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

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.

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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.

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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.

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?!!!

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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.

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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.)

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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 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.

 =================================== 

                  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...To All of You out there...Leslie

*

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've always loved that greeting. Classically, it's said with the hands clasped in front of the chest. Esoterically, it means, "I bow to your Innermost Self".

And now Dear Ones...Announcing a "biggie", and I do mean biggie. It just happened. (Many of you are very familiar with the intense saga that has unfolded over the last six months involving 37 Rescued Cattle that we were caring for and protecting while a criminal case to save them was litigated---Mafia connected lawyers...police...courts...corruption...threats of kidnapping the cattle...danger. For the many who are not familiar with this, I'll explain after I've made this wonderful, wonderful announcement.)

THE CASE CAME TO TRIAL, FINALLY, ON JULY 8TH. I'm not going to go into the incredible complexities leading to this simple, wonderful ending. But it was a clffhanger fraught with uncertainty and danger until the very, very end.

WE JUST RECEIVED THE OFFICIAL COURT ORDER. The lawyer for the "cattle traffickers" accepted their guilt. A modest fine was imposed (the maximum permitted by law)...BUT THE CATTLE WERE IMPOUNDED AND PERMANENTLY GIVEN TO US...AND FURTHER, WE WERE GIVEN THE AUTHORITY TO PLACE THEM IN ANOTHER RECOGNIZED GOSHALA THAT WOULD GIVE THEM LIFETIME SANCTUARY.

The danger of the cattle being kidnapped by the "mafia" is over...The danger of them being impounded by the Court and given to the Government, who might have given them to someone who wouldn't thoroughly protect them and give them a good life, is over...THEY ARE IN  OUR HANDS, SAFE, AND WILL HAVE GOOD LIVES.

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

THIS IS A SUMMARY FOR THE MANY UNFAMILIAR WITH THE RESCUE...AND THE BATTLE:

• Saturday night, January 12th, a lorry illegally carrying 37 cattle (the legal maximum in one lorry is six) being taken to slaughter in Kerala was intercepted on the road.
  
• The conditions inside that vehicle bordered on atrocity.
• Jammed into two layers, one can only imagine what was done to those poor animals to load them like that. Prodding. Beating. Kicking. Pulling by the nose. Jabbing. And it's difficult to imagine the suffering that would have occurred on the long 20-hour journey to the slaughterhouse had they not been intercepted...Little air (the lorry was fully covered to conceal what they were carrying). No water. No food. Bumpy roads. The moaning. The crushing. The dying. Youngsters separated from their mothers. Awful. Awful. Awful.
• The police impounded the lorry and the cattle, and criminal charges were filed.
• The cattle were turned over to us (14 water buffalo, 11 bulls, 10 bullocks, 2 cows) on January 13th to care for them while the case was being litigated.
• They were traumatized, dehydrated, and depleted.
• To really care for them, one had to be aware of the total nightmare they'd gone thru. They were suffering and deeply frightened, with no understanding of what was happening. Everything that was dear to them had been ripped away, and they were thrown into this "horror" at the hands of humans who didn't care what they did to them, how much that hurt them, how much they terrorized them, or how much they might suffer...Some of the Precious Ones were only babes that had been taken away from their mothers.
• Our beloved Vishwa handled the whole thing...Thank God for Vishwa!

When we first got the cattle, we thought we would just care for them while everything unfolded. But there was no one else to do anything, so we carried the full load. Everything: the caring...the strategy...the litigation...dealing wih the unbelievable corruption and indifference involving the mafia. The lawyers...the Courts...the police...and the danger that was always in the background...(We don't have this kind of flagrant, powerful corruption and indifference in the West.)

Here is a link to photos of the cattle after 4 1/2 months of love, caressing, caring, stroking...  Photo presentation of 37 cattle...-converted.pdf  . They are so, so beautiful. (Skip the beginning page of text and go right to the photos.)

The cattle traffickers were just low lifes, represented by mafia-connected lawyers who did everything (legal or illegal) they could to get the cattle back. And they were amazingly corrupt, willing to use violence,  and well-connected at high levels. We did everything possible to bring the traffickers to trial, have them found guilty, and maximize the possibility of the cattle being impounded so we could get them a full, good life. It ended up being one of those fairytale stories where the Forces of Light won out over the Forces of Darkness.

