There are many places on this small Island where life is simple, meaning that less really is more.  Where not much dictates making use of everything.  Where being creative and inventive in the face of scarcity simply means survival.

These are villages where birth life and death follow an accepted cycle, where daily rhythms remain unchanged and where seasonal adaptation is approached and faced as an opportunity for planting sowing and reaping.
They are locations that still attempt to follow generational family and cultural traditions while dealing with encroaching modernity and an avalanche of convenience wrapped in tons of plastic.

Banjar’s where each family cohabits with on average 3-5 dogs, mostly the islands first original dog, but with a growing number of foreign breed dogs.  Where most dogs still roam free, free from confinement and wanton intimidation.  Where the condition of humans and dogs mirror each other.  Where nature sorts weak from strong, letting the outcome be what is, dictated by balance and natural selection.

These are areas not that far in distance from the climatic and consumerism hot zones of down South, but they are light years away from the bloated lifestyles associated with wealth and want.  These areas located North, West and East probably number in the thousands with probably tens of thousands of mainly lokal dogs.

‘Old Bali’ still exists.  Locations where life is certainly not perfect not affluent or generally healthy.  Where for now they possess an uncomplicated simplicity representing how it was.

Pressure on these places will of course continue to grow, progress dictated by human desire.  But for now, away from a future inevitability, dogs’ people and community continue to need and tolerate each other’s shortcomings. 

For now, as old traditions battle new temptations and where human desire greed and want are breaking through, the only thing keeping it all at bay, checked and tenuously balanced is a greater need to maintain a cultural philosophy.  By actioning what has been handed down through endless generations these faraway communities are holding on to what old Bali once was.  What still resonates in the memory of so many.  

Indigenous societies are evaporating rapidly worldwide, Balinese culture is nowhere near immune, no matter how strong it appears.

Balinese dogs are a simple part in the complexity of Balinese existence.  They fit in the puzzle of daily life and their place physically and emotionally in the picture is best observed in places where ‘old Bali’ still is.

In places where simplicity just is. 

​Where just is, is everything.
 
 

Put more than one species in a space close enough for contact and the propensity for war is most certainly more likely than not.  Put in species of different origin and the likelihood for animosity escalates exponentially.

​Humans are from species same but when you examine us closely our sameness from a cultural viewpoint difference places us at a high level of conflict.  It puts harmony at risk and our inability to see through other eyes continues to endanger us and everything else.

Setting up ‘home’ with Bali dogs and with Bali people in a traditional village is complete and utter insanity, of course.  The propensity for conflict as species and cultural difference(s) meet and converge, intersect and inevitably diverge, is at a premium explosive level, of course.

A lot of deep breathing and a load of compromise can get things started.  Having Bali dogs in common can help yet can also be an immovable barrier and a powder keg emotional argument starter.  Foreigner culture is stereotypically regarded as being loud and emotional, prone to losing face.  Balinese behaviour regarded as reserved and reluctant to show extremes of emotion, all about face.

So, it all begins with the walk.  Walking with Bali dogs is a unique experience, semi feral free roaming dogs don’t generally take to collar and leash attachment and being led, anywhere.  Add humans from vastly different cultures and you have a recipe for disaster, humour and/or success, dependent on physical and emotional handling.

Dogs are very talented at bringing humans together and as crazy as it sounds Bali dogs can be the cultural bridge that invites different cultures to meet in the middle and embrace each other’s weird ways.

After a few years, which of course in dog time is dog only knows how long, things just lead on from where they originally began.  Dogs have a gift to offer us about the simplicity of isness, about just being.  About just here and now. 

Allowing one thing to simply lead to another in the weird Bali dog world enables the human actors to learn something invaluable about getting on and along with each and all else.

It’s the human world that’s weird.  Its a world where we tend to make everything more difficult than it needs to be or is. 

In the Bali dog world when you allow one thing to lead to another and another, present time and simple now is really all there is. 

Getting on and along, is simply all that matters.

​It just is.
 

By the span of time, through a narrow lens of observation, and with a goodly dose of faith and fate and destiny and luck, all doused with a general dogged determination to learn as much as possible about a very unique canine/human relationship, we are left with mountains of unknowns that dwarf our knowns.  Yet it’s those unknowns that continue to keep us fascinated and motivated to answer endless questions about what Bali dogs and Bali people really mean to each other.

