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

Dear, dear People,

I'm at the Dreaming Tree, a wonderful rooftop restaurant in Tiru that has become my favorite place to work. So I'm overindulging, gaining weight, loving it, as I write this Report.

Blessings to All of You this Holiday Season. May each of us pass thru it in warmth, bathed in love-filled energy. May we all, All of Us, without exception, be blessed with more compassionate understanding this year.

The Shelter is going beautifully. A major topic these last two months has been puppies. Many, many of them. At one point we had forty. This created two distinct needs--caring for the Precious Little Ones, and finding homes for them.

The most important care is simply touching and babying them. And we have four village ladies--two in the morning and two in the afternoon-- whose only job is to cuddle and baby our Precious Ones, puppies and adults alike. If you saw these ladies, they would warm your Heart. They have little packets to help clean their fur babies' eyes and ears, and to remove ticks. They hold them, baby them and stroke them. It has really made a difference, so we're in the process of increasing our ladies to four in the morning, and four in the afternoon. Also of importance is that puppies have each other to snuggle, play, rest with, and touch. They're a real "Heartwarmer" to watch.

Finding homes for them, though, is a big problem and requires major, major effort. Vishwa has three students from the nearby college who go out up to 100kms looking for good homes…Then Vishwa goes to check the homes out. (About half are good.) The students can receive 500 rupees from us for each puppy placed…but they’re “deeply into it” and refuse to take any compensation other than reimbursement for their expenses. Our beloved Vishwa spends an incredible amount of time doing this. It’s not easy to find good homes. Sometimes a full day’s searching yields none. (At this point in time, since opening, Vishwa has remarkably placed over 1000 puppies in good homes.)

We’re concerned about the increasing number of puppies coming to us. So we’re doubling our efforts to sterilize the homeless dogs. We hope to do 100 to 150 a month. If that doesn’t bring the number of puppies being born under control, then we’ll have to radically increase our efforts from there.

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Many of you like to hear about our emergency rescues: (We do 60 to 120 a month.)

• We received a call from a village 65 kms away. A dog with a horrible infected wound on its back leg was going to houses for food and being chased away because he smelled so bad. People in one house tried to kill him…Vishwa got there about 10am. Just outside of town there was a large, wooded area, making it difficult to find the dog. Ten village people helped Vishwa look for him all day and couldn’t find him…Finally, Vishwa left around 6pm, when it was starting to get dark. The next day he returned at 9:30am with Prem Kumar and Arunagiri. They looked until 5p and gave up…The third day, Vishwa took our beloved Pandi with him, leaving Tiru at 4:30a. They got there at 6am. At 8 o’clock, they found out that the dog in question usually turned up at a particular house between 8 and 10. They waited, finally spotted him, chased him down and caught him…He had hundreds of maggots in the wound. Scores fell off in the car….Dr.Raja said he was weak, depleted, anemic, and in pain. He gave the dog a painkiller and i.v. with neurobion for nutrition, and tended the wound. The poor babe was only five years old. We’ve had him for five weeks, now. His wound is almost fully healed. He’s regained his strength, and has several furry friends with whom he wrestles, rests, and sleeps. He’s doing beautifully, and in two weeks Vishwa will take him back to his territory.
• The second rescue…Late night call. A cat had somehow fallen into a well...about 30 kms outside of town. The well was a deep one, sixty feet. Vishwa lowered himself on a rope. The cat was in an indentation in the side about five feet above the water. On the way down, (he was tired; it was 11pm), Vishwa lost his grip and fell about twenty feet into the water. But he reached the cat. (The poor baby was very scared.) He put him in a bag to carry him up - and the cat bolted to freedom as soon as they got to the top and opened the bag! (Enjoy your life little guy. We’re glad we could help.)

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The remainder of this Report is different than all the others. It’s mostly about the healing power of love, and about positive feelings.

Most of you know that my Main Teacher told me thirty years ago that the physician heals with the Heart. And we believe deep healing will only take place if an animal feels safe, cared for and loved. So the very core of our Work is demonstrative love—touching, stroking, reassuring, hugging, kissing. 

There are many stories of the healing power of positive energy---Hope…Love…Belief. 