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

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 April, May, and June are:

• Clinic Visits..............................................1,645
• In-patient Treatments.............................3,633
• Emergency Rescues..................................131
• Dogs Sterilized...........................................200
• Anti-rabies injections................................352
• Animal Adoptions.........................................14
• Non-dogs treated.......................................243 
• (73 cows & calves, 65 goats & sheep, 50 cats, 45 birds, 7 rabbits, 1 squirrel, 2 horses)***Note: During this period, additionally, we were completely caring for the impounded 14 buffalo, 11 bulls, 10 bullocks, 2 cows).                                                                              

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

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

A recent well rescue.

• Got a call at 8:30pm. A dog had earlier fallen into a well outside a village about 50 kms away.
  
• Pondi and Vishwa got there about 10pm. The well was 50 feet deep. It wasn't  near any houses. The landowner became aware of the dog in distress when he was checking his land late in the day.
• Vishwa went down on a rope. The poor babe was a two year old girl. There were several feet of water and she was hanging on a ledge, partially submerged, cold, frightened, and hungry...She had probably fallen much earlier because she'd by now given up and was no longer crying for help.
• Tho' she was frightened and a little afraid of Vishwa, she knew she was being rescued and was happy. Vishwa talked to her for several minutes, and gently approached. He stroked her and put her in a bag, and Pondi slowly lifted her topside.
• She was a homeless dog, and was in good health...so she had villagers around who fed and cared for her. She stayed with Pondi and Vishwa for perhaps ten minutes. They dried her off, gave her some food, stroked her...and then released her.
• The sweetie was very, very happy to be free. In the morning she would wander into her territory and visit those who cared for her.

A lost pup.

• We got a call around noon from a shop owner near the main bus station. It's a very, very busy place. Big. Scary. Shops and stands crowded together. Intense traffic-many buses, cars, auto rickshaws, two wheelers. A dangerous place for an inexperienced dog.
  
• There was a little puppy with no mother and a bad skin condition...frightened and weak.
• She was afraid of Pondi when he got there. But he gave her some snacks, gently spoke to her, and she let him pick her up. She was a baby. The poor, frightened, lost sweetiepie, separated from her mother, not really understanding what was happening, was so relieved when she felt the "safety" of Pondi's embrace...and his gentle, loving reassurance.
• Dr.Raja gave her a vaccination, and she got her first bath.
• We kept her for a month while treating her mange. She quickly settled into the Shelter and was happy. Vishwa found a really nice home for her in a nearby village. They had a six year old boy who adored her. Om Namah Shivaya.

We got an email from a lady thru our website.

• The email read, "It's nice to hear that there is an animal centre near Tiruvannamalai. Our dog has some severe injuries inside. We don't even have an idea how it happened to him. He started losing his hair and he was not able to walk. We tried our best by contacting doctors and getting medicines. But there has been no improvement. He is going thru a very bad phase of life. He is not allowing us to touch. We don't know how to take him to your hospital. Now, I found some lumps in his feet. Please do the needful. We believe you are the final option given us by God to save him. We want him back. Thank you. Please reply back to get more details and we need help to save him. Thanks a lot."
• I asked her to send her phone number. Vishwa called. She sent some photos. Dr.Raja looked at them, and told them to bring the dog in.
  
• They weren't able to get him into their car. Vishwa sent Pondi (they were 50 kms away) to help them.
• Their dog was four years old and a sweetie. He wasn't really biting, just snapping, probably because it was painful for him to be touched. Clearly tho', they loved him, and he, them.
• It turned out to be a hypo-active thyroid condition, and a pretty advanced case of arthritis. The loss of the hair, and the lumps on his feet were from a thyroid-connected fungal skin condition.
• He hadn't been treated at all over the last year. The doctors (they probably weren't small animal vets) were just giving painkillers.
• The owners were deeply, deeply relieved and almost joyful. Dr. Raja gave their dog several injections, and sent them home with medication for both the thyroid and arthritis, along with painkillers, and an ayurvedic oil for the fungal skin condition.
• Dr.Raja told them to return in one month. (He is expecting a vast improvement.)
• We received this nice note the next day from the owner..."Belore visiting your shelter, we didn't have any idea of what he was going through. When Dr. Raja checked and explained his condition, we got hope that he will get better soon...The world needs more people like you, inspiring. Thank you so much for the immediate action and help. We'll never forget the help you people have done to us. After visiting your shelter, I believed that humanity still exists in this World.