The photo tells us a lot about what is happening in this relationship but it’s only a literal snap of an overall happening. A routine of daily occurrences that creates outcomes of behaviours that when played out over and over and overtime has an unavoidable consequence of building and maintaining a relationship.

The snapshot can tell us beyond reasonable doubt that the relationship is healthy and is not built on fear or intimidation.  There is trust and acceptance of close space.  There is a bond.  Edibles used as reward for behaviour is appropriately utilized and is not handed out to facilitate any formal training, other than bringing about a generalized atmosphere of communal peace and wellbeing.  There is a view of deliberate grounding, a literal levelling aspect that creates a nonthreatening space in which the participants can come together free from confinement.  Any observation will of course be subject to the observer’s point of view, yet this image on any level of endless viewpoints would test any observer to conclude anything other than a positive relationship between these canines and humans.

Yet the unknowns in the photo are so much more.  Is the relationship built on love, affection, emotion and on whose cultural point of view is that enacted from?  Is the relationship equal in respect of sentience and is sentience even a consideration?  Is the perceived action of the humans emotionally/physically generalized outside this ‘home’ environment?  Is there freedom from cultural imprinting/conditioning and is there only one right and everything/all else is wrong when it comes to how welfare is measured?    

Its all too easy to brand others as wrong when it comes to the highly emotive subject of animal welfare and it’s not that difficult to gauge ill treatment, cruelty, neglect and abuse.  When it comes to Bali dogs, we would say that confinement, i.e. caging tethering, would be at the tip of cruelty.  For a dog whose genetics scream free roaming, being locked down is observationally tormentingly hellish.  Even a free roaming emaciated dog has an albeit very slim chance of physically meeting its ancient survival needs versus the psychological suffering of those who are chained caged and isolated.

The only thing we know for sure is that there is a relationship between people and dogs on Bali.  But its not a huge subject, not spoken about or debated much.  For many foreigners the reality that the dogs are not seen as anything other than dogs is unacceptable.  That they are not regarded as unique and special is seen as uncaring, unfeeling and cruel. 

But is it unacceptable and are they uncaring and cruel?  Statistically speaking (there are none) is there more cruelty per capita on Bali than other developed places?

We have been very fortunate to observe the relationship those in the photograph have built and grown, so our observation is of course seen from a bias viewpoint in this instance and is of course skewed.  Even though our influence has been minimal our very attendance has of course affected the effects of the relationship.  But no matter what, the relationship has developed and progressed organically, totally dependent on the ability of those individuals, dog and human, to collectively adapt the relationship to their style.

The unknowable is there for a very good reason.  Bali people and their dogs are as foreign to us as we are to them.  The knowns are based on being able to learn from each other’s ways, patiently listening through the frustrations of each other’s cultural backgrounds and histories.

​The lucky ones are those who ask the obvious questions and navigate the endless unknowables.     
  

No one can argue about the wealth of historical data when it comes to the tenacity, determination and resolve of Bali dogs to survive. 
For those who have an interest in these ‘Island First Dogs’ there’s never been any doubt that the breed is powerful. 

They possess a very resilient DNA that has seen their ‘purity’ maintain its line through endless generations.  In many non-tourist areas, ‘pure’ dogs are still acting out their handed-on behaviours, actions that are played out unconsciously in keeping with village life. 

Human dog cohabitation and symbioses is very much a reality, but it isn’t something to think about, from their point of view.

Bali people and their dogs have been studied a lot.  From an anthropological view it’s a fascinating relationship.  Steeped in culture and myth, forged in dependence and need, it’s not a romantic tale. Yudhisthira Story is an example story to be lived up to.  Yet as in most cases, its message is torn to shreds in the vagaries of everyday life, especially in villages where life is based on an endless search for simple sustenance, rather than economic surety and security. Where the reality of family and community survival outweighs the priorities of other life forms.

Over recent decades power has shifted when it comes to how Bali dogs should be seen and treated.  The general thought is that the dogs are special, and the people should realize it.

That simple intent in and of itself is not necessarily bad.  Wanting a better life is a virtuous aim.  A view to beneficial outcomes for all concerned is a good thing.  Unfortunately, implementation can be a tricky sticky path.

Persistence and power shifts have been exploding on what is already a very tectonically and seismic energy loaded small island.  Bali dogs have always been seen just as dogs, just another thing that belongs on an island of things that are purposeful or not.  Implementing outside ‘judgements’ on an island people who demonstrate persistence and power on a ritual basis is akin to patting a tiger on the head while pulling its tail.  It will bare its teeth in what you mistake is a smile, while preparing to shred your scalp, if you don’t back off.

