Paws to Heal

Perhaps many people believe that you need to have a lot of experience with horses in order to be able to assist them when they are unwell or ailing.
Whilst this is of unquestionable benefit in many cases, I have discovered that it is not entirely so. In fact, in some cases where people have a lot of experience with handling horses they are sometimes blind to the true nature of their charge.
A horse may even be sick expressly for the purpose of trying to get a different pattern established in these people. My colleague Mike Bascombe describes them to be our ‘great teachers’, in this regard.

It is also easy to see why some of us may feel intimidated by horses. Their size alone can be enough to make us nervous around them and even those of us who grew up with horses in the family were always taught to let them know you were there in case they took fright and hurt you accidentally. I used to always love their smell and their soft ears and muzzles but I never really identified with them.

I never really felt totally relaxed with them owing to my perception of their unpredictability and had always identified them as ‘prey’. Their intelligence and wisdom was wholly underappreciated.

Fortunately the horse is blessed with one of the most amazingly biggest hearts in the animal kingdom. And more fortunately, things can change.

I was a little surprised to find that Sri Chinmoy in his ‘Animal Kingdom’ refers to the horse as sacrifice. Reflecting on what this could mean I was overwhelmed with the realisation that horses really are servants to mankind in many ways. I am used to thinking of the sacrificial qualities of sheep and cows as they give up their lives for us but I had never considered that a horse’s soul’s quality would be sacrifice.

He writes:

Horse, my horse,

I envy you.
I mean it, I really do.
Your life of constant and complete
sacrifice
Is far beyond the height
Of all earthly and heavenly price.
God barters His Eternity’s
Heart-Gratitude
With your immortality’s
sacrifice-plenitude.

After you have been fortunate enough to be engulfed by the vastness and power of a horses heart it may be easier to understand that they do sacrifice themselves in a way in order to teach us that the universe is bigger than we can imagine. It is quite a humbling experience to be in their space when they let you in like this.

I am often asked whether I work with horses.
Any horse can tell that I have not been used to handling them much and that they can nearly always get the better of me if they wish. That, however, does not stop me being able to help them should they allow me.

I have begun to understand that they need me to ask them to allow me to help them. They do also need the boundaries established in order for them to feel safe.

Horses are their own best healers like the rest of us. Furthermore, they have big enough hearts to assist us to heal ourselves as well in many situations and horses that have been treated well are more likely to come into this position of being. That does not mean that they don’t suffer or not get sick. At these times there has been something to disrupt the flow of life energy that keeps them well and they often need help to overcome these obstacles.
We will see this occasionally in situations where the horses are being used or overused in activities requiring them to be compromised by ill fitting saddles or disrespectful handlers for example. They will also be made sick by being stuck in unhealthy environments, as their connection to the land is strong and influential to their wellbeing. There are cases of illthrift in horses as a result of them being stuck in a geographic ‘hole’ or pocket of negative earth energy. Needless to say, they are also affected by their connections to their owners and families and like many domestic animals, they can take on the emotional ill health of their people or other animals close to them. They are, of course, also going to be as prone as the rest of us to outbreaks of infectious diseases when epidemics occur. The means of healing them in these situations will largely depend on the informed choices and personal convictions of those entrusted with their care.

There is a host of health practitioners who do great work with horses from chiropractors, positional release therapists , farriers, vets, natural healers and homeopaths. I have made many new acquaintances over recent times who have taught me much about the array of approaches that are conducive to healing horses. One of the most important techniques that engenders freedom and good health is sound management practices. Natural horsemanship such as made famous by Pat Parelli and others, is highly regarded as a strong foundation for optimally healthy horses. Good nutrition would rate equally highly here along with proper foot care and saddle fitting.

It seems that whilst horses are still found roaming wild in many places of the world, they adapt and thrive very well in our domestic environments. It seems that we have much to offer each other and that the arrangement, if well managed, can be mutually beneficial.

Please feel free to contact me for more information about the practitioners available to Geelong and Western Victorian horses in this regard.

And if you haven’t said hello to a horse recently, go and make a good friend!

When this site was established it was intended that Sri Chinmoy’s comments and offerings regarding the animal kingdom, as seen through the eyes of a fully realized Spiritual Master, would be made available.

This is the first of those postings of which, hopefully, there will be many.

Animal Kingdom ( part 1.)

