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

Dear People... Dear Animal Lovers... Dear Supporters.

Namaste. I bow to your Innermost Selves.

In these most difficult of times the Shelter is simply going beautifully.

There are many good shelters in India, but ours is unique. The Grace of Arunachala, Ramana Maharshi, and the other exalted Beings of this holy town is palpable. Inside, the Shelter is permeated with love. Some people experiencing it for the first time get teary because they didn't know a place such as ours existed. On the streets, many say they have never, in India, seen people so caring to the animals. And the animals so open to the people.

When we opened in 2007, it was awful. The worst I had seen. There were 350 suffering and dying animals on the streets. Widespread abuse. People avoided coming here. Most visitors to Ramana Maharshi Ashram would not stop for chai or a coconut across the road, because it was too emotionally disturbing to be approached by the pleading suffering puppies and dogs that were abundant.

Today Tiru is totally different. The homeless dog population has stabilized for the first time in forty years, and it is rabies free. There are no more suffering and dying dogs on the streets. There are 10,000 fewer puppies born each year - almost all of whom would have suffered and died. There is no longer widespread abuse, and thus, very few aggressive dogs.

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.

Many years ago, my Baba told me, "A physician heals with the Heart." Our belief is that a creature must feel safe, cared for, and loved for deep healing to take place. So the very core of all our Work is demonstrative Love. Touching. Stroking. Holding. Reassuring. And yes, kissing. This truly, truly is a special animal shelter.

We treat every animal in need completely free of charge, regardless of whether they are homeless, wild, or domestic. That includes operations! Over the years, we have cumulatively given over 300,000 treatments to animals as in-patients or thru our shelter clinic, taking in dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, birds, peacocks, deer, horses, cows, rabbits, snakes, owls, mongooses, ducks, chickens, squrrels, eagles, reptiles, and so on.

Among shelters of larger municipalities:

• We may be the only one that has 24/7 emergency rescue any time of the day or night within 125 kms.
• For adoptions, we are the only shelter that goes out as far as 100 kms to find caring homes for puppies and dogs. We have placed over 1800 in good homes. Vishwa has trained several college students to search for these homes, and the students are so moved by the Work that they will only accept reimbursement for expenses...Om Namah Shivaya.

The general citizenry, the Municipality, business owners, the Police Department, and the Forest Department are very grateful. Generally, everyone is grateful.

And we, too, are grateful for the way it has unfolded. We pray that the knowledge we have been given of how to transform the relationship of the animals with the people - and how to uplift the human community - spreads far and wide. It is so important to millions across India. And in other countries.

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This Report, like many of the others, gives an overview of the energy our Work has generated to lift suffering from both the animal realm and the human realm.

I also discuss why the traffic in Tiru is so difficult for the Precious Ones.

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To remind you of the level at which we are operating,  below are our STATISTICS SINCE OPENING JAN.2007 THRU AUG.2024. 

• Clinic Visits........................105,807
• In-Patient Treatments........220,302
• Anti-Rabies Injections.........26,119
• Emergency Rescues..............8.607
• Dogs Sterilized ......................9,678
• Animal Adoptions..................1,657
• Non-dogsTreated..................11,326 (Included in"Non-dogs Treated" are 4,053 cows & calves, 342 goats & sheep, 2,857 cats, 1,427 birds, 408 rabbits...and 527 squirrels/ donkeys/pigs/peacocks/parrots/eagles/horses/deer/ bullocks/ snakes/turkeys/owls/ducks/mongooses/turtles.)

 MONTHLY (these figures are current), we:                 

• treat 800 to 1,500 out-patients in the Clinic, most of whom are "owner dogs";
• give 1,500 to 3,000 treatments to in-patients, almost all of whom are homeless dogs;
• go out on 100 to 120 emergency rescues;
• perform 100 to 125 sterilizations;
• give 130 to 250 anti-rabies injections;
• place 8 to 20 puppies in good homes;
• treat 100 to 200 animals other than dogs.(Mostly cows, calves, goats, sheep, and cats...but many others too.)

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While the stats are impressive, they are not the main thing. THE IMPORTANT THING IS HEART! For deep healing to take place, a creature has to feel safe, cared for, and loved.