Agency and individual competition are already fracturing the messaging sent to local and Government agencies.  With old persistent and new powerful players entering and exiting the Bali dog arena, welfare is in danger of being overrun by the constant ogre of ego.

Meanwhile the persistence and power of a relationship, that by any standard is far from ‘perfect’ continues and endures.  Away from major tourist areas, observation of the Bali dog Bali people relationship/story reflects what has always been. 

They just go about doing what they have always done, with not a care or thought for what is more important than surviving, by using each other in a purposeful manner, in order to achieve such an outcome.

​The power of persistence.     
                   

In a beautiful family compound behind a furniture shop on a main road heading north out of Tegalalang a 60yr old Ibu (Mother) resides with her human family, menagerie of assorted animals and her 17yr old Bali dog.  In the Balinese calendar, their years could be plus or minus a few, but by the look of them her calculation is near enough.

Nothing on Bali happens in isolation, its one of the many realities of life that this Island is so determined to remind you about.  Her old dog was the epitome of how long the first Island dog can survive when given care and comfort and safety.  The average lifespan for a street dog doing it tough is generally 7 years, although there are always exceptions to that rule, especially if they reside in safe areas that are more conducive to their free roaming natural instincts.

Ibu was surprised that we recognized her old dog as a Belang bungkem, a light brown coloured dog with a black muzzle that is usually sacrificed in certain Balinese ceremonies.  Not all dogs with such markings are used and this old dog had lived a very full life as witnessed by her numerous offspring.  Ibu explained that although she loved her numerous foreign breed dogs, Bali dogs were very special and intelligent, but that their greatest quality was their ability and need to be Setia (loyal.)

She explained that for Balinese life without their dog is not something that’s considered, dogs are part of family, it just is.  To prove her belief, she welcomed us into her family compound proper and showed us the statue they had built and erected in a central position within the compound.  She explained that the story of Yudhisthira is a lesson to live her life by and that each day she gives blessing to the statue and what it represents to her and Balinese way of life.

In a world where loyal is becoming tribalized and used for division rather than unification meeting Ibu was a reminder that conflict and separation will always be unhealthy actions with disastrous consequences.

​Setia is a timeless action with a quality of intent that gives old Bali dogs and their human companions many lifetimes of deep meaning and abundant purpose.
     
 

There are endless things about Bali that will twist your head around.  There’s the exciting and exhilarating physical reality of visiting a tropical paradise, then there’s the reality of living on an Island with all its cultural and day to day very real stuff.

Bali is a developing Island with a predominately unique Hindu belief system sitting somewhat isolated in a developing country with a predominately Muslim belief.  Changes are happening at a frenetic pace through the whole region and Bali and Balinese are desperately attempting to hold on to balance and culture.  In greater Indonesia, Bali and her traditions are certainly opposite to anything found on the teeming archipelago.  A classic ‘all about face’ truism.

The same can be assigned to the magnificent Bali dogs, who from face to tail appear to be like any other dog.  However as unique as this small Island most certainly is, this Islands first canine is also uniquely different.  Like no other dog, yet still a four-legged furry canine that carries tradition, culture and history in every loping stride and in their dogged refusal to submit to extinction.  They are tough, like their Island humans.

Bali seems like chaos, one of many reasons’ visitors become hooked, nothing could be further from fact.  Order and routine are routinely ordered and strictly adhered to.  Daily, weekly and monthly events are designated, disseminated and delegated from a unique Balinese calendar year.  Nothing on the calendar face has components that are familiar unless you are Balinese.  What appears to be a very free flowing life, filled with wonderfully coloured ceremonies and daily offerings to keep Gods happy and Island balance intact, is in fact an ancient devoted discipline handed down through endless generations.  Without such determined control, culture and tradition and existence would be lost rapidly.  Bali dogs must fit into this strict life, otherwise their survival is also untenable. 

From an outsider perspective there appears to be no connection between dog and human.  This view is certainly understandable given the difference in cultural relationship.  Everything about the union is ‘face about’ physically and ‘about face’ culturally.  This can give rise to justified emotional responses when neglect, mistreatment and cruelty are an observed norm rather than a rarity.  Unfortunately, open expressions of emotion, anger and frustration displayed in physical form, are not well received in a culture were ‘loss of face’ is seen as an unstable and out of control imbalance.