Bee: Industry
Dog: Faithfulness
Elephant: Strength
Mosquito: Torture

These poems and songs, composed by Sri Chinmoy over a number of years, have provided his students with endless hours of amusement and a far deeper insight into the true nature of Creation manifest in animals. The poems can be thought provoking and may, at first, seem quite unusual but the one thing that shines through all of them is Sri Chinmoy’s love, joy and appreciation for the entire animal kingdom.
Sri Chinmoy uses simple, evocative and poetic language to convey a deeper appreciation of the animal he is portraying.

These poems are being presented to the general public for the first time since 1996 when a special limited edition was published by Aum Publications, New York.

The songs were all written on December 23, 1997 and published in ‘I Love My Animal Kingdom-Songs’. Rather than reproduce them here, all music scores for these songs can be viewed at Sri Chinmoy Songs.

I hope you enjoy them all now and over the following weeks.

Bee: Industry.

Bee, my bee,

Your day and night
And your patience-industry
Have no respite.
Hard you endeavour
To bring nectar
From the core of your service-tree.
You always don
The robe of fruitful victory.

The bee song

‘Bee industry I want’

Dog: Faithfulness

Dog, my dog,
Heaven’s faithfulness
And
Earth’s faithfulnss
Put together
Have no match
For your faithfulness.
Man needs your heart
To succeed.
God needs your soul
To proceed.

The dog song

Dog fidelity I want

Elephant: Strength

Elephant, my elephant,

You are strength,
Reality’s strength.
Your solid strength
And conscious willingness
Can and shall lead the world
To infinity’s endless length.

Elephant song

Elephant sagacity I want.

Mosquito: Torture

Mosquito, my mosquito,

You torture humanity’s breath
With your tiny body, your outer frame.
Human valour, human pride, human fame,
Are at your mercy’s reign.
You prove that size is not important:
What is important is capacity’s life.
How secretly you carry
Death-King’s secret knife!

This last poem, particularly and amusingly, has special significance from an Homeopathic viewpoint. The Chincona bark experiment was the first clue that Hahnemann had for his foundation theory of Homeopathy. It relates directly to the treatment of Malaria, a mosquito borne disease that claims thousands of lives with ‘Death-King’s secret knife’.
Of course, from a canine perspective, ‘Death-King’s secret knife’ comes in the guise of heartworm infestation. Mosquito torture indeed!

Many years ago, as a new vet, I felt the need to write a children’s book to assist children to cope with the death of their pets. As a veterinarian I felt I had a responsibility to both the patients and their families and I remember how unprepared I was then to deal with death. The loss of a family pet is often the very first experience a child has of death and dying and I was just out of my depth both as a childless adult at the time and one who had not experienced bereavement myself.

I am still, even after all these years, ill equipped to prepare some owners for the loss of their pets but I find that the trust a child has for the judgement of their parent is infinitely more powerful than any words of consolation I can offer them. In fact, I believe that contrary to what I was taught to believe, children are generally far better prepared to accept death than are many adults.

In the past, I was challenged both by the responsibility of euthanasia and the grief of the clients and their families with no tools in my toolbox. Co-incidentally, most of the ‘thank you’ letters and cards that vets receive are after the euthanasia of animals. It is something for which we are remembered even if there is often some confusion and uncertainty surrounding the event.

I was, therefore, inspired to write a short story to try to bring some meaning to children of the whole experience of dying. To try to make it more palatable and to make it look like vets were doing a good thing in assisting animals to die. Or as some of our more vocal adversaries put it, ‘killing animals’. This was all long before I was acquainted with Sri Chinmoy who has written extensively on the subject of death and dying. So I was flying solo with only my goodwill to assist. I did not fully recognise at the time that the writing of this book, which incidentally was never published, was as much for my own self justification as for the potential benefit to my clients.

I was seeking my own meaning in the act of euthanasia. The truth is, I am still seeking. It is something that has often been quite stressful over the past years. Sadly, Sri Chinmoy himself died before I could ask him to elaborate on how appropriate this time honoured ‘act of mercy’ to animals is generally considered by those who know more about it than I do.
I am lucky enough, however, to have developed some insights over recent years that have enabled me to practice veterinary medicine with a clearer conscience.

