v. for some nutrition. Dr. Raja said she had less than a fifty-fifty chance of living.
Vishwa took her home with him. He gave her grass, oil cakes with water, and several other things. She ate voraciously. He lives outside of town and there are nice, grassy patches out there. He carried her to one (she was too weak to walk), and she foraged for six straight hours. He slept outside with her. (In the back he has a long open shed for cows that is empty.). The next day he took her to one of the fields and she ate all day long...She, the third day started standing...and walking. Then running a little...
Vishwa named her Amu. We were sure that she was going to live. But, sadly, there was too much damage to her organs, and three weeks later, she quietly died. Those three weeks tho’, were filled with love, joy, and happiness. We put her on the Red Tara prayer list, and protective and guiding energy was sent to her soul for 49 days.
Google, the calf.
Vishwa got a call at his house from some villagers 40 kms away. A cow had been bitten by a snake. He told them to bring her to the Shelter and called Dr. Raja to let him know.
They called back fifteen minutes later. The cow had died. She had a baby calf just nine days old. They were going to sell it for slaughter…4,500 rupees. Vishwa told them he would buy it…and shot out there with the car.
The poor sweetie. Bewildered, scared, hungry, and not knowing what happened to his mom, he came back in the car with Vishwa, who took him to his house. (Vishwa lives in the country. There’s an open air space with an overhead roof behind his house where his auntie used to keep 30 cows. There’s space on both sides, and beautiful open grassy fields that aren’t being used by anyone.) For the first several days, just like he did with Amu the goat, Vishwa slept outside with the calf.
When I first saw him, it was hard to believe he was only nine days old. He was black and white. Tall. And absolutely the most beautiful calf I’ve ever seen. Vishwa is going to keep him. He's named him Google. Google loves Vishwa. (And Vishwa loves him) And he’s possibly the most joyful calf I’ve ever seen. He’s free most of the time. While I was there, he went galloping off about 100 meters into the field. Then out of sight. And came charging back. Happy. Happy. Happy! Happy! Happy!
He took to Amu (while she was alive) the beautiful goat I'd rescued the week before. She was at Vishwa’s house, too, while her hoof healed. (She was also big and beautiful). They slept side by side. And he often came up and licked her up and down.
As I’m writing this, Google is now 2 ½ months old. I haven’t seen him since he was three weeks old. Vishwa tells me he’s big, strong, handsome, and happy. I’ll try to get out there in the next several days.
Baby owl.
Recently, Vishwa called me, late night. Someone had found a baby owl on Pradakshina Road. Alone. In trouble. They tried to find the mother. But the poor babe, about a month old, was really alone.
Owls are very difficult to help. It's a long time before they can fly. Maybe three, possibly four months. They're carnivores, and hunters. And it's the mother that teaches them to hunt. So unless you can teach them to hunt, you can't release them. We've had a few in the last several years. About two years ago, a baby was brought to us that we kept for two months. We kept him in a cage in the operation theatre. Twice a day, supervisor Raja would let him out of the cage for about an hour or two. He was just beginning to fly. We had been feeding him tiny chunks of chicken and beef, and some kind of "meat based" Pediigree jelly. But we didn't know what to do, because we couldn't set him free. After many, many calls I found someone in Delhi who was an expert in the rehabilitation of predator birds. But Delhi was too far away. Fortunately, they knew of one other expert who, was in Bangalore, which is only six hours away by car. And blessing of blessings, the Bangalore lady said she would take him.
Vishwa called the Bangalore lady, and she will take him into her sanctuary. Prem Kumar just took the babe to her the very day I’m writing this Report.
Mira.
This is an older story written a while back. But a beautiful story.
Mani found Mira lying on the side of the road near the Shelter. The poor baby was only four years old. She was post-distemper. Twitching. Couldn’t open her mouth. Starving. And near death. She was an “owner dog” who had probably been abandoned. Lying there alone. Having lost everything. Not understanding. Miserable. Frightened.
Dr.Raja started giving her i.v.’s with neurobion for nutrition, a liver booster to stimulate the liver, plus antibiotics (for the first three days). Vishwa had the Staff give her a lot of loving. And on the second' day by attaching a thin rubber tube to an i.v. syringe' he was able to start getting a little milk on her tongue in increasing amounts, which she swallowed.
We had her in a large retaining cage that didn’t have a lot of direct sunlight, and with only one other post-distemper dog. Neither of them could walk and they were both almost “mutedly conscious”. On the fourth day Leslie went in and spent time lying with each of them. Holding them. Kissing them. Softly saying mantras to them. And telling them I loved them. Their energy picked up and we decided they should be moved into the clinic on cushions, where there was a lot of light, affection from puppies snuggling them and lying close to them.
Her second day in the clinic, Mira started standing (she had been lying on her side and not moving around). Her twitching decreased in intensity. And Vishwa very, very gently was massaging her jaws. She was able to open them a little and started drinking a few ounces of milk from a bowl. And he started giving her little bits of food.
Also on the second day, she got her first bath and Vishwa gave her a haircut. She looked a zillion percent better. And it was as though vanity precipitated a change in her personality; she started to move in a totally different manner.
Now, this sweet girl moves around with the others...is affectionate. But she is so fierce around food and milk if any of the other guys get near her bowl, that we feed her in closet with the door closed!
So good to have you back, dear Mira. Welcome to Life.
May all beings benefit!
==================================
This brings us to the end of this Report.
Hoping that each of you is doing excellently...That you're unfolding beautifully and strongly, inside. My Baba said that nothing is gained without some inner austerity. I sometimes think of it in worldly terms for myself as, "Growing up ain't easy!"
As in previous reports, I've included a collection of photos. Hoping you enjoy them. Remember...the theme is simply LOVE.
PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.
THE PRECIOUS ONES NEED US. AND WE NEED YOU.
Recurring donations, even quite modest ones, are best for us...
Please...Keep your support coming.
====================================
With love, blessings, and wishes for all things good... May we all be blessed with more compassionate understanding,
Leslie, The Ageing Expatriate Warrior
Links:
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