More close to man for more years than one could ever imagine.
A week ago, there was an article on Learning from Dogs entitled What is the dog? It was primarily based on the work of Dr. George Johnson; his details are here.
Anyway, last Thursday Pete N who is incredibly helpful in passing me items of interest, passed me a link to a series of videos that come under the collective name of Dogs Decoded. They were on the website Top Documentary Films itself an interesting site.
It looks as though the videos are due to be released as a single film later on this year, as this link suggests. Here’s how the three videos are introduced.
Dogs Decoded reveals the science behind the remarkable bond between humans and their dogs and investigates new discoveries in genetics that are illuminating the origin of dogs – with surprising implications for the evolution of human culture.
Other research is proving what dog lovers have suspected all along; dogs have an uncanny ability to read and respond to human emotions.
Humans, in turn, respond to dogs with the same hormone responsible for bonding mothers to their babies. How did this incredible relationship between humans and dogs come to be? And how can dogs, so closely related to fearsome wild wolves, behave so differently?
No more from me. Just find a quiet corner and watch the three videos by clicking on each link in turn. They will blow your mind.
I have received quite a few emails in response to a mailing sent out by me yesterday promoting the fabulous work being done by a dog rescue centre near Payson, here in Arizona. Thank you for letting me know you are adding your support to this great effort by Tara’s Babies to win $250,000 from Pepsi!
c. Have a Facebook page?
1. Click here
2. Click on “Vote for this Idea”
3. Click on “Login with Facebook account”
4. Click on “Vote for this Idea” again!
A rare request from Learning from Dogs asking if you will vote on behalf of a dog rescue centre.
Many who follow this Blog will know that my beautiful wife, Jean, is totally devoted to dogs, especially rescue dogs. Over the years that she and her previous husband Ben, who died in 2005, lived in Mexico, Jean must have rescued at least 70 dogs. Even today, we have 11 ex-rescue dogs enjoying a fabulous life in our mountain home here in Payson, Arizona.
So it was a big surprise to come across a dog rescue organisation called Tara’s Babies and find that their sanctuary is in our neighbourhood.
Photo by Wib Middleton
Here’s a description of the organisation taken from the local newspaper from September 9th, 2009.
By Alan R. Hudson
Gazette/Connection Correspondent
It has been nearly five years since Tara’s Babies Animal Welfare began rescuing animals displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Tara’s Babies operates a no-kill animal rescue and sanctuary “off the grid” at the Ellinwood Ranch, near Young.
A few dogs from the dark days of Katrina still remain and many more have been added since. This is no normal animal rescue however: It is operated by three very dedicated and compassionate ordained Buddhists.
Kunzang Drolma, a Buddhist Nun and the director of Tara’s Babies, graciously invited the Connection to spend the afternoon at the facility. When we arrived, she was (as we had anticipated) wearing her Shamtab—the traditional Buddhist robe—as she fed her canine adoptees.
From that article Drolma explains:
“Katrina was a catastrophe that threw it in everyone’s faces but ultimately, every day, hundreds of dogs and cats are being euthanized in shelters because there’s not enough space for them—just because they were abused, homeless, old or sick. And so that’s when we just moved straight into this process of being a no-kill rescue and sanctuary. We will never euthanize.”
What’s needed, explained Drolma, is a paradigm shift. One that is so profound that shelters will become a thing of the past. While euthanasia is something that Tara’s Babies does not agree with, the solution lies at a higher cultural level.
Frankly, my view is that we need solutions to so many of life’s problems to come from a ‘higher cultural level’ but this Post is about helping Tara’s Babies raise more funds to help their mission. It’s easy for any of you to help. You can do it now from your computer.
Go here – http://www.tarasbabies.org/pepsi_refresh.html and read. If you need convincing of the purpose watch this video (the one at that last web page or direct from YouTube as below).
And from that web-link you can read:
Feel free to copy and personalize the following paragraph to send to your friends:
“Have you heard about Tara’s Babies Animal Welfare, a No-Kill Dog Rescue and Sanctuary in Arizona? They started rescuing dogs left homeless and injured by Hurricane Katrina, after their founder, Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, felt compelled to act on seeing the devastation and suffering in the Gulf. They have continued rescuing dogs on death row in overcrowded shelters ever since.
Tara’s Babies Animal Welfare is working to win a $250,000 Pepsi Refresh grant by receiving the most votes for their project in the month of January. The grant will allow them to improve the care they provide to dogs at their beautiful, off-the-grid Sanctuary.
I am going to help Tara’s Babies Animal Welfare by voting for them daily in the Pepsi Refresh grant program and hope that you will too. Please visit www.tarasbabies.org to check them out. You will be able to sign up from their website to support their application to Pepsi Refresh.
The dogs need your vote!”
Here, here! It’s very quick to initiate and then each day all you need to do is to add your daily vote – a few seconds of your life exchanged for the rest of the life of a dog that, otherwise, would have nowhere to go!
