HOST: Hallo, tender-hearted viewers, and welcome to Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants. On today’s program, we’ll visit three caring animal shelters in the United States: Silverwalk Beagle & Hound Sanctuary, The Humane Society Serving Clark County and the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

On our first stop we’ll meet Ms. Roberta Beach, a registered nurse and the founder of Silverwalk Beagle & Hound Sanctuary in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The Sanctuary began several years ago when Ms. Beach underwent a series of major surgeries for cancer. Her condition was critical, but she experienced a miraculous recovery, which she attributes to her loving Beagle companion, Oliver.

Alice (f): When she was recovering from her first cancer surgery, her mother suggested that she get a dog to be her companion and to help. And she realized then the dog did help with her survival.

HOST: To return the favor, Ms. Beach opened a home-based animal shelter and now devotes all her free time to the rescue and care of precious dogs.

Alice(f): It’s called Silverwalk (Beagle and) Hound (Sanctuary). It’s for hounds, beagles and geriatrics, or senior dogs. She rescues from all over. She gets emails from all sorts of places wanting a place for their dog. There’re not many hound rescues.

Alice (f): She is a very spiritual person, and I think that goes along very much with her rescue of dogs. Especially the dogs she rescues, she likes the underdog, the down and out, the ones that really need help.

HOST: Since opening Silverwalk, Roberta Beach has helped more than 60 canines who otherwise might have been homeless. Any canine resident, if not eventually adopted, can stay at the Sanctuary for life.

Roberta Beach(f): This is Margie. Margie is one of my dogs. She was found in a dumpster when she was eight weeks old. And I was supposed to find a home for her. And her home is here. I could not let her go.

HOST: Upon hearing of Ms. Beach’s kindness, Supreme Master Ching Hai contributed a supply of vegan dog food and doggie beds to the Sanctuary, along with US$2,000 for the purchase of vegan bones for Roberta Beach’s lovely, canine friends. Our Association members visited the Sanctuary to present the check and delightful gifts.

Roberta Beach(f): I just really appreciate the philanthropy, the compassion and the general kindness to all of us on this Earth, from human to animal, to plants. I mean, all of us are one. Thank you.

HOST: Our next stop is The Humane Society Serving Clark County in Springfield, Ohio, USA, which rescues approximately 2,000 animals each year. Though they try their best to place animals in new, welcoming homes, any animal not adopted can stay for life at the shelter. The Society ensures that the dogs and cats it looks after are ready for adoption by having them spayed or neutered and providing them with medical care if necessary. In addition, through an ingenious, cooperative program with a local prison, the Clark County shelter provides its dog residents with “good canine citizen” training.

James Straley(m): A lot of the dogs that have come to our shelter we send through what’s called the PETS Program, that’s “Pets Educated To Survive.” We send them to a prison in Lima, Ohio. And through that prison program, they have eight weeks of training with a prisoner. They’re with that prisoner 24-hours a day, seven days a week. And they learn basic obedience, how to sit, how to stay, they’re potty-trained and they learn socialization with other dogs. When they come back, they’ve got their “good canine citizen” award, and they’re essentially pre-trained dogs.

HOST: In March 2011, the shelter was involved in the rescue of hundreds of helpless, innocent dogs from a privately run sanctuary that had encountered numerous challenges and could no longer care for the canines. Through a cooperative effort, The Humane Society Serving Clark County, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and several volunteer veterinarians saved the dogs.

James Straley(m): We rescued over 400 dogs from One More Chance Rescue and Adoption in New Carlisle, Ohio. During that time we made a new shelter for them in Columbus, Ohio, and then worked through and tried to get them all into more permanent homes.

HOST: Delighted to hear of this wonderful operation to take in the 400 plus canines, with gratitude Supreme Master Ching Hai donated US$10,000 to share the love and cost of the noble endeavor. What was executive director James Straley’s reaction, when he heard news of the gift to the Society?

James Straley(m): I don’t think surprised is quite a word for it. I think I was shocked. I’m sort of out of words to figure out exactly how she (Supreme Master Ching Hai) found out about us and how it came to be. But I am honored.

HOST: On Supreme Master Ching Hai’s behalf, our Association members visited the Clark County shelter to present the US$10,000 check. Kathy O’Connor(f): This is amazing. If you only knew how badly we truly need this. We have just so much to do with this and I think this is just phenomenal. This is just amazing.