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About the traffic. There are specific circumstances as to why Tiru has one of the most difficult situations for animals and traffic accidents. All other municipalities are on flat land, where there is generally a lot of space for animals to be safe from heavy traffic. Not true of Tiru. The municipality is built around the sacred mountain, Arunachala. So there is much less flat land. Further, Tiru is one of the holiest places in southern India, and draws ever-increasing numbers of people in cars. The traffic is narrowly concentrated around the mountain, and with the increasing number of cars, there are more and more accidents.

When we opened in 2007, there were 5 to 10 emergency rescues a month, which was high for that time. A year ago there were 40 to 70. We now have 100 to 120 rescues a month! IN A NORMAL SITUATION THIS WOULD BE 5 OR 10. This extreme frequency of rescues could only happen in Tiru, and the intensity of traffic is completely beyond our control.  We hope it has now leveled off.

We have our six best Staff doing the rescues. Normally, two go out on each rescue. (They are very loving and good.) About half the accidents are not serious. The Precious Ones are basically mostly in shock, so are quickly able to go back to their territory and be free. However, I sometimes worry about the overload for the Staff.  Please say a prayer for them.

I have recently asked three Spiritual Masters who are the heads of three major ashrams to do ongoing practices to help protect the Precious Ones.

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Here are some new Rescue Stories from Vishwa.  For many of  you, it's your favorite part.

• Got a 1pm call at the Shelter from a shop owner about 20kms away. There was a dog with a bad skin condition, no hair, and sores on her body, and a very bad maggot wound on her nose. Pandi and Prem went out. It was a 2 year old female. She was fast, and It took an hour to catch her. The maggot wound was old, had a lot of maggots, and smelled awful. She was very uncomfortable. Dr. Mahesh treated the maggot wound first. Then this girl got a medicated bath. She started in Cage 2. Mani and Santosh cared for her. She was bathed every 5 days with ointment and tablets. We've now had her two weeks. Her skin is healed but the hair's not fully in yet. She's a real sweetie and playing with all the other dogs. The shop owner who called has visited twice. He's going to adopt her in another two weeks.
• Got a 9:30pm call at the Shelter from someone near the Collector's Office, about 10kms away. She had passed a dog on the side of the road who was crying and had an awful maggot wound on his testicles. Prem and Tamil went, and got him without a chase. Dr. Mahesh and Dr. Raja treated him. It was a bad infection. They gave him a strong painkiller, and worked on him for a 1/2 hour. He started in Cage 2. Mani and Santosh took special care of him...and he came to love them. He spent another month on the veranda, where he completely recovered and played with a number of the other dogs. We then released him into his territory. He was very, very happy...Om Namah Shivaya.
• Got a 7:30am call at the Shelter from the Forest Department. A young male deer had been attacked by several dogs. He had bad, bleeding bites on both back legs. They had chased the dogs away, but the deer was really hurt. Pandi, Dharma,Tamil, Prem, and Hari all went. The deer was 4 years old and had full antlers. It took 1 1/2hrs to catch him. Dr. Mahesh treated him, and gave him three injections-- painkillers, antibiotics, and anti-rabies. They put him in a large cage. Pandi watched over him during the day. Arunagiri at night. We kept him three days, then called the Forest Department, who released him into the Forest. He was very, very glad to get away from us! Om Namah Shivaya.

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Before closing, I always like to say something about my beloved Dr. Raja and Vishwa who are now as I enter "old age", actually running the Shelter. (I am overseeing and advising.) They are s-o-o-o good, it is humbling. At times I feel inadequate. What a blessing they are! They have both been with me from the very beginning. And it is together that we have built this wonderful shelter.

I sometimes call Dr. Raja "Schweitzer", after the famous Nobel laureate philanthropist, Dr. Albert Schweitzer. One of his most profound  qualities is his deep silence. When people converse with him, there is no "window-dressing" of created personality. He relates from the unadorned quietness of his own being in a way that you know is real and true. Thousands of people love this man. You simply know there's no judgement, no duplicity. It is within that quietness and stillness that Dr. Raja cares for animals. And all experience it. Many owners come from as far as 150 kms away to have him treat their creatures.

Many of you know that I sometimes call Vishwa "The Martian" because an Earthling couldn't do what he does. He oversees all the operations. He is up at least seven or eight times a month in the middle of the night on emergency rescues that are often more that 20 kms out of town. And he never tells me when he's overloaded, which he always is. If I feel he's in a money bind, the conversation goes, "Vishwa how in the hell can you be tight on money? Payday was only five days ago." And if I press him, I find 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 bought four calves under similar cirumstances for 12,000 rupees. (They were all very weak, and he was only able to save one.) And he's supporting these creatures in a cowshed setup he has behind his house...on his money!!! My beloved Vishwa.