For many years we’ve known thru the “placebo effect” that just the belief that getting (or doing) something that is beneficial creates a healing force. Medical science didn’t fully follow up on the implications of the placebo until the last twenty or thirty years. At this point in time, there’s been a lot of research done. 

I remember 35 years ago, a dear beloved friend of mine found out she had an advanced case of metastasized cervical cancer…and for months I dedicated myself to finding “a way”. It’s during this period that I became aware of the healing power of a “good inner-state”...

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I came across the miraculous story of Norman Cousins. He had been the editor of the Saturday Review of Literature for over 30 years. The Saturday Review was quite prestigious and Norman was well known. 

He had been in the hospital with a life-threatening, potentially terminal illness. It was a good hospital and he had all the top doctors. After a period of extended treatment, they told him that there was nothing more they could do, and that he had only a month or two to live.

Norman, in consultation with a dear doctor friend, decided that he would stop treatment. Their thinking was that if negative emotions could precipitate illness, positive emotions might be able to cure it. So the two of them pulled together all kinds of uplifting movies (including Charlie Chaplin) and books and moved into a hotel. They ate good food. Laughed. Enjoyed. And his doctor friend who was monitoring his vital signs, saw that his vitals were getting better and better……End of story—HE RECOVERED. 

His story was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the most prestigious medical journals in the States. And he became a lecturer at the University of California Medical School, expounding on the subject of the healing force of positive emotions. Om Namah Shivaya.

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Also in the 80’s, I came in contact with an organization in Los Angeles (supported by local doctors) that helped women dealing with cancer…They had considerable success. I used a tape of theirs for a dear friend who was getting chemotherapy. It guided her thru visualizations, recollections of things she loved, and meditations, as the chemo was being administered.All of it had to do with positive feelings. I believe it really helped.

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There have been a number of times when the condition of one of our Precious Ones in the Shelter was getting serious, when medication wasn’t working, yet we were able to reverse it just by focusing on being gentle and loving. 

I remember late one night when Vishwa and I were in front of the Shelter with a puppy who was clearly fading and wasn’t going to make it. In the darkness, I held the baby against my Heart, stroking and kissing him. Then I noticed a light start to come thru his eyes. Vishwa was going to take him home to spend the night. I told him to hold the tiny creature against his Heart. The young babe experienced a strong reversal, and lived. 

We have many, many such stories…The Power of Love…The Power of Positive Energy. 

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This brings us to the end of the Report.

Hoping that each of you is doing excellently...That you're unfolding beautifully and strongly, inside. My Baba said that nothing is gained without some inner austerity...It seems that we have to go thru some inner burning to clear the way.

As in previous reports, I've included a collection of photos. Hoping you enjoy them. Remember...the theme is simply LOVE.

                PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.

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

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

            PLEASE...KEEP YOUR SUPPORT COMING. 

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

Leslie, The Ageing Expatriate Warrior

Dear People. Dear Animal Lovers. Dear Supporters. 

Namaskaram. I bow to your Inner-most Selves. 

This is a Special Report. It is deep. It is moving. It is not processed. Plastic. Or edited in a way to zip right along. I’ve never written anything publicly like this. 

Our beloved Shelter is going beautifully. To visit it is healing. One experiences Spaciousness and Love. Animal lovers experiencing it for the first time often get teary because they didn’t know a place such as this existed. 

The Voiceless Ones, except for those that are infectious and contagious, run free and are happy. They are not “in captivity” simply passing their precious lives. They have choices. Of friends. Of activities: To be solitary. To be social…To run. To play…To snuggle. To sleep…To pass the time watching the World go by…To be grumpy. To be loving…To simply be themselves—each day, throughout the day…To change, whenever…… 

The Staff. How special they are. How genuinely they relate to and care for the Precious Ones. It is truly a place…Of Love…Of Life…And, most of all, of Heart.

We are all very, very grateful it unfolded to be what it is. It didn’t happen thru any penetrating, deep planning. The motivation was always pure. From moment to moment, from day to day, it was always imbued with love, caring, and intelligence. And what happened, what evolved, is this wonderful, wonderful place. 

