Year-end reflections and grateful thanks

2012 is drawing to a close and it’s time to reflect on our whole year’s experience, learn from them, rejoice in all the good that have come our way and work towards a better year to come.

Our grateful thanks go to:

1. Our readers, supporters, donors, well-wishers and volunteers who have supported us in so many ways. Thank you very much for your time, energy and love and most importantly, being there for us when we needed support and help.

2. Rescuers and fosterers who have responded whenever we sent out appeals. We thank you very much for stepping up to help despite your busy schedule.

3. The following events which has enabled us to spread our message of kindness to animals: Ang Paws Furrez, Canine Caviar Appreciation Day, Sunsuper Dreams, Wesak at SJBA, PetWorld 2012, EcoGreen Luncheon, Student Leader Convention at University Malaya, Le Viva Pet Charity 2012, Cutie Pet Fair 2012, SS19 Family Carnival, Kathina at SJBA, TTDI Charity Carnival and various public talks.

4. The following media for having publicised our work: Her World, BFM 89.9, Health and Beauty, Pets Times, The Star, New Straits Times, Nanyang Siang Pau, Sin Chew Jit Poh, Malay Mail, Reach Out and MalaysiaKini.

5. Adirondack (M) Sdn Bhd, Oriferashoppe.com and various individuals who have contributed products to us for fundraising purposes.

6. The applicants to our fund who respected our policies and fulfilled deadlines and requirements, thus enabling our work to proceed smoothly.

We also learnt lessons (and become wiser, hopefully!) from the following:

a.  Those who forge receipts, fabricate rescue stories and provide doctored photographs. Those who claim for the spaying of pregnant animals or euthanasia (or other procedures not covered by our policies) where such procedures were deliberately “masked” on the receipt. We verified with the vets and did not subsidise such cases. Action taken: Blacklisted the applicants; will continue to counter check with the vets on suspicious cases or those whose claims are substantial, will request for additional photographs of the animal and additional information, if need be.

b. Those who do multiple claims for the same receipt (claim from other organisations or individuals and still claim from us without declaring their multiple claims on our form). We verified with the other organisations and/or individuals. Action taken: Blacklisted the applicant; will continue cross-checking with other organisations by providing details of every applicant before we pay out any claims, urged all organisations to insist on the receipt and to keep it. Details of cases in which substantial amounts are involved will be published on the blog BEFORE any payout is made. Individuals who are or organisations which are also subsidising this case are urged to inform us of the amount they have pledged or have given.

We adopt a firm stand on blacklisting dishonest applicants because such attitude is not accidental. It is deliberate.

c. Those who request for fostering help but do not honour their word (in taking back the animal or in providing food, financial help to the fosterer, etc.). Action taken: No more publicising for fosterers, only for adoption. We fully agree that fosterers should not have to end up rehoming or adopting the animal. 

d. Those who request for rescue help but “dumps” the animal on the rescuer after that. Action taken: Alert and urge all rescuers to respond and act wisely should they encounter such incidents. We fully appreciate that rescuers can only so much and should not be expected to foster and adopt the animal as well.

e. Those who request for rescue and/or other forms of help, but subsequently ignore all offers of help after he/she has received what he/she wants by turning off his/her handphone and not replying text messages or emails that offer help. The requester also does not bother to inform us so we too are in the dark. Action taken: Urged the requester to please have some consideration (and courtesy) to revert to those who offer help and let them (and us) know that help is no longer required. We do not want a case of “the boy who cried wolf” happening because if this becomes rampant, eventually nobody will respond when we publish for help. It doesn’t take much to just inform us and others that help is no longer required.  

To everyone whom we have met and worked with, we thank you for the encounter, the friendship and we apologise unreservedly for all our shortcomings.

Last but not least:

The Four Principles of Indian Spirituality

The First Principle states:
“Whomsoever you encounter is the right one”
This means that no one comes into our life by chance. Everyone who is around us, anyone with whom we interact, represents something, whether to teach us something or to help us improve a current situation.

The Second Principle states:
“Whatever happened is the only thing that could have happened”
Nothing, absolutely nothing of that which we experienced could have been any other way. Not even in the least important detail. There is no “If only I had done that differently…, then it would have been different…”. No. What happened is the only thing that could have taken place and must have taken place for us to learn our lesson in order to move forward. Every single situation in life, which we encounter, is absolutely perfect, even when it defies our understanding and our ego.

The Third Principle states:
“Each moment in which something begins is the right moment”
Everything begins at exactly the right moment, neither earlier nor later. When we are ready for it, for that something new in our life, it is there, ready to begin.

This is the Fourth Principle, the final one: 
“What is over, is over”
It is that simple. When something in our life ends, it helps our evolution. That is why, enriched by the recent experience, it is better to let go and move on.

Every snowflake, every raindrop, falls at precisely where it is supposed to fall. Nothing happens by accident.

Everything happens for a reason.

With this little piece of wisdom, we wish everyone a great year ahead and thank you once again, for your very kind and generous support in giving us the opportunity to help the many animals who come our way.

May all beings be well and happy!