CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Hari & Bol

I can remember many years ago when a group of devotees were criticizing people who kept dogs. Some years later I was traveling with His Holiness Ganapati Swami and we spent the night at the home of a devotee couple—living in Colorado. They had two white dogs, Hari & Bol. Then about three years later, on the cover of Parade Magazine—which is included in Sunday newspapers across America—I saw a picture of Mrs. Caroline Hebard and her German Shepard, Pascha. Both are famous for their rescue work during disasters.

The very first week I spent living in a temple, during a conversation with His Grace Jayananda prabhu—who was letting me stay in his room at the Manhattan temple on 55th street—he told me that we don’t have to give up what we enjoy doing, but rather, learn how to dovetail our propensities in the service of the Lord. If you are a carpenter—fine—you don’t have to give this up. But instead of building strip malls, build temples.

I can’t help but pause for a moment and remember the criticism I heard about people who owned dogs. Perhaps some devotees need to have a broader view. For example, keeping the vision of Krishna Disaster Relief in mind, along with what Jayananda told me, if I were to come across some people who liked dogs, I would follow in Jayananda’s footsteps and say to them, fine, and here is a way you can dovetail your love for dogs. If you want to have dogs, then why not raise and train the best rescue dogs in the world. There are people all over the world who do this kind of work with their dogs. They are the first to enter an area where buildings are down. During an earthquake, these dogs are invaluable in locating and saving the lives of men, women, and children buried alive. Join Krishna Search & Rescue.

All along I have been saying, "Krishna to the rescue." It doesn’t take much imagination to see the enormous diversity and opportunities for devotional service that Krishna Disaster Relief can offer. This book is barely scratching the surface.