This originally came in as a comment to the recent Post published on the 16th Postscript on dear Corrie. I decided that it deserved a more prominent position than as a comment to a previous article. This is what Suzann wrote:
My husband and I and our 3 rescue dogs were living at the time in an RV park in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico, while waiting for our newly purchased lot to become available where we were going to base the ‘bus’.
I had just walked my dogs and saw a pack of dogs running down the side of the main road into town toward me. After quickly returning my dogs to our RV across the road, I gathered some food together and hurried back to the road to feed this pack of street dogs.
I noticed one of the dogs had such a distinctive coat; the coloring and configuration was unique.
I put several food dishes down and stepped back to let the dogs eat. As I was standing there, the dog with the distinctive, white with brown markings all over her, came up to me.
Unusual for most street dogs, her manner was quite friendly. I led her back to the food and waited whilst she ate. I gradually turned and walked back across the street to the RV park. I got to the middle of the road and felt something bump my leg. I looked down and there was this lovely dog, gazing at me with friendly, caring eyes; I was amazed! She had practically glued herself to my leg!
I turned and walked back to the food and she followed me. But when I tried to cross the street again, she was right there, walking right next to me, leaning against my leg! My goodness I thought to myself…now what do I do?
I was instantly drawn to her….she was so friendly and had a very caring look in her eyes as she looked up at my face. Now what was I going to do? It’s 5-ish in the evening, I can’t take her to my coach as I have 3 dogs sitting there, and I did not know what to do.
I called to my husband to bring my cell phone to me, and dialed my best bud, Jeannie, and told her the story…..she had a packet of dogs herself, and we talked about it for several minutes about what the options were.
I asked, nay begged her, to drive over and see if we could take the dog somewhere and perhaps find a place to house her for the night….
The long and short of it was we drove around for a half hour, finding no one who could take her, and Jeannie finally said….”Oh heck, I will take her home!”
What will we call her? Well, that wasn’t too difficult, as she had hearts all over her!! It had to be Corazon as corazón is the Spanish word for heart!
We both fell in love with that dog, and thanks to Jeannie taking her in, Corrie has had good years of love, good food, a loving home and a wonderful life.
I will never forget that dog. She was always bright and cheery, always had a kiss for me, such a sweet heart. I will always love our little Corazon….I miss her so much.
Suzann
Here are three pictures that Suzann sent.
Heart dog, CorrieAnd a larger heart!And yet more hearts!
I had the privilege of being with Corrie from September 2008 until the moment she died last week. Everything that Suzann wrote is true; she was a lovely, gentle and trusting dog.
This demonstrates so powerfully the many things that we can ‘learn from dogs’!
A lovely and unexpected result from seeing Dr David R. Hawkins last Saturday.
Jean and I drove across to Cottonwood, just South-West of Sedona in Arizona, last Saturday to attend a Question and Answer meeting hosted by Dr David R. Hawkins. It’s described on the website thus:
Question & Answer Sessions
These Saturday sessions open with a few remarks by Dr. Hawkins. He then receives and answers questions from the audience that relate to information presented in his books and lectures, as well as other spiritual matters and current events.
To my mind, apart from the pleasure of seeing this famous man in the flesh, so to speak, the event was not as inspirational as I might have hoped. Largely, in my view, because so many of the people lining up to sit opposite the great man and ask their question seemed more motivated by hero worship than in a search of their personal truth. In fact, many did not wish to ask a question, just to sit there in silence or shake his hand.
However, that isn’t the point of this piece. The point is that Jean realised, deep in her heart, what really can be achieved through the power of love. Jean had been reflecting, sitting there in the audience, about how quickly our sweet Corrie had died last Tuesday night.
Corrie was a young dog and despite the injuries she received having been fatal, Jean was still surprised that Corrie went from being conscious of her name and responding to touch to dead in about 45 minutes. She was in a great deal of pain during the last 20 minutes or so. Jean’s significant experience is that young, healthy dogs take many more hours to die from the sort of wounds that Corrie had sustained.
The epiphany that came to Jean on Saturday was that the love and comfort that Corrie was receiving from both Jean and me, gave Corrie the permission to stop fighting for her life and just go gracefully and peacefully. It doesn’t in any way lessen the tragedy of losing Corrie but from that has come the revelation that our unconditional love for that small animal made a difference, a real tangible difference during the last few moments of her physical life.
It was an unexpected but very beautiful outcome from the day.
“To understand everything is to forgive everything” Buddhist quote
Learning from Dogs has been running since July 15th, 2009. Between all of the authors and contributors there have been 813 Posts presented. None has had more comments than the Post published on the 12th January, 2010 about the loss of our dear Mexican rescue dog, Corrie. So for all our sakes, I just wanted to highlight the love that Corrie’s death has mirrored by reproducing the comments added to that article.
Corrie in Winter snow - January 2nd 2011
From Rosemarie and Joe (see the poem later on).
We are so sorry to hear of your loss of beloved Corrie. This is a beautiful picture of Jeannie with her girl! Our thoughts are with you both!
Corrie… so beautiful. I’m very sorry for your loss. Bless your hearts with peace.
From Gloria and Barry.
