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

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.

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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:

• 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.

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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)                                                 
  

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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. It's so important for us to try to connect with the Light inside. And equally important to put that energy out into the World.

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

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

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

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                  PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.

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

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

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

 ===================================

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.