And I am so deeply touched by the Staff. So little of what's going on now depends on me. Inside the Shelter, It isn't an atmosphere that is contrived. The relationship between the Staff and the animals is close and real. Everyone cares for the animals differently according to their own essence. Things ebb and flow quite naturally. The animals experience that, are a part of it, and feel safe and secure. They have choices. They have lives. They're not just in captivity with people "being nice to them".

What a Blessing it is to be able to lift suffering from even one creature. What a blessing it is to experience the Blessing of being able to do it.

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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.

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.

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With love, blessings, and wishes for all things good...May we All, each of us, act in a way that emits uplifting, healing energy. May we be Guided and Protected. May we be kind to each other. May those not as fortunate prosper.

Leslie, the Ageing Expatriate Warrior

Arunachala Animal Sanctuary & Rescue Shelter has earned the following badges on GlobalGiving:

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Links:

• Really, really good video-Hridayam-8 1/2 minutes.
• Henri Jolicoeur-Interview of Leslie-15 minutes.
• Leslie--Centrally important talk to Staff-8 minutes.

Dear People...Dear Animal Lovers...Dear Supporters...

Namaste'. I bow to your Innermost Selves.

From my Heart to your Heart.

• While dark and light forces on our beloved planet clash, may we all say a prayer for Peace. It is so important...so powerful...to emit Light. Our Interconnectedness has great power...and puts out energy that can help settle things. Om Namah Shivaya.

• May we all be Blessed with more compassionate understanding. No exceptions. Friends. Adversaries. Everyone!

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This Report gives an overview of the energy our Work has generated to lift suffering from both the animal realm and the human realm.

I will especially talk about the actions we have taken to care for the "owner animals".  And how, as a result, we have been able to profoundly and wonderfully increase the kindness and care given to homeless animals on the streets. Om Namah Shivaya.

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To remind you of the level at which we are operating, below are our STATISTICS SINCE OPENING JAN.2007 THRU MAR.2022. (Please note that the year is 2022. It is very, very time consuming to keep cumulative stats. These times are profoundly busy, so we offer these figures fo give a good sense of the level at which we operate. The "Monthly figures" below are current.)

• Clinic Visits..........................78,559
• In-Patient Treatments........214,595
• Anti-Rabies Injections.........20,309
• Emergency Rescues..............8.094
• Dogs Sterilized ......................8,687
• Animal Adoptions..................1,447
• Non-dogsTreated...................9,058 (Included in"Non-dogs Treated" are 2,839 cows & calves, 2,438 goats & sheep, 1,769 cats, 236 monkeys, 1,230  birds, 319 rabbits...and 126 squirrels/ donkeys/pigs/peacocks/parrots/eagles/horses/deer/ bullocks/ snakes/turkeys/owls/ducks/mongooses/turtles.)

MONTHLY (these figures are current), we:

• treat 800 to 1500 out-patients in the Clinic, most of whom are “owner dogs”;
• give 1500 to 3000 treatments to in-patients, almost all of whom are homeless dogs;
• go out on 90 to 110 emergency rescues;
• perform 100 to 125 sterilizations;
• give 130 to 250 anti-rabies injections;
• place 8 to 20 puppies in good homes;
• treat 100 to 200 animals other than dogs. (Mostly cows, calves, goats, sheep, and cats...but many others too.)

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While the stats are impressive they are not the main thing. THE IMPORTANT THING IS HEART! For deep healing to take place a creature has to feel safe, cared for, and loved. Demonstrative Love. Touching, reassuring, hugging. And yes, kissing. It suffuses all our Work.

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There are three population groups:

The "in-patient animals": Usually between 150 and 250. Primarily dogs and puppies. Many rescued homeless animals. When the adult dogs are healed they are released back into their own territories, and are very happy. Puppies are placed in good homes. If an animal is not strong enough to make it on its own, we give it sanctuary and it lives a happy life in the Shelter. And then there's a smattering of other animals in treatment.

I've written about them before. Inside, the Shelter is simply permeated with Love. And the animals are really happy. Sometimes when animal lovers visit for the first time, I tell them to close their eyes for a minute and just experience the energy. I tell them that the softness, the quietness that they're experiencing is Grace. And it is within that field of Grace that everything unfolds.