Sorry you lost your darling dog – today has been full of tears for us Australians so much lost in so short a time can only be thankful our family is all safe – our thoughts are with you.
I know only too well the grief of losing such a beloved friend of our most loyal of animal kingdoms.. My heartfelt thoughts are with you both. Her soul goes on, and she will be forever faithfuland stay close to those who gave her back the unconditional love she gave you.
From Becky Bains.
Our love and thoughts go out you guys. When we lost Susie we were heartbroken. One of our friends posted this to us. I hope it brings some comfort. Love to you. xx
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Dear Paul,
I just wanted to say my girl Free is there, running in the meadows and playing with her cousin.
I saw her many times after she left this earth. She was happy in my very clear visions until one day when I was so sad. I was crying over missing her. I saw her that day in my living room. Her head was leaning to one side, as if to say she didn’t understand, and I heard her spirit questioning me. I didn’t hear words out loud, but I heard her message –”I thought you promised you would be okay.”
That day, I met my girl Ruthie. I’ve never seen Free again, not so clearly, not like I did in those weeks before I found Ruthie. I know it sounds off the wall, and it is, but it sure happened.
Sometimes, I still see a picture of Free in my mind. She is always smiling and happy. I promised her I would remember our good times and as hard as I imagined that would be, every time I think of her, I nearly laugh, just like I am as I write about her.
She continues to give, even though she had to cross that bridge.
Peace to you and your family.
A poem sent in the mail to us from Rosemarie and Joe.
When God had made the earth and the sky,
The flowers and the trees,
He then made all the animals
And all the birds and bees.
And when His work was finished,
Not one was quite the same.
He said, “I’ll walk this Earth of mine,
And give each one a name”,
And so He travelled land and sea,
And everywhere He went,
A little creature followed Him,
Until its strength was spent.
When all were named upon the earth,
And in the sky and sea,
The little creature said, “Dear Lord,
There’s not one left for me.”
The Father smiled and softly said,
“I’ve left you to the end,
I’ve turned my own name back to front,
And called you Dog my friend.” Author unknown.
That’s all for today, but tomorrow I want to add a further thought about the power of love that has come out of Corrie’s sad but meaningful death.
This is not the time to engage in deep philosophical thoughts about death, dogs and what we can learn from them. I shall leave that for later.
Just to hold dear in our minds what dogs offer humanity. Dear friends, Rosemarie and Joe, who lunched with us yesterday gave us the following poem and it seems a very apt way to send out prayers into the universe.
Corrie, just 10 days ago.
With eye upraised his masters look to scan,
The joy, the solace and the aid of man.
The rich man’s guardian and the poor man’s friend,
The only creature faithful to the end. George Crabbe
Corrie died at 01:30 this morning with Jean and me holding her tight in our arms and our prayers. She was a good dog. Her loving and faithful soul will return.
Did you watch the video of Sheldrake discussing The Morphogenetic Universe? If not then you may want to start here, at yesterday’s Post.
Rather than crowd that article, here is more to provide you with a broader perspective of Sheldrake’s work.
Firstly, Rupert Sheldrake’s very interesting website is here.
Secondly, there is a video here of a talk given by Rupert Sheldrake about animal telepathy. The talk was given to an audience at Schumacher College in South Devon, England. Well worth settling down to watch – and be amazed.
Finally, there are many videos on YouTube for those that wish to explore this in more detail. Here’s a taste.
think about dogs, whether you have one, or not, whether you like them or not; think what we learn!
Much of it best described in the words and poetry of others.
Take this, for example:
If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can say honestly that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion or politics,
Then, my friend, you are almost as good as your dog.
On 15th February 1858, in the city of Edinburgh, a man named John Gray died of tuberculosis.Gray was better known as Auld Jock, and on his death he was buried in old Greyfriars Churchyard.
Bobby, a wee Skye Terrier, belonged to John, who had worked for the Edinburgh City Police as a night watchman, and the two were virtually inseparable for approximately two years.
Bobby led his master’s funeral procession to the grave at Greyfriars Cemetery, and later, when he tried to stay at the graveside, he was sent away by the caretaker.
But the little dog returned and refused to leave, whatever the weatherconditions. Despite the efforts of the keeper of the kirkyard, John’s familyand the local people, Bobby refused to be enticed away from the grave for any length of time, and he touched the hearts of the local residents.
Although dogs were not allowed in the graveyard, the people rallied round and built a shelter for Bobby and there he stayed, guarding Auld Jock.
For fourteen years Bobby lay on the grave, leaving only for food.
Here’s another well-known saying from an unknown author.
“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.”
I could go on and on but let me close with this eulogy for the dog, delivered at the Old Courthouse in Warrensburg by Attorney, George C Vest sometime around 1870:
The best friend man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son, or daughter, that he has reared with loving care, may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and good name may become traitors to their faith. The money a man has he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our head.
The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground when the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only to be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince.
When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wing, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.
If fortune drives his master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him, to guard him against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when that last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there, by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true, even in death.
Senator George Graham Vest, speaking to a jury about Old Drum, shot in 1869
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