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Published: July 28th 2014
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Sam a few days into his treatmentThe monsoon rains have been late in coming and not much has fallen so far. It is a lot cooler and quite windy at times, but the breeze is a welcome relief. Due to the lack of rain there is problems with feed for the white cows who unlike the water buffalo are unable to forage and graze because they cannot get up into the forest. Feed has to be bought which is an added expense for the local people and Karuna which they can do without. A few of the restaurants have been unable to open to because of the shortage. Puttaparthi is a hive of activity due to fact there is major conference at the ashram with people coming from all over the world and the Indian prime minister and several dignitaries will be in attendance also. Hundreds of Police have flooded the town and all the local villages checking all buses and cars entering the area. The restaurants and hotels are full and it looks as though I'm leaving just at the right time.
I finish at Karuna on Saturday the 26th July and I have to admit I am not looking forward to it.
Sam today!I have really loved the time here and have learned so much and I will miss all the animals, especially a few of the dogs who I have become great friends with. A few weeks ago on my day off I accompanied a young girl called Rosni who looks after the street dogs. Rising at four am every morning she goes round all the villages treating sick and injured dogs and cats, those that she can't treat she takes back to Karuna for help. She also brings in all the female dogs and cats for sterilisation and returns them to their areas. This tiny girl is like a pack mule, with an enormous back pack containing medical supplies and a shopping bag with two metal containers filled with chicken. I helped carry the food containers and could not fathom out how she manages to do this on her own and on a bike! All this she does out of her own very limited wage before she goes to her work and most nights goes back out to check on the animals she has missed in the morning. The villagers have come to know her too and will call her for
Buster just after his operationhelp, the dogs absolutely adore her and are so pleased to see her, even trying to follow her home. I accompanied her on bike too! covering a huge area and was exhausted by the time we were finished, I couldn't believe she was then going on to her work. Such dedication and compassion. It was also a great way to see the surrounding villages.
I kept the bike and have been using it to go to and from the center. The traffic isn't too bad it's mainly goats, cows and water buffalo I've to dodge and of course all the stray dogs. There are still a few who bark at me as I go past but on the whole most of them are friendly . We had another dog in today who had rabies and we've recently had a spell where a lot of the dogs coming in have had Parvo Virus. A lot of them have been successfully treated too. I'm going to include a couple of wee stories on some of the animals with pictures too just to give you an idea of what Karuna does.
Sam arrived at the center one Saturday about
Buster trying to rule the roostsix weeks ago. He was completely paralysed unable move, eat or drink.He had no obvious signs of injury and he wasn't responding to painful stimuli. The vet checked his spine and could find nothing physically wrong with him suggesting there was infection of some kind affecting the nerves. He was given an antibiotic injection in the base of his spine and for the first few days was hydrated using a drip feed. Very slowly with help he was able to sit up and drink and eat a little. As the days passed he became a little stronger and was able to sit up without support and he started trying to move, pulling himself along with his two front legs. I started giving him light massages daily, he loved the attention and always appeared pleased when it became time for them. Soon he was wagging his tail and gradually managed to stand and walk short distances. At present he is able to stand and walk for longer periods and has taken to following me around the center, even coming sometimes to greet me in the morning. Last week on my return from lunch I noticed he was missing and after a
Little grey cat just after it's hernia operationsearch of the center and surrounding area became quite concerned when I couldn't find him. A lot of the dogs wander in and out of the center and only come for meal times. Although Sam walks he is still very unsteady and his legs give way. I did not think he would be able to fend for himself with the other strays. On my way home that night I found him, quite a distance from the center, covered in muck from head to paw! lying by the side of the path. He was really pleased to see and I him! so I picked him up and took him back to the center and duly gave him a bath, much to his annoyance. He continues to improve daily and it is so good to see the progress he's making, I am hoping he will make a full recovery.
Rosni was contacted by one of the villagers who was concerned about her little cat. When she went to see it she realised that it had a hernia and arranged to bring it to Karuna for the Vet surgery which happens every Saturday. The operation was very successful and the little cat
Final check up
Venkatesh and Rosni check the little grey cat before it goes home healed quickly having it stitches removed the following week and was eating and drinking well. The family were constantly at Rosni to see the return of their pet as quickly as possible asking about it every day. I was fortunate to be with Rosni when she dropped off the little cat, it waqs so good to see the delighted on their faces.
Rosni brought in one of her street dogs after finding him one morning limping badly. His front leg was dislocated at the knee and Venkatesh gave him some painkillers and fitted a splint which was carefully adjusted after a few days and then kept on approximately three weeks. The little dog made a good recovery and Rosni returned to collect him to take him back to his area.
The little dog I call buster came to the center with a badly deformed back leg crossing underneath him that was stopping him from walking. He had an operation to remove the leg and he is now happily running about mad. Initially he was very quiet and shy on his arrival but has a new found confidence and tries to tell everyone he’s the boss. He has also
taken to wandering out of the center at his own leisure exploring the surrounding area and turning up at meal times
Little Bambi had a terrible skin infection as you can see from the pictures. She was treated daily with a mixture of Cow urine, colloidal silver and neem oil. What a difference in her now and her new hair is beginning to grow back and of course she smells a lot better too.
On my last few days we have had six dogs in all poisoned by a local sheep owner as a result of one dog attacking them. The owners of course absolutely distraught and unfortunately three of the dogs died along with a lot of chickens in the area too. Ive since heard that there have been more dogs poisoned because they have eaten the chickens too. Karuna reported the matter along with owners to the local police and they are aware of the perpetrator, however I am not sure what action, if any has been taken.
I finally got to see inside the ashram, wow! don't know what I expected but was totally shocked at the size and layout of it. It is
Street dog
Little dog with the dislocated knee enormous, a mini town within a town. Three massive canteens, hundreds of accommodation, shops, snack bars an atm, meeting hall, Baba's residence, a university and of course thousands of devotees
This has been a great experience, one I will never forget and I know at some point I will return to Karuna. I will be in Bangalore catching up with emails and such for two days (did you know that Sabir Bhatia the inventor of hotmail grew up in Bangalore!) and then fly to Nepal on Wednesday 30th for my next adventure. Till then Sai Ram
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Briannagh
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Brownie
Hey, can you please tell me if a brown doberman named "Brownie" is still there and, if so, how is she doing??? I did volunteer work there two years ago around this time of year and she was my shadow there. Thanks for you blog! It was really lovely!