A baby horse.

• Several months ago a young female colt was brought to the Shelter by people from a temple  50 kms away. The poor babe was only two months old. She had been hit by a two wheeler and her back leg was severely broken. She was in a lot of pain, so Dr. Heera immediately gave her a strong painkiller. Then she cleansed the wound, gave the colt antibiotics and prepared her to be operated on the following morning.
• It was a one hour operation...and Dr. Heera inserted a pin.
• The Little One was still nursing, so they brought her mother, too. Several days later, during the night, the mother removed the pin...and you can only insert a pin once.
• For several weeks, each day the wound was bandaged, and ointment applied. Antibiotics and homeopathic medicine were given. The bone wouldn't fuse and three weeks later Dr. Heera had to amputate at the fracture site, about five inches above the hoof.
• The Little One could move around fine, but the wound took 1 1/2 months to heal.
• The mother was simply nasty with us. She would bite and kick when anyone approached her. Pondi and Dharma were able to form some relationship, but not a close one. It clearly wasn't a good situation for either the baby, or her mother.
• When the wound healed, Vishwa took mother and daughter back to the temple. It was in a small town. The people adored them, the mother and the babe, and brought little special snacks they'd come to love. The two Precious Ones were overjoyed to be back. They were showered with love. The babe was snuggling and playing.  And the mother--she was as sweet, gentle, and loving as could be!
• It was such a Heart-warmer...Clearly, they'll both have a beautiful life. 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. 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.

My Baba says that the World is as you see it...It's neither positive nor negative...It's important to hold onto the joy.

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. Remember...the theme is simply Love.

 ==========================

               PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.

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

PLEASE...DIG DEEPLY...AND GIVE GENEROUSLY...THIS HAS BEEN AN EXTREMELY FINANCIALLY STRESSFUL PERIOD BECAUSE OF THE CATTLE...A GREAT DEAL HAS BEEN    COVERED BY YOU, ALREADY (Hugs. And, more hugs.)...BUT THERE'S STILL SOME TO GO.

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...Each of us can help in that way.

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

                  Again...Welcome to our beloved Shelter. 

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.

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.

• “ i hope you understand my english... i want you to know…………..i spendt 6 weeks in india this time. i was feeding dogs everywhere and was very sad how they was treated by people. i cant understand this things, i love animals so much!..........i was travelling to Tiruvannamalai for 3 days to see, and hopefully to feel, this mountain and the ashram from Ramana………….a woman in the guesthouse told me about the animal sanctuary and i wanted to visit it before i leave to Pondycherry………………when i came in the sanctuary i felt, oh my god, i felt LOVE like never before! i felt freedom and coming HOME! after that, this love is still alive and wants to share!..................what i was searching in Tiru and all over the world I FOUND IN THE SANCTUARY!!!.............i love you, i love all of you!..................it is opening my heart like never before. unconditional LOVE! made so easy…it is the easiest thing in the world. one have only to GIVE and the hearts will understand this energy and react and learn how to GIVE. GIVING IS RECIEVING, its the same thing!.................and we learn it from people like you!”

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”

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

We've been busy since I've last written.  Our stats for January, February, and March are:

• Clinic Visits.............................................1,659
• In-patient Treatments...........................15,132
• Emergency Rescues.................................201
• Dogs Sterilized............................................85
• Anti-rabies injections................................264
• Animal Adoptions........................................13
• Non-dogs treated.......................................215 
• (62 cows & calves, 44 goats & sheep, 40 cats, 38 birds, 2 rabbits, 7 horses, 8 bullocks, 14 buffalo)                                                                                                                

 ============================= 

Some Shelter happenings.

