Leslie Puppy-Ascent from the Hell Realms

This is an email written August 2013 to Margot in Australia. We had had Leslie Puppy for a month. And thought his scary journey was over…but…

Late night call from Shakti, the rickshaw driver (bless him). Found a little black puppy lying lifelessly in the gutter. I called Dr. Raja. Met them at the Shelter. Little guy was 1 1/2 months old. He was still alive, but in deep shock. Number of external wounds. None super-serious. Worst was a small throat wound that slightly crushed his trachea. He had been attacked by an adult dog. Main thing was the shock. He hovered between life and death for several hours.

Soft chants were playing thru the speaker. Dr. Raja had given him a steroid injection for the shock. And he was getting an i.v. with pain killer, anti-biotics, and vitamins. I was cuddling and kissing him. Chanting soft mantras into his ear. Whispering repeatedly “I love you”.  And telling him he was safe, with good people that were going to take care of him.

He made it thru... BUT… He had terror in his eyes that didn’t leave. Was afraid of everything. For several days we kept him in a basket under the clinic sink. It was quieter and he could hear chants playing. Still…He didn’t want anyone to come near him. He’d shrink even if you whispered gently. He huddled in the corner of the basket with his nose pointed towards the wall. If you gently took him out, he’d find some little corner where he could not be seen. 

Pure Heart Ramesh gave him special attention throughout the night. Dr. Raja was giving him Bach Flower Essences—one for known fear; another for unknown. He was giving him another floral essence from Sharon Callahan for Open to Receive. But Leslie remained locked in his Hell.

We put him into a small protected area with ten other young puppies. But he was terrified there too, and immediately stuffed himself in a corner. When other puppies approached to sniff or snuggle, he’d shrivel up. We were afraid that he was permanently traumatized. But slowly his eyes began to soften, and he started looking around. Not responding to the “puppy pile” that was cuddled all around him, but nonetheless looking around. THEN….a major breakthrough…he barked at a puppy to express his displeasure.

After some days he took a few halting trots around the pen…And…then…don’t know how much time it took…he wagged his tail…and playfully bumped against one of the other puppies.

He started responding a little to gentle Sekar. They all respond to Sekar with the “soft cow eyes”.

He ain’t going to be a John Wayne…But…Welcome back dear Leslie (someone named him Leslie)…We love you…Thank you, God.

With love,                                                                                                                                                       Leslie

Shortly after the above email was sent, Leslie started steadily sliding back into his realm of fear and aloneness. And there he stayed in the Hell Realms for over a year. 

(We don’t have any earlier photos, or at least I couldn’t find any, of Leslie the Pup…But we do have photos and videos over the following year as he was going thru his lonely journey.) 

We tried everything…Stroking. Hugging. Reassuring day and night. Special food. Treats. Bach Flower remedies. Furry companions. Nothing, but nothing worked. Within a month he retreated to a remote room where we house our autoclave. He stayed there for over a year.

In the first video I’m showing you the actual remoteness of the room. Starting from the veranda, and walking thru the pre-op area, and along the narrow corridor that runs alongside the operation theatre…Finally to the room (his cave).

Leslie showing the room.

Poor Leslie.

Poor baby, even alone in a crowd.

For several months he was mostly there alone. We encouraged other furry ones to spend time with him (as you can see in the two photos), and increasingly others started resting there for spells. But he got no solace from them. He didn’t play with any. And he wouldn’t snuggle with them.

Supervisor Raja, Sekar, and Ramesh, all Pure Hearts, went back there regularly to give him love and reassurance and try to coax him out. But he wouldn’t come. The Staff was simply a threat to him.

Sometimes, late in the day, with no one coaxing him, he’d come out to the veranda for a few minutes. Then retreat back to his lonely cave.

A full year had passed when Ramana, a 16 year old young man from Canada, who was there when Leslie was first brought to us, came back to Tiru on his annual visit. He loved Leslie dearly and was actually the one who named him “Leslie”. He dedicated over a week to spending time with him. But Leslie stayed remote. This poor baby was simply locked in the Hell realms.

Then, wonder of wonders, several months after Ramana left, Leslie started responding to a dog named Satya. (The video, below, is of this angel.) Slowly at first. But then more enthusiastically. She was an absolute sweetheart. Young and pure expressive, energetic love. (She was very sexy, too…Hmm!). Sometimes he’d come out on the veranda with her. And then…He started playing with her!

Satya, sweetie pie.

Once he broke free of the terror, everything started happening fast.

After a month or two he started playing with other dogs. I don’t mean “tea party” playing. It was all out wrestling, knocking, nipping, pinning, standing on hind-leg tussling. It almost seemed as tho’ Leslie could go over the edge in the other direction and be an aggression problem. But no. He stayed within the limits of good clean, rough house fun.

Playing roughhouse.

Starting to venture out towards the veranda.

And you guessed it…He started going out on the veranda alone. 

Leslie on the veranda.

And NOW…He’s just one of the guys. Look at the way he's trotting around as though he own's the place.

It's his turf, now.

Oh dear, dear Leslie. We thought you’d never make it…And what did it take to get you out…A sexy, little playful girl with long eyelashes….Leslie, you old dog, we should have known.

Love. Love. Love...From All of Us...We are s-o-o-o happy...Om Namah Shivaya