Often people visiting for the first time get teary because they didn't know a place such as ours existed.

The "owner animals": Most shelters don't focus a lot of energy on owner animals. We do. So they don't have busy clinics treating "outside" animals. We have 800 to 1500 visits a month to our clinic.

We have really put a lot of energy into building relationships with the citizenry. We let them know we provide very, very good care, treatment and operations. AT NO COST! All animals--dogs, cats, cows, calves, donkeys, pigs, parrots, horses, buffalo--ALL! We really don't charge no matter what kind of animal needs our help.

It is widely known that if there's an emergency during the night, or out of town, we will cover it. If the citizens can't bring the animal to us, we will cover it. (90 percent are dogs or puppies.)

Last week Dr. Raja operated on a cow that had a tumor on its eye. The operation took over an hour. There was no charge, and the owner took her home. But if she had needed intense care in the Shelter for two days, there would equally have been no charge. If an operation required two doctors and three hours and two weeks post care in the Shelter, there would still be no charge. The people know they can simply count on it, and trust and bring all their sick or injured animals to us.

They are very, very grateful. The whole community knows we provide this service, whether or not they own animals. And they are truly grateful. They know it's important to us that the street dogs and all other homeless animals are treated with kindness. And this really shows up in how beautifully our homeless animals are treated by the people amongst whom they live. These are the same people who are grateful to us. Many visitors comment that they have never before seen people being so kind to homeless animals. When an animal needs help, we're called. Even if it's night. And even if it's out of town...Om Namah Shivaya.

Finally, the "homeless animals": Mostly dogs. We have 9000 homeless dogs. But others too: cows, goats, etc. that actually have owners, but are wandering. Then we have birds, squirrels, monkeys, and others.

When we first opened in January 2007 there were over 7000 homeless dogs and the stray population was out of control. With no small animal vet within 75 kms, no treatment facility, rabies and widespread abuse, there was unbounded misery. And there were 350 suffering and dying animals on the streets--mostly dogs and puppies, but others too (monkeys, cows, squirrels, peacocks, etc.). It was awful!

The most important thing for homeless animals is the relationship they have with the people amongst whom they live day in, day out. And that relationship has been totally transformed.

There are no more suffering and dying animals on the streets. There is no more widespread abuse (and thus very few aggressive dogs) and virtually no dog bites.

There's another very important practice, in addition to the gratitude coming from the treatment of "owner animals", that has generated the energy for people to be kind to street animals. To catch street dogs for sterilization we go into all parts of the Municipality and most people get to see at least one catch. Our people catch the dogs with a lot of love and care. (This is very different than most shelters where there is often brutality involved. It takes much more time but is well worth it.) If they have to chase a dog down, after they catch them, they stroke and calmly reassure them that everything will be okay, that we are good people and will bring them back. And we have people inside the van to reassure them. The people watching are very moved by this care and love, and by the dog responding. These are "teachable moments" that affect their attitude towards the animals. We tell our "catchers" they are being observed and should be exceptionally demonstrative. And thru "interconnectedness" the increased kindness spreads. Imagine the immense power generated when we do 100 sterilizations a month!

Another major thing we do is to put focused energy into loving and reassuring the dogs during the seven days they are with us for sterilization. So when we release them they are more open to humans. Very important...Om Namah Shivaya.

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.

Many people comment. They've never, in India, seen people more loving to street animals or the animals so open to people. It was the large number of foreigners who only come for the cooler months, November thru February, who saw the transformation most dramatically after being absent for eight months. Many approached us to thank us for the amazing changes taking place. There were other signs. The people bringing "owner animals  " to the Shelter were outwardly more loving. The way some people bringing emergency cases were involved with the creatures...and their expressions of gratitude.

THIS IS MAJOR. MAJOR. MAJOR!!! THE ENTIRE ANIMAL KINGDOM HAS BEEN UPLIFTED. THANK YOU GOD...OM NAMAH SHIVAYA.

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An important comment I heard recently from a close friend is that he felt people were being nicer to each other. And that hits on something super important. When peoples' Hearts have truly opened to the animals, it is so auspicious. For when there's an opening like that in the Heart, the Heart doesn't only open in one direction; it simply opens. So people are nicer to each other, too. It's profoundly there. You can't see it, but it's there. It's simply the nature of the Heart. And the societal implications are immense.