The rediscovery and validation of time honoured natural healing practices has meant that not only do my patients generally live happier and longer lives but they also die more peacefully and unassisted by euthanasia.
Whilst I can look back to a number of assisted death experiences of my patients and feel that their time had really come, I can also see now that it would have been possible to have acted differently, albeit to the same ultimate end but with much less angst, in a larger number of cases.
I spoke to an holistic colleague a while ago about her own approach and she was able to articulate what I had been feeling. She will refuse to conduct euthanasia unless all three of them are prepared, the animal, her client and herself. Reflecting back on the cases that felt ‘OK’ for me, I realise that this is a key point. The difficulty quite often is attaining this alignment. As a result, I now choose not to enter into the euthanasia arena at all.

The strength of the human–animal bond cannot be underestimated and we have much to learn from each other. Amongst the most rewarding relationships we have on earth can be with our pets. They bring unconditional love, loyalty, devotion, sweetness and companionship. It is little wonder that we cannot bear to see them suffering towards the end of their lives. My view is not to condone their suffering but to try to see it from a different perspective.

The soul does not suffer.

It is beyond and above the touch of suffering. We see the physical body suffering and we cannot help but identify with it. This brings us grief and distress unless we can detach sufficiently from the physical appearances and allow life to completely take its course. This detachment is very difficult to attain when the bonds of emotion and dependence are so strong. It will take considerable awareness, acceptance and practice. Although we may not always understand or appreciate the way things seem, it may be a greater shame to deprive an animal of a natural death when they are so much a part of Mother Nature herself.

Death can be very stressful. It is often very stressful in fact. If we can be better prepared for this inevitable, natural occurrence I believe we may cope much better with it. It can be stressful for both the animals and their owners. They both need assistance. There have been some incidents even in recent months that have been difficult for me as a practitioner as a result of being unprepared and I feel there may be a few more as life brings its inevitable challenges. There are many unanswered questions about why this experience seemingly cannot be made easier but just as life itself is often difficult, I accept that for some of us, leaving life may also be difficult. It comes down to how accepting and comfortable we are with a process that is as natural as breathing but has been mystified and outsourced to such an extent that we will do almost anything to avoid dealing with it and anything to try to explain it.

Allowing ourselves to accept life and death as part of the same continuum is also crucial to our own development as human beings. I don’t believe we have the right to interfere with the all nurturing, all loving force of Mother Nature in these matters, however difficult it is to overcome the urge to intervene. The relentless pursuit of an elusive diagnosis is itself an unwelcome interference in many cases of dying animals. The added stresses that these procedures often bring, to both the patient and their owners alike, is usually counterproductive. We don’t need a diagnosis to accept that death is a natural part of living. It is only our minds that require answers to assist us to accept circumstances beyond our control. It is our hope that a diagnosis will assist us to cure the patient. It rarely does in cases that have gone beyond the capacity of the vital force to recover. Peace and solace comes only then with acceptance.

If we come to realise the meaning of life then perhaps we will also come to realise the meaning of death. I will no longer seek to justify my own actions when I strive to act only from my deepest faith in the sanctity of all life.

May all our dearest companions lead peaceful and happy lives and exit in a timely, natural and dignified manner.

Over recent years a fuller acknowledgement of the human-animal bond has been awakened in us. We have always relied heavily upon animals throughout our history but it seems that we have often taken them and their tremendous self offering to us for granted.

These days we are not only appreciating them more but also finding new ways to enable them to assist us with our problems. As an undergraduate vet student I remeber the inception of the organisation in Australia responsible for introducing dogs into hospitals and aged care facilities for the betterment of the lives of the people living there. This then led to a program of riding for the disabled when it was discovered that children with cerebral palsy could actually sit in horse saddles when not on chairs.

These programs were obviously successful not only for the physical benefits of the people but also because of the emotional well being brought about by interactions with a living soul, an animal, that gives unconditional love and support to those in need. Subsequently many such initiatives have arisen including the use of horses now to assist people with anger management and psychological imbalances.

“The Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA) defines Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) as experiential psychotherapy that includes equines. EFP may be used to treat a variety of psycho-social disorders such as anxiety, depression, behavioral disorders, personality disorders and other psychotic disorders as well as post-traumatic stress, grief and loss.”

With the increased awareness of the existence of and acceptance of animal communicators and ‘whisperers’, these opportunities to work more closely with what Sri Chinmoy describes as ‘our little brothers and sisters’ is becoming more available. What we are discovering is that most of us have the capacity to communicate more effectively with others when we use our hearts and not so much our limited minds. Children can do this far more easily because they naturally are more heart based in their approach to life in their early years. The important thing is that perhaps we can all learn to reawaken our own ability to find this inner peace through practice and the willingness to try to see the good qualities in others.