James Straley(m): I’m honored and humbled by her generosity. And to find us from so far away and to think about us it’s very, very humbling. I can’t say more than “Thank you” and that we’re totally honored and humbled.

HOST: We now head south to Texas, where the benevolent Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also helped with a massive canine rescue. The operation in May 2011 involved freeing 200 vulnerable dogs from the filthy, atrocious conditions at a local puppy mill.

Charles (m): Well Currently we’re in the process of removing a large quantity of animals from a property at Waller County. As each of the animals are coming out of their enclosure, they’re being triaged by our team, just to determine exactly what’s going wrong with the animals, what they might need when we get back to Houston SPCA. Now they are being loaded on our transport facility where we have a team standing by there to further the processing of the animals, and also we have a veterinary team standing by to be able to handle any kind of medical issues that we determine out here on the field.

Meera Nandlal (f): It's a large-scale, dog-breeding facility. And there were animals that were in smaller cages, and they were basically living in that type of environment their whole lives. They were not out walking around or playing at the park, or doing any of those kind of things that we probably do with our pets.

Meera Nandlal (f): We assisted the Waller County Sheriff’s Department in the rescue and removal of the 200 dogs. And they were in pretty bad condition. They were matted and there were some who were puppies that maybe were just a day old, born just the day before we came to rescue them. And they’ve come to the shelter since then. And we had volunteer groomers. And of course our vet staff takes care of them. Many have gone to permanent, loving homes. Some are in foster homes. And there may be a few who are still looking for homes.

SMTV (f): And did you get enough volunteers to come and help, because 200 dogs at one time is a little overwhelming?

Meera Nandlal (f): We did. The outpouring of volunteers was incredible. From volunteer groomers from around the Houston area, to our own volunteers here at the shelter, to our foster volunteers, everybody wanted to help the animals because they knew that these animals were so sweet and loving and could find really great homes.

HOST: Learning of the Houston SPCA’s saving of so many sweet canines, Supreme Master Ching Hai with gratitude and all love, provided a US$10,000 contribution to support the noble rescue. Our Association members presented the check on her behalf, along with many other gifts including a selection of her DVDs, the #1 international bestsellers, “The Birds In My Life,” “The Dogs In My Life,” and “The Noble Wilds,” as well as “The Love of Centuries.”

Meera Nandlal (f): Well, we're really grateful for the US$10,000 check because it certainly will go a long way to continue our mission and to help all animals that come through our doors at the Houston SPCA. So thank you very much.

Stacy Fox (f): I would just like to say thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. This incredible gift will truly help us give homeless, abused and neglected animals a second chance at life.

Meera Nanlal (f): I want to personally thank Supreme Master Ching Hai for your US$10,000 dollar donation to the Houston SPCA. It is an incredibly generous gift that is going to go so far to help all animals of the Houston SPCA. We don’t just have dogs and cats. We’ve got the horses, we’ve got pigs, we’ve got ferrets and rabbits. You’re helping so many animals with your donation, and we just can’t thank you enough.

HOST: The Houston SPCA is a model animal shelter with a “no-kill” policy, meaning residents can stay at the shelter or with foster families until they can be adopted into forever, loving homes.

Meera(f): Here at the Houston SPCA, animals live here until they find a home. And if an animal falls sick or something happens to the animal, the animal can be fostered out. And that’s not just for the cats and dogs, that is for any animal. That is for a rabbit, that is for horses, that is for donkeys, chickens and pigs. Any animal that falls sick in our hands can go to our foster care to get better.

Meera (f): We must treat the animals the way we would like to be treated because they deserve respect and understanding and love and affection. They’re not for profit. They have emotions. They feel happy and sad. And they grieve. They feel just like you. So treat them how you would like to be treated.

HOST: Staff members and volunteers of the Silverwalk Beagle & Hound Sanctuary, The Humane Society Serving Clark County and the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, we thank Heaven for your kindness and generosity. Through your diligent efforts you have protected and saved many beautiful, loving animal friends in need. Your work truly helps to uplift our world and provides joy and a guiding light for us all.

For more information on the organizations featured today, please visit the following websites:
Silverwalk Beagle & Hound Sanctuary www.silverwalkhounds.org
The Humane Society Serving Clark County www.ClarkHumane.org
Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals www.HoustonHumane.org

Amiable viewers, thank you for your good company today on Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants. May all hearts forever be filled with love and gratitude to God.