We couldn’t have worked harder, but almost all the important things happened magically thru Grace. I personally believe in a Divine Being, a Master of the Universe and I truly believe that this is a Divine Manifestation, not simply the result of our hard, dedicated effort…Those of you who don’t share my belief can say, “You’re off the wall, Leslie…You guys did a magnificent job.” And I say to you, “Okay, so you believe whatever you want.”  And being a liberal, giving space and credence for other opinions, I say back to you, “Fine. You guys believe whatever you want. But you’re so wrong. And that’s not the way it is!!! This place, this oasis of compassion and healing, is simply not the result of any person’s actions, or efforts." 

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In this Report I want to focus on one happening. One incredible, complex expression of compassion, caring, and Grace that unfolded so beautifully. I am deeply proud of the Staff that so lifted what could have been, what would have been, what should have been such deep suffering for six vulnerable creatures—Leo, Lady, Winnie, Oscar, Max, and Muffin—two 9 month old German Shepherds, one three year old Himalayan Shepherd, a five year old Lab, and two Indian dogs—an eleven year old, and a fourteen year old. 

It conveys some of the sensitivity and awareness with which we’re blessed that surfaces to handle things compassionately as we move from situation to situation…Om Namah Shivaya. 

This involves a lovely being, a lady, who had lived here for thirty-five years. She encountered some serious visa problems, real ones, not created by some “bureaucratic mind”. It happened feverishly fast—three days from the time she first heard ‘til the time she had to leave the Country. I’ll give her the name Eethera. 

She built a fine life here. Her footprints on the Planet were big, and thru her good works she was able to lift a lot of suffering. AND she was a total Animal Lover. She had these six whom she adored. She had each since they were pups. Leo, Lady, Winnie, Oscar, Max, and Muffin. 

We met--Eethera, Dr.Raja, Vishwa, and myself. For 2 1/2 hours. The situation was incredibly complicated and intense. We arranged to meet again the following morning. (She was supposed to leave the day after that.) It gave space for things to settle down and to move towards clarity. 

She called me that night, and I said, “Eethera, my mind is still confused. It’s too soon. Wait until morning.” 

She called me 7am the following morning, and said she couldn’t meet early because she had to go to the Police Department. I was not pleased. Our meeting was set for 3pm. I called Dr. Raja and Vishwa, and the three of us met in a local restaurant. 

I’m not usually affected strongly emotionally when we go thru very difficult things, I just do what’s needed, and focus on keeping my Heart and Awareness open. But in this situation, the night before, I got teary and was deeply afraid for her six Furry Ones, and what they might have to go thru. 

In the morning, though, once Vishwa, Dr. Raja, and I started discussing possibilities, things lightened, and it was clear that we could do a lot to soften the blow. 

One major problem was that her dogs weren’t typical “owner dogs”. 

For example, by typical, we have an older dog, Jingles, that we took in over a year ago. She was loved by her owners, but she wasn’t the center of the family or the center of attention. They went thru difficult circumstances where they simply could not care for her. Because they had done so much for the Shelter, we took her. After getting over the separation, she has a good life with us and is happy. 

Eethera’s life revolved around these creatures. She lived in a two story, non-traditional house that had a lot of nooks and crannies. The Furry Ones had the run of the house. And she was with them throughout the day. She kept two large tubs of water they could soak in to keep cool during the Hot Season. They had the run of the yard. The house itself was set in a sparsely populated area. It was ¾ km from a small lake. Every day they went for a walk and four of them adored the water. 

Eethera’s Precious Ones just wouldn’t fit into the Shelter. They’d be unhappy, and probably end up getting into a lot of conflicts. And it’s hard to find homes for adult dogs. But Vishwa thought he might be able to find homes for the four pedigrees. (It was critical.) The two Indian dogs, aged eleven and fourteen were more sedentary and might be happy in the Shelter.  

Just as an aside, when people are moving, we will not take in their dogs, and find homes for them. That’s not what we’re here for. We’re fully engaged with what we do, and don’t have the resources to deal with those situations, which they can handle (perhaps with some effort). But this was an exception, a circumstance we’d never before encountered. 

And this is the setting with perhaps the deepest, most complex, rescue you will ever read about.

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Dr. Raja, Vishwa and I decided to meet with Eethera on the upper floor of her house, and to take Venkatesh (from our Staff) along to start forming a bond with the Furry Ones on the ground floor while we met. 