The organistaions providing animals for the betterment of human lives have obviously embraced this secret. More and more we are looking for natural ways to calm and heal ourselves. Making the most of what Mother Nature in her infinite compassion has afforded us we are turning back to her for her assistance.

I would like to present an excerpt from Sri Chinmoy’s writings about pets and their role in our lives. It involves a question and his answer from his own experiences.

Question: Sometimes so-called unevolved things—for example, a dog—can have such noble qualities. A dog might give its life to save somebody. On the other hand, a human being that is more evolved might have such petty qualities.

Sri Chinmoy: God has given each individual good qualities. If the individual does not use those good qualities, bad qualities loom large. Good and bad, day and night, light and shade each individual has. Because we are human beings, we are more evolved than animals. But some human beings are infinitely worse than animals. For example, if you give a dog a little food two times a day, it is satisfied. But each human being has to be supplied with new food, most delicious food every day. Otherwise that person may get angry. The poor dog is getting the same meat year after year. But a human being will try to get better food, more delicious food. Is this evolution?

The human mind is highly evolved, but insecurity, jealousy, pride, anger and so forth play their role. When you see a large herd of sheep, immediately you notice how gracefully, how peacefully they are staying together. If one thousand human beings are together, there will be so much screaming and fighting. They will do many unkind things. There will not be any peaceful feeling among them. In that way, the sheep are more developed.

You have said that in many cases, animals, specially dogs, have given their lives for their masters. Many, many more animals have given their lives and will give their lives for human beings than human beings will give for animals. Pets can be so affectionate to their master, so fond of their master, that they can give their lives.

Just recently I read a book about animals that have given their lives and how these animals suffered. Animals far surpass human beings when it comes to sacrifice. As human beings, sometimes we get a kind of unconscious, malicious pleasure when somebody suffers. I have come to realise that in human life there is no such thing as friendship; it is all rivalry. If your friend has achieved something, immediately your heart burns. Unless and until you have established divine friendship, rivalry always exists. If you establish divine friendship, you are safe. At that time you feel oneness. Otherwise, so-called human friendship is made of rivalry and jealousy. Outwardly if your friend achieves something, you will give a broad smile and congratulate him, but inwardly you are cursing your friend or cursing yourself because you could not do that very thing. You feel that you should have done that thing or something better. Animals do not have that kind of developed mind. True, animals can be jealous, but they are not directly entering into the world of jealousy and cursing the person who has achieved something.

There are many, many ways animals can help us in our evolution. Again, in the process of evolution, we are higher because we are conscious of God. The poor animals are not conscious of God. Either we pray to God or meditate on God; it is up to us. But we are conscious that there is somebody in Heaven or inside us who is watching us, while animals are not. Unconsciously they are doing many, many good and divine things.

Again, this does not apply to all animals. In my own case, my dog Kanu used to take my suffering. When I used to get very painful stomach upset, he would sit on my stomach and take it away. So many times when I was miserable with very serious problems, he would come and sleep right beside my head, very, very affectionately. Then my problems would be solved. How many times he took away my real physical headache and my stomach pain. When he used to sit next to me, my problems would go away. I was able to see light on how to solve the problems. This was Kanu.

When I was young, we had a dog called Bhaga. Bhaga looked like a tiger. He was very big and very, very kind. He used to guard the whole Ghosh family—five or six houses. When we left Shakpura for good, Bhaga would not stay behind. He entered into the Kharnaphuli River and followed us. Our boat was sailing and he was swimming to catch up. Finally, we put him in the boat with us. We stayed for two or three days at our maternal uncle’s place and Bhaga was so happy. Then we had to go to Pondicherry and we could not take him with us. Our relatives were so kind to this dog, but in one week Bhaga died. That was Bhaga’s sacrifice for our family.

We had another dog named Tegh. Our house was in Shakpura and my aunt’s place was in Dhalghat. Tegh used to carry messages from one house to the other. My sister used to write down a message. Then the servant would go with Tegh for a half mile or so. Immediately Tegh knew what he should do. The servant would come back and Tegh would go all the way to my aunt’s place, three miles away, and deliver
the message.

If an animal is evolved and very close to its master, then that animal can do something very, very special to prevent a serious calamity from taking place either in the family or among the very dear ones. That kind of supreme sacrifice an animal can make.

Excerpt from Sri Chinmoy Answers, Part 27 by Sri Chinmoy.