Life on Bali is nothing like life anywhere else.  The routines orders and disciplines are about maintaining a way of life that’s constantly attempting to balance and appease forces that are completely foreign and unknown to outsiders.

When there’s so much force to keep in check, a simple dog that’s been by your side through it all becomes an unseen unheeded force, by virtue of its predictable stability.  This unfortunately dilutes awareness for the goodness and stability of what has always been just there.  Its sad, wrong and a waste of something so rare that once it’s gone there’s no coming back at all.

​A Bali dog is the epitome of Bali wrapped in fur and the quintessential essence of Balinese human/canine history. 

So, next time you happen to catch the eye of an old worn out Balinese warrior dog, remember one thing.  On Bali it’s all about face on so many levels, and on the face of this dog and all the way back she and her pack have seen it all and then some.

That deserves a simple nod in respect of what she and they have faced.
 
            

​It’s inevitable, given such extreme emotionally charged energy levels involved in the welfare arena, that an eventual removal and on many occasions a rapid withdrawal of most participants will occur.  For those few who last the longest in this endless game of heartbreak the emotional scarring and subsequent damage is not that difficult to imagine.
Bali is no different at all when it comes to what shocks dismays and destroys the minds and souls of a rapidly growing number of caring individuals with a desire to save the Islands community canine.  Torture, neglect and a whole host of uncaring actions doesn’t stop as you enter tropical island airspace and unfortunately years of marketing has portrayed a whole population of Balinese as smiling greeting gracious and kindly humans.  Unfortunately, that urban myth has been grossly unfair on Bali people who underneath all the hype and performance are quite simply people.
It’s globally recognized that individuals involved in rescuing suffer a whole range of emotions, unfortunately mostly negative as time goes on, and that most of those individuals end up much worse off than the furry beings they originally hoped to alleviate pain for and from.
Vicarious traumatization is very real, very corrosive and has very verifiable data showing that layers upon layers of damage is the absolute death knell for those who probably set out with good intent, good health, very wishful thoughts and modest bank accounts.  If left unchecked its progression is completely destructive to the rescuer and rescued and ironically both parties end up feeling horribly abandoned again.
There is always an element of saving in varying degrees in rescuing and when it comes to Bali dogs the degree is in the upper limits.  This viewpoint is probably fueled by the historical reality that dogs on the island where/are still free roaming and the chance of seeing suffering is unavoidable in such a paradigm.  But you can’t save Bali dogs if there isn’t a problem, as perceived by a population that doesn’t regard the dog as a valuable priority.  As unpalatable as that is, it’s a factual reality on an island that derives its complete existence and survival from purely economic mechanisms.
Acceptance of such clinical realities are naturally troublesome to the emotional wellbeing of those who regard sentience as a universal occurrence.  The realization that life for the iconic Bali local street dog is not going to get better is for those in the field of welfare probably one of the most emotionally difficult aspects of where things are at present and very unwell into the future.
Anyone who has had the pleasure and privilege to live alongside Bali Street Dogs will most certainly know that in no way will such an incredible dog burn you out.  What scorches, burns and ultimately destroys are the actions of dog’s best friend.
Us!
 
 

'At the deepest core of your being how you value things is always reflected in the clear light of truth.'
 
It is generally proven that dogs are excellent barometers when it comes to reading the truth of human nature.  Their ability to map human intention, behaviour and future actions, even before their dim-witted bipedal masters have even thought about it, is uncannily accurate.  Your average pampered pooch, even with an overwhelming array of luxury and distraction, can scent out an ill willed Homosapien without much trouble.  The nose is where it all happens, incoming signals set off hypersensitive identifications in the form of virtual smell vision feedback, chemical sighted snout sight.
 
And then there are the elite agents when it comes to sniffing out human hormonal driven intents thoughts and actions.  Street Dogs are the ultimate readers.
 
There is a terrible cost associated with such an instinctive edge, a gift that keeps every canine street dweller adrenaline twitchy and robs them of uninterrupted slumber and fearless dreams.
 
Observing these incredible readers of human behaviour is becoming more difficult as their stage is being eroded rapidly.  Their ability to unmask and instantly uncover the truth of our ugly intent is being messed up and bombarded by an avalanche of stimuli that not only confuses but destroys the cues that not so long ago where transparent to these amazing beings.
 
