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.