There are countless stories about healing through a myriad of personal
testimonials and accounts stretching from as far back as Biblical days
and the workings of Christ and beyond. It was a challenge therefore to
create something to inspire and interest you on this subject. As such,
it was with great excitement that I began to once again pull together
the threads of wisdom that were waving at me from the ether and produce
something, hopefully, worth reading.
.
As an instrument of healing I am often reluctant to call myself a
healer. I am of the firm belief that animals heal themselves and
occasionally I am fortunate enough to be able to assist them. When this
alignment occurs it is a great joy and relief but as so many of us
know, it is not always the case that healing follows rapidly.

The great homeopathic master, Samuel Hahnemann (1810), described
healing as cure in his ‘Organon of the Medical Art’ in the following
manner.
‘The highest ideal of cure is the rapid, gentle and permanent
restoration of health; that is, the lifting and annihilation of the
disease in its entire extent in the shortest, most reliable, and least
disadvantageous way, according to clearly realizable principles.”

And the healer as “The physician’s highest and only calling is to make
the sick healthy, to cure, as it is called.” And, “ He is likewise a
sustainer of health if he knows the things that disturb health, that
engender and maintain disease, and is aware of how to remove them from
healthy people.” Or in my case, animals.

Whilst it is my belief that it is only Divine Love that heals, all
Homeopaths will recognize these aphorisms as the basic tenets of their
art. They form a solid foundation for the art of holistic medical
practices. Hahnemann himself had an acute awareness of the vital force
that pervades all living things and gives them health. Whilst he did
not describe himself as an instrument of healing he was aware that
there was a Divine force and that there were obstacles to cure. These
obstacles are sometimes easy to identify and overcome but at other
times they are deeply, immovably imbedded.

I, myself, am beginning to accept that some patients will not be, or
cannot be cured. In a sense, in these cases, it is their disease that
is their ‘life’ or rather their life’s lesson or mission. It is how
they deal with this that is of real importance. It can be difficult to
accept this situation and until recently I had little help to assist in
the acceptance of it myself.

It was during my reading recently of ‘Kundalini, the Mother Power’ by
Sri Chinmoy that I received some assistance. His writing also further
inspired me to share some thoughts on the healer and the importance of
not striving too hard to remove these obstacles. It is our duty to
assist healing as far as we are capable but in those cases that are
truly intractable we can end up damaging ourselves if we push too hard.
In this respect, most practitioners of hands on healing techniques are
quite aware of the draining or adverse effect that some patients can
have upon them. Most holistic practitioners are actually taught how to
cleanse or energise themselves after certain healing procedures as part
of their training in these disciplines. It is, perhaps, partly for not
having this training, that conventional medical doctors, dentists and
veterinarians unfortunately have amongst the highest rates of drug
abuse and suicide in professional vocations.

Sri Chinmoy speaks of Yogis and highly developed individuals who have
acquired mastery over their muladhara or root chakra. Whilst by far the
majority of us have not attained this level, it is interesting to note
his insight into healing those who may not be destined to be healed. He
says, “When a person with mastery over the muladhara centre sees that
someone has a particular disease, he has to know whether that
individual deserves the disease or whether it is the result of a
hostile attack. If the person has done something wrong, naturally under
the law of karma he deserves to pay the penalty. But if the disease is
not from the law of karma, but rather from the attack of some hostile
force, and if it is God’s Will that his disease should be cured, then
naturally a spiritual person who has the capacity should cure it. But
if he does it at his own sweet will, or if he acts in an undivine way
and just shows off, then he breaks the cosmic law. He will cure the
person but this cure will eventually act against both the healer and
the sick person. It will add to their ignorant and self-destructive
quality. So the healer has to know if it is the Will of God that the
person be cured. Only then will he cure. Otherwise he has to remain
silent and do nothing”

At first, I felt uneasy about this because I thought ‘how am I going to
know what to do?’ Then I realized that fortunately, I am not a Yogi so
do not have the responsibilities attached to this position and secondly
I am surrendered to the outcome of my cases through adhering to the
practice of praying or meditating for all of my patients. Hopefully
through this practice, coupled with the ever descending compassion rain
from heaven, I am spared the karmic repercussions of pushing cases
beyond their capacity to heal.