Mahatma Gandhi's famous quote of, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." is really about the Heart. If humans are good to animals, then they're good to each other, too.

It's actually an effective way of uplifting human populations. May the Government recognize this and channel more resources.

What's happening is beyond anything I could ever have imagined back in the early days of the Shelter. We are grateful the way it has unfolded. We pray-- because it is so important to millions of animals across the country, and in other countries, too--that the knowledge that has been given to us SPREADS, and that the relationship of the animals and the people they live with every day may be transformed.

We have to do this together. It is together that the quality of life of the Precious Ones can most effectively be lifted.

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24/7 RESCUE: Any time of the day or night, within 125 kms, we will be there in a short time.

ADOPTIONS; We have placed over 1800 puppies and dogs, mostly puppies, in good homes. WE ARE THE ONLY SHELTER IN THE COUNTRY, POSSIBLY THE WORLD, WHO GO OUT UP TO 100 KMS TO FIND GOOD HOMES FOR PUPPIES AND DOGS. Vishwa has trained several college students to search for these homes. (The students are so deeply moved by the Work that they only accept reimbursement for expenses.) Om Namah Shivaya.

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Here are your favorites: the Rescue Stories from Vishwa.

• A foreigner called the Shelter at noon...A two-wheeler had hit a dog hard. Her right back leg was broken and she'd lost her paw. Dharma and Pandi went. The dog was lying on her side and in a lot of pain. Dr. Mahesh and Dr. Raja operated. They had to amputate below the knee. We've had her 5 or 6 days at this writing. She stayed in isolation 4 days. Pavadai cared for her and she bonded with him. She's now on the veranda. Not playing yet. But connecting with the others. The foreign lady who had called the Shelter wants to adopt her. She has two other dogs.
• About 4pm while Vishwa and Dharma were releasing dogs about 25 kms out, they came upon a 2 month old puppy running around with a bad skin condition. He had no hair and sores on his head. It took 1/2 an hour to catch him. Dr. Mahesh treated him. Arunagiri cared for him at night; Supervisor Raja in the morning. We've had him 4 or 5 weeks. He was bathed every 3 days with lotion and and also got pills until his skin healed. He's now very happy. Someone is interested in adopting him--a man about 45, and his 11 year old son. The first time they visited he started playing with them right away.
• Got an 11pm call at the Shelter from someone near the big Shiva Temple. A cat had been attacked by a dog and had pretty bad bites on his back leg and stomach. He was bleeding and was in pain. He was a 2 year old male. Arunagiri and Balaram went out. They were able to catch him in 5 or 10 minutes. Dr. Mahesh came in to treat him, and he required four stitches. He was put in a small cage for 3 or 4 days. Supervisor Raja cared for him. Then he was put in the big cat cage upstairs where he could run in and out. Santosh also started caring for him. He has connected with some of the other cats. And he feels safe, happy, and is beginning to gain weight.

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Before closing, I'd like to say something about my beloved Dr. Raja and Vishwa who are now, as I enter "old age", actually running the Shelter. (I am overseeing and advising.) They are s-o-o-o good, it's humbling. The dedication...the deep compassion...of Vishwa and Dr. Raja is fathomless.  AND they have never, and I mean never, declined to move strongly for any suffering creature, no matter what was involved.  As you might guess, I really, really worry about them and plead with them to take some rest. But they won't, even though I feel they often get near the point of collapse. But no matter how hard I might push or worry, they simply won't hold back.  Bless them!  Bless them!   Bless them!  My beloved Vishwa and Dr. Raja.

They have both been with me from the very beginning...and it is together that we have built this wonderful shelter.

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This brings us to the end of the Report.

May we all be Blessed, Guided, and Protected.

Following is a collection of photos. Please enjoy. Remember the dominant theme is LOVE.

PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.

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

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

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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."

Sending Blessings, Love, and Wishes for all things good. May our beloved Planet heal. May we all be blessed with more compassionate understanding. May we all be good to each other.

Leslie, The Ageing Expatriate Warrior

Arunachala Animal Sanctuary & Rescue Shelter has earned the following badges on GlobalGiving.

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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."

Links:

• Really, really good video-Hridayam-8 1/2 minutes.
• Interview of Leslie-3 1/2 minutes.
• Henri Jolicoeur-Interview of Leslie-15 minutes.