On Bali, India, Nepal and those global locations where street dog numbers are diminishing, a silent genocide of ancient instinct is vanishing and along with its loss is the reality that the cost to us is so much more than the relationship.
 
'At the deepest core of our being and in the clear light of truth we are truly reflecting what we ultimately value.'         

On the thick furry back of a recent announcement that the iconic Kintamani dog has received international recognition that in effect affords it Protect, Promote, Preserve status, what, if anything, can their local short coated street relatives take from the very well deserved news?
 
Being popular doesn’t give you automatic protection, especially when your presence has been so widespread that your uniqueness is not seen at all.  Consider that the Kintamani dog is generally isolated to a small highland area and has a colourful mythical story/fable attached to its history.  Marketing, knowingly or unknowingly, of the Kintamani dog, has added value to their story and money in the pockets of those who have realized that there’s a demand for their uniqueness.
 
For the Bali Street dog competing with the Kintamani dog is a no winner.  The Kintamani is a ‘beautiful’ canine.  It’s a spit away from being a full-blown Spitz breed and given its lineage, both mythical and proven, it’s in very good company.  But, mythology and genetics aside, it is not a Chow Chow, nor is it an Akita.  It’s a unique breed isolated to a small highland region on a mystical Island.  And that’s what makes them very sought after. 

Unfortunately for their lowly relatives the Bali Street dog has a greater population and is seen in most island wide locations, even as their numbers are being severely reduced.  Herein resides the unavoidable truth as to one of the reasons for the blasé approach in how this ‘First Island Dog’ is in many ways reviled not revered.  Everything ugly, from the virulent terrifying rabies virus and diseased emaciated images are attached to the lowly short haired street dog.  No amount of publicity about their plight has helped; it can actually be argued that saturation of ‘sick’ and ‘abused’ material has in fact hurt their image.  They are the only old original dog on a very small space that’s up against every other newly introduced canine and are the most unwanted.

Taking them off the Island has turned into a business opportunity for a growing number of savvy transport agencies and as the amount of rescue organizations grow the need for Balinese people to recognize and take care of their dog is being circumvented by good intentions.  Manoj Gautam recently reflected on a similar situation occurring with street dogs in his home country of Nepal. In his social media post he purports the responsibility for sustainable welfare outcomes for local dogs needs to sit with local people. 

​It’s beyond time that the Balinese people took responsibility for the dogs of Bali.
 

Empathy, derived from the Greek word “empatheia,” meaning “affection,” bonds with our conscience to act as compassion’s compass in our relationships.  It is the foundation for ethical behavior. Without empathy, we cannot suffer with, or for, others. 

Empathy is felt and expressed differently in individuals and in cultures.  In collective cultures empathy manifests differently to that within individualistic cultures.  Even within those different cultures, individuals will exhibit different levels of empathy or not at all.

​The evidence is already established that beings other than human suffer because of things that are done to them or happen around them.  What’s also unfortunately real and documented is the extent to which humans do not believe or accept the reality of animal sentience.   

Influencing human behavior change to improve the welfare of a societies animals is often tackled through providing education, particularly to children.  In collective societies the value of this tool is diluted as children will typically not act, or react, as individuals.  Despite what they have been taught they will respond to situations as part of their cultural collective. 

Educating adults to feel empathy for another living being is fairly impossible.  Often the only way to influence adult behavior is by applying an unpleasant consequence, via law,  to an undesired action. Laws then become an educational tool that teach citizens to think twice before engaging in a behavior that is not acceptable to that society. 

In a collective culture like Bali you can provide education until the last dog howls but the cultural conditioning that creates the collective disbelief of animal sentience needs to be taken into account when attempting to influence behavior change. 

Bali dogs are the silent subject in this ongoing matter.  Their continued existence is quite unimportant on an island that’s more interested in many other things. There is no statistical evidence yet to show how education has improved the lot of the average Bali dog.  In fact anecdotal evidence, if one can trust the plethora of social media reporting, shows that after years of educating local people welfare for Bali dogs is either stagnant or going backwards.

On Bali Island with its unique form of Hinduism and multifaceted multi leveled existence, life for a dog is dictated by reality and religion.  Are laws the only way to curb cruelty?   

However, Bali runs on its own rules and that’s what is so attractive to many millions of visiting foreigners.  There is a very long way to go and history may just prove that no matter how much education was offered, how much welfare was modelled and how much law was enacted, educating foreigners about where the Bali dog sits in the reality of life on Bali is the only acceptable outcome.