The thing that arises from this, however, is that animals in their
devoted self offering will invariably take on the disease of their
owners or develop other diseases from the unhealthy energy they absorb
in their home environments. It is usually possible to assist these
animals to a cure. But at other times I have to wonder if the animals
themselves are acting as healers in their own right and what role I
should play. Occasionally when cure is difficult it can be hard to
know whether it is because I am not behaving as a good instrument or if
there are these other forces at play. Often the animals themselves will
let me know. Other times I have naught to do but surrender.

My personal experience of my own injury or illness is usually that it
is an opportunity to learn something more about myself. In effect, it
is a lesson that I have eventually come to appreciate and will
invariably bring about an even greater awareness and enjoyment of life
regardless of the outcome. The individuals from whom I attain the
greatest inspiration are often those who cheerfully triumph over their
adversities and rise above their diseases to bring hope to others.

Nowhere is this better demonstrated for me than in the lives of the
animals who allow me to assist them to heal.
—————————–

I have always had admiration and deep respect for working dogs. Their sense of duty and their loyalty is truly admirable. Their one-pointed determination is sometimes amusing and always inspiring.

It wasn’t until recently, however, that I realised that many dogs, and perhaps even all dogs, need to work to some degree.

I had been treating a couple of canine patients from different families who both presented to me with the overwhelming sense of needing to ‘have a job’. In my work with animals much of their presenting ill health is attributed to lack of fulfilment in behavioural and emotional areas.
These two dogs, seen within days of each other, were both telling me the same thing. They needed to have a job. For some dogs fortunately, this is just a simple matter of playing with the kids or walking them to school twice a day.

Without a purpose in life some animals will just not be well. In these cases, one had developed skin allergies as a sign of misplaced energies that would otherwise be channelled into constructive activity.

Boris, a short haired tall red dog, was very agitated partly because he couldn’t ever seem to get approval from his owner for the things he did to try to help around the house. He would dutifully alert his people of the approach of any threat by barking at any sound that heralded the possible arrival of an intruder, for example. Unfortunately this would become more of a nuisance to the people than of assistance and they would, not surprisingly, forget to acknowledge and thank Boris for his good work in guarding and alerting them. Conversely, they would often be so embarrassed by his insistence that they would actually chastise him for his exuberance. Partly as a result of his frustration and desperation to seek approval his energy became self destructive and he began scratching and chewing at himself. His skin disease was a symptom of his concealed distress and his lack of suitable employment of his good intentions. He needed a job and a suitable outlet for his energy. Dogs in human households from the dawn of time have always had a role in domestic affairs.

We often, inadvertently, modify dogs behaviour to suit our own means and we forget that they have to have a healthy canine outlet for their energy. Whilst the process of domestication of dogs has brought huge advantages to us both, it has also deprived dogs of much of what they need and know. They are mostly no longer able to dig, hunt, breed, roam and fight. Most of this is of course, from our perspective, a good thing. But some of them are telling us that they need more than they are getting. Largely for this reason, as well as for the nutritive benefits, I have been strongly recommending the chewing of raw meaty bones as a positive outlet for these animals to good effect. They are becoming calmer and using their energy constructively.

Chewing is a job for dogs as those of us who have dogs that try to chew everything will testify. Channelling this into constructive use of the canine teeth has enormous health benefits for them and also for our furniture that is spared. Chewing raw meaty bones improves all aspects of a dogs health.

Then, of course, there are the dogs with full time jobs in the human world. Our farm dogs, guide dogs, police dogs, hearing dogs and dogs that put their lives on the line to assist people. When we think of working dogs these are the ones that usually spring to mind.
We also seem to be finding new jobs for dogs with dogs who alert their owners to impending seizures and dogs being taken into hospitals and elderly citizens homes to bring some solace and joy to these people who find comfort in their presence.

As a closing tribute to all working dogs and with the kind permission of the author, I would like to present the poem by Sumangali Morhall that inspired this particular dedication to our working dogs.

The Guide Dog and her Man

He squints and frowns
In tones of unknown light
Reveals what could amount to sight
In shadow shape worlds

He dreams serene in headphones
Her eyes invite perpetual scenes
Deceptively in limp repose
Lifted lobes of velveteen, nose restless

Curves athletic carved
Precisely by her willing work
Dark head and back
Buffed treacle-sleek by his caress

Springs on haunches when he stirs
Dignified complies to harness
Ducks the briefcase
Launching into loyal march

Servant risen uncontested
On the charts of pride in duty
Bound calm and beautiful
To her master’s side

Sumangali