We knew that we couldn’t just take them into the Shelter and let them run free. They had to be in a large retaining area. There was only one that was suitable. It had a high chain link fence around it (25ft x 30ft). There was a hut inside that had a good coconut leaf roof, and open entrance, and benches along the sides. It was in the center of the garden, so the dogs could run around and have a view of everything that was going on. Vishwa had it prepared. 

Eethera called around noon. We met straight away. At the meeting she “dropped the bomb”. It turned out she wasn’t leaving the next day but had to leave 7pm that very night. 

This now had the potential to be shatteringly traumatic for the poor creatures.

It was important that Eethera be present when they were moved. At 3:30pm Vishwa and Eethera took the dogs to the Shelter in a lorry. Their eating bowls had been taken to the hut, along with a few familiar pieces of furniture. Venkatesh was there to greet them, and was going to sleep with them throughout the night. (Actually, to stay with them continuously for the first 48 hours, and to sleep with them the first two nights.) Eethera had a caretaker that the dogs really liked. She was in Chennai when they were moved. But Vishwa picked her up 9pm at the bus stand that first night and brought her to the Shelter for a few hours. She returned in the morning, and was hired for the next three weeks. 

It went off beautifully. They were fed and given treats shortly after they arrived at the Shelter. 

Venkatesh, after the first two days, “double shifted” for two weeks so he was with them a number of hours during the day and night. 

Eethera’s food lasted for four days. Then they got special, special fare. (Pedigree, milk, eggs, rice/chicken). 

Vishwa arranged to take the four younger pedigrees for two walks a day on retractable leashes, each walk lasting one to two hours.

Vishwa was able to find good homes for the four pedigrees. Tho’ he had good homes for the two German Shepherds (Leo and Lady), he fell in love with them and they now live with Vishwa in beautiful circumstances out of town. 

Max (the Lab), and Winnie (the Himalayan Shepherd) went to beautiful homes. They were two families that lived outside of town in the country. Each had land. One had two children; the other four—between the ages of six and twelve. 

The dogs were all with us for a month. And each of the prospective adopters came to the Shelter between twelve and fifteen times. We had earlier decided that we would wait until the dogs were emotionally ready to be adopted. 

As for Leo and Lady, the young German Shepherds, their home at Vishwa’s is like heaven itself…There’s a lot of land and open fields behind his house…He has three children…But Leslie, his ten-year old (The name sound familiar?), has a special relationship with the dogs and they adore each other. And, of course, they love Vishwa and he loves back. On most days they’re taken to the lake near Eethera’s old house, for a swim…and he goes in with them…Vishwa said they’ve become so strong they almost overpower him…I pity anyone who tries to harm Vishwa if they’re around. 

Then there’s Oscar and Muffin, the two older Indian dogs, who are adjusting nicely to the Shelter. It takes time, but they’re given a lot of love and support, and they are content and increasingly into their new life…It really helps that they’re good friends…After the first week, we started introducing them to life on the Veranda. Starting with a half-hour, and increasing the time each day. We had decided that we wouldn’t place the other dogs until they were full-time on the Veranda mixing with more dogs, so they wouldn’t feel abandoned when the others went to their new homes. 

I am so, so proud of the Shelter Staff. This is just one happening. There are many, many. And all this is taking place with all the other activities happening…AND 200 other in-patient dogs. 

I place my head at their feet. 

Om Namah Shivaya

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This brings us to the end of the Report.

Hoping that each of you is doing excellently...That you're unfolding beautifully and strongly, inside. My Baba said that nothing is gained without some inner austerity. I sometimes think of it in wordly terms for myself as, "Growing up ain't easy!"

As in previous reports, I've included a collection of photos. Hoping you enjoy them. Remember...the theme is simply LOVE.

                PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.

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

RECURRING DONATIONS, EVEN QUITE MODEST ONES, ARE BEST FOR US.

            PLEASE...KEEP YOUR SUPPORT COMING.

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

With love, blessings, and wishes for all things good...May we all be blessed with more compassionate understanding.

Leslie, The Ageing Expatriate Warrior

Links:

• Three minute video that has excerpts from an interview of me.
• This is an 8 minute video.Screened at AhimsaFest 2016 in Mumbai.
• Our Facebook page...It really is Special. (All Heart!)