Peace's Story - Shanti Animal Home
- Chris Hatzis
- Jun 15, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 13, 2025
Not long after, as I went to clean and refill the bucket, a guy around my age came up to me and snapped,
“It’s for the dogs, leave it alone!”
I looked at him calmly and said,
“I put this here. I clean it and fill it.”
And everything shifted from there.
He softened.
“Oh, it’s you.”
We exchanged a few words, and I carried on.
—
A few weeks later, as I was leaving Ananda Ramana Restaurant, I returned to my scooter and found the same guy parked next to me.
“Hey brother,” he said warmly.
“The other day I came by in the morning and the bucket was empty, so I filled it for the dogs.”
I smiled.
In that moment, I felt confirmation of what I already knew.
Siva was watching over the bucket.
This man stepping in simply made it visible.
He asked if I could help him buy some food for the dogs.
“Of course,” I said. “When would you like to meet?”
“Tomorrow at 10am, here?”
“Sure,” I replied.
—
I arrived around 10:15 and saw him chatting with a friend. He jumped up when he spotted me.
“Alright,” I said, “do you want me to grab a big bag of food?”
He surprised me by saying,
“There’s a shop down the road, it’s cheaper there. Can we go together?”
“Let’s go.”
We rode five minutes to a small animal supply shop I’d never even noticed before.
“Awesome,” I thought.
He pointed out a large bag, enough for 25 days of feeding.
“Can you get this one?” he asked.
“Absolutely.”
Then he asked for a second, smaller bag for ₹150.
“No problem.”
The total came to just under ₹3,000. They didn’t accept cards, so I went to get cash.
While we waited, I asked his name.
“Everyone calls me Peace.”
Cool name. He asked mine.
“Chris.”
After we returned to the chai shop, we sat in the sunshine and let the conversation continue.
Just then, a woman gently approached us
She told Peace about a black puppy she’d seen the night before, soaking wet in the rain and in terrible condition.
She had wanted to take it to the Tiruvannamalai animal hospital, but it disappeared before she could help.
"If I see it again," she said, "I’ll call you. I’ll pay for the tuk-tuk so we can take it together."
Peace nodded and thanked her.
I sat quietly beside him, watching this small act of community unfold —the way care and compassion ripple through this town without fanfare.
—
I asked him if he’d be open to sharing more of his story with me.
He said yes.
For a while, Peace had looked after animals all over Tiruvannamalai for some Western friends from France who couldn’t return due to visa issues.
They trusted him deeply, enough to send money for dog food, petrol, and a modest salary so he could keep doing what he does.
He invited me to visit his home, Shanti Animal Home, where he lives with 7 dogs and 3 cats.
“Any more animals?” I asked.
“Just one more,” he said, pointing to himself.
We both laughed.
“I don’t compete.
I just focus on myself.
I love animals.
God is helping me through people like you.”
Some people don’t trust him at first, he told me, but over time they see how devoted he is.
He spoke about a dog who’d been hanging around the chai shop, very sick.
The local vet said the dog couldn’t be saved.
Peace insisted they try anyway, then took the dog home and nursed him back to health.
That dog is now part of his family.
“We only serve,” he said.
“Whatever we do with a good heart, God supports. When we leave this world, we take nothing with us.”
—
Peace paints, plays the flute, and plays the drum.
“I am handicapped,” he said softly.
“But when I try, I feel happy with myself.”
He told me he struggled for three months trying to play the flute, no sound came out.
Frustrated, he asked Ramana,
“Why did you give me this flute if I can’t play it?”
That day, a sound finally emerged. Since then, he’s found his own rhythm.
“It’s magic, baba. Ramana’s blessing. Nobody believes me,” he laughed.
I laughed with him.
“I believe you.”
—
After we spoke, some of the chai shop dogs wandered over.
One laid its head on my leg.
While we waited, he kept telling me how thankful he was.
“I had a feeling I should ask you,” he said,
“but I didn’t follow it… then in the moment, I just did.”
I looked at him and said,
“Peace, do you know why it was easy for me to buy you the food?”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because when I went to fill that bucket the other day, you came at me with passion.
‘It’s for the dogs, put it down,’ you told me.
I loved that. It means you care. I also care.”
He smiled deeply.
Then he said he had to go, a friend was waiting.
“Thank you for supporting me,” he said.
“It makes me happy when people help animals. I see you love them too.”
I asked if I could share this story.
He said I could.
He invited me to his home to meet the animals, see his paintings, and hear his music.
I asked if I could interview him.
He said yes.
We both knew: Ramana Maharshi brought us together.
May love continue to guide Peace, the quiet caretaker of Tiruvannamalai’s street dogs.
Just as I was about to hit publish on this post, a message came through from him.
“Thank you brother… your support animals.”
A small reminder from the universe:
Love always circles back.
How to Support Peace
What keeps Peace going is his Patreon page, a simple offering created with the help of a 19-year-old American who believed in his mission.
It’s a way for people around the world to support his care for Tiruvannamalai’s street dogs.
🐾 $3/month feeds one dog for a week
🐾 $6/month feeds one dog for half a month
🐾 $12/month feeds one dog for a full month
Every rupee goes to feeding, treating, and caring for animals who would otherwise be forgotten.
Even $3 makes a difference.
You’re also welcome to send him a kind message, I know he’d be grateful.
You can also catch small glimpses of his daily life and devotion on his YouTube channel.
Art from the Heart
In between feeding dogs and caring for the sick, Peace paints.
Each piece carries the same quiet devotion he shows in his daily life.
His art is a reflection of his heart.
He sells these paintings through his Facebook page. They come in different sizes and are available for anyone who’d like to support his work and bring a piece of his world home.
To purchase a painting, visit:
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