•  A well rescue.
• We had a well rescue only ten kms out of town. Someone called and said a dog had been trapped for six days. Pandi and Premkumar went. But the well was 80 feet deep, and they couldn't reach the dog. (We don't know how he survived.) The Fire Department got him with an 80 foot rope ladder.  Pandi and Prem brought him to the Shelter. He was weak and dull, but had no significant injuries, and was otherwise in good health.
• He was a sweet guy. Two years old. He recovered his energy in only two days. (I'm wondering if he was actually trapped for the six days they said.) 
• He apparently had a good life, and really wanted freedom, quickly. So we set him free in his territory on the third day.

• A puppy rescue.
• We got a call that there were four 1 day old puppies whose mother had been killed in an accident. Vishwa went to check it out to make sure someone wasn't trying to dump the puppies. 
• He brought them to a special facility near his house that we've been using for pups the last three months. (It's the parvo and distemper season so there are too many germs to keep pups in the Shelter.)  
• Pups this young have to be fed every hour, 24 hours a day, and it gradually increases to where they're eating "normally" after a month. (We use special tiny nipples that we get from the States.) Vishwa slept with the pups the first four nights.
• I just spoke to Vishwa. They're doing beautifully, and they're very active.

• A very recent rescue.
• Some kind souls brought a 7 month old male dog that they had found lying on the side of the road about 30 kms out.
• He had been hit by a vehicle and his two back legs were totally mangled. 
• Dr.Raja gave the sweetie strong painkillers that blocked the pain, and i.v.'s to hydrate him, and operated the next morning. It was a two hour operation, and he had to amputate both back legs.
• Our Pure heart, Sekar, is taking care of this boy. We've had him a week now, and he's doing beautifully. In another few weeks dogs and puppies will start snuggling him. And in a month or so, he'll start "running around" with some friends.
• He'll have a good life with us.
• Om Namah Shivaya.

• Sad news.
• Lakshmi has passed away.
• She was the dear, five year old white horse Dr.Raja had been treating for a metastasized malignancy near her eyes. 
• Her final two months were sweet ones. Annette and Venkatesh had fallen in love with her, and took her on their 1 1/2 acre estate outside of town. It had large patches of green organic grass that she loved. Vishwa dressed her wound every day. Effective painkillers blocked any pain. And she had two months immersed in love and caring...and a peaceful passing.
• We've put her on several powerful prayer lists. Say a prayer for her.
• Om Namah Shivaya.

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• Also a problem. Intense.
• Most of you know about the rescue of the 37 cattle...for those who don't:
• Late night, January 12th, a lorry illegally carrying 37 cattle being taken to slaughter in Kerala was intercepted on the road. The conditions inside that vehicle bordered on atrocity. One can only imagine what was done to those poor animals to be able to load them like that. (The legal max for transporting is six.) Prodding them. Beating. Kicking. Pulling by the nose... And it is difficult to consider the suffering that would have occurred on the long 20 hour journey to the slaughter house had they not been intercepted...Almost no air. No water. No food. Bumpy roads. The moaning...dying...crushing. Youngsters separated from their mothers. Awful. Awful. Awful.
• The cattle and lorry were impounded by the police, and criminal charges were brought against the "cattle traffickers."
• The cattle were turned over to us to care for them while the case was litigated.
• At best, it's an involved process that can take several months. But, in this case, the mafia is involved and representing the "traffickers". And the weight of litigation has fallen on us.
• We've found out they have strong connections within the police department, with the prosecutor, and within the Court itself. They may be able to prevent the case from coming to trial...I don't know.
• At this point we've cared for the dear cattle for three months...but our initial estimate of $2,000 monthly was low. It's more like $3,300. We have them at two sites. If we're in for the long haul, we'll build to increase the capacity at one of the sites, and consolidate. That would bring the cost down to the original $2,000.
• These are uncharted waters for us. The mafia in this area is powerful. We're not "babes in the woods". We have contact and support from some powerful forces. But it's intense. And always...in the background...is danger. 
• If you're so inclined, we could really use your help for this alone, over and above everything else.
• There are 14 young water buffalo, 12 bulls, 8 bullocks, and 3 cows. They are doing beautifully. Gaining weight. Feeling safe and cared for. And becoming affectionate...I'm sure it's the best time of their lives.
• We couldn't even think of letting them go...and don't care what it takes. We will get these pure creatures to safety.
• Please say prayers for us...Om Namah Shivaya.
• Love, Leslie

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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.