Pertama kali saya mengunjungi rumah itu, dengan sekian banyak anjing menggonggong, saya merasa hangat. Rumah itu masih setengah jadi. Kecil dan sangat sederhana. Berdiri di antara sawah dan pohon pisang. Kamar mandi, dapur dan 3 kamar yang seadanya dibangun terpisah. Nyamuk dimana-mana. Kakimu kotor kena tanah. Gonggongan anjing yang bising. Tapi semua tampak bahagia.
Keluarga yang tinggal di sana, yang dengan sukses menciptakan suasana cinta yang memeluk saya segera setelah saya memasuki pekarangan mereka, sama sederhananya dengan rumah itu. Seorang ayah, ibu, kakak laki-laki dan adik perempuan. Mereka hidup dengan damai di sana. Dan yang membuatnya semakin menakjubkan adalah. Mereka merawat 35 ekor anjing jalanan. Dimulai dari sebuah cerita penyelamatan nyawa, dimana seekor anak anjing Bali kecil diambil saat kedinginan kehujanan di tepi jalan, dan dibawa ke kamar rawat rumah sakit untuk si adik kecil yang sakit keracunan makanan. Dia sudah tak sadarkan diri berhari-hari sampai dokter mengatakan bahwa keluarga itu harus menunggu keajaiban; hanya keajaiban yang bisa menyelamatkan anak perempuan mereka. Dan anak anjing ini, yang sudah mendobrak aturan kebersihan rumah sakit di umurnya yang baru beberapa bulan, adalah keajaiban itu. Adik kecil langsung terbangun saat anak anjing ini menjilati tangannya. Beberapa hari kemudian dia sehat dan membawa anak anjing – Selem (berarti hitam dalam bahasa Bali) pulang. Selem adalah penyelamatnya. Adik kecil ini – Gung Dewi – sangat bersyukur. Keluarganya lalu bertekad untuk mengabdikan dirinya menyelamatkan anjing-anjing terlantar. Semakin hari semakin banyak anjing yang dibawa ke rumah itu. Kecil, besar, terlantar, tersiksa, sakit kulit, galak, induk dan anaknya, macam-macam. Mereka mengambilnya dari jalan, merawatnya sebisa mungkin; mencari vaksin gratis dari dinas, mengambil kutu dari kulit, menggosokkan minyak kelapa di sakit kulitnya, memberi mereka makanan sederhana yang sehat, dan tentunya formula utama yang bisa menyembuhkan segalanya; cinta. Jadi saat saya mengunjungi rumah itu, saya benar-benar dibuat kagum. Keluarga ini melakukannya dengan insting. Seperti yang sudah dilakukan pendahulu kita pada anjing-anjing balinya. Mereka tahu apa yang harus dilakukan, bagaimana menghampiri anjing-anjing ini, dan sangat mengerti bahasa tubuh mereka. Seperti sudah mengalir dalam darah. Kali kedua saya berkunjung, saya membawa bantuan dari thebalistreertdogs; beras, telur dan makanan kering. Dan saya merasakan perasaan yang sama. Hanya saja dengan lebih banyak anjing. Hari itu, 15 Februari adalah saat dimana Gung Dewi bertemu Selem untuk pertama kalinya, di sebuah kamar rumah sakit. Mereka merayakannya setiap tahun. Menunjukkan bahwa rasa terimakasih mereka tidak pernah cukup untuk Selem, si penyelamat. Si Ibu menyiapkan tumpeng, dengan telur, kacang dan ayam di sekelilingnya. Sudah sering kita melihat tumpeng menjadi objek utama dalam sebuah perayaan, tapi baru kali ini saya melihat tumpeng diberikan khusus untuk menghormati jasa seekor anjing. Setelah kami berdoa bersama, Gung Dewi mengambil ujung tumpeng itu dan menyuapi Selem. Setelah dia memakannya, anjing berebut meminta giliran. Segera saja, Gung Dewi tenggelam di lautan anjing-anjingnya yang meminta makan. Dia tertawa sambil terus menyuapi mereka satu persatu. Bahkan anjing-anjing kecil yang menyusup di antara kaki-kaki anjing dewasa tidak luput dari suapannya. Bisa melihat pemandangan itu adalah perasaan yang indah. Hati saya tenteram. Komitmen yang mereka punya untuk anjing-anjing ini bisa dikatakan gila. Saat banyak dari kita mengeluh merawat 1 atau 2 ekor anjing karena mereka banyak tingkah, atau saat kita merasa kerepotan, keluarga ini merawat sekitar 35 ekor anjing, dalam kekuarangan mereka. Bahkan sebelum banyaknya bantuan yang datang, mereka sudah melakukannya sendiri. Saat kita terlalu khawatir dengan jumlah kacang di mangkok anjing kita, atau apakah anjing kita alergi dengan tempat tidurnya, keluarga ini menjaga mereka dengan sederhana. Dan anjing-anjing inipun tetap bahagia. Karena seekor anjing yang menyelamatkan nyawa mereka, mereka membalasnya dengan menyelamatkan anjing-anjing lainnya. Sesederhana itu.. Mereka tidak punya banyak, tapi mereka peduli. Mereka tidak tahu banyak, tapi mereka melakukannya sepenuh hati. Memang setiap orang memerlukan juru selamat setidaknya sekali dalam seumur hidupnya, tapi siapa sangka, juru selamat itu bisa mengambil bentuk seekor anjing.
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The first time I went in to that house, with all these dogs barking around me, I feel warm. The house is unfinished, small, and very simple. Humbly standing in between rice field and banana trees. Small toilet, small kitchen, and 3 small bedrooms all built separately. Mosquitoes everywhere. Dirt on your feet. Noisy with all these barking. But everyone seemed happy. The family who lived there, who successfully built this tender vibe of love that smother me right away when I entered their house, is as simple as the house. A father, a mother, a big brother and little sister. They live peacefully in the small compound. And amazingly. They take care of 35 dogs. It began with a magical story of life saving, where an abandoned black puppy was taken while shivering on the street, into a hospital room where the little girl was treated for food poisoning. She had been unconscious for days, doctors said only miracle; miracle will save her. And this black puppy that broke hospital hygiene rules in his very early age, is in fact the little girl’s miracle. The little girl woke up right after the puppy was placed next to her arm, licking her all over with his tiny baby tongue. She came home with the puppy that later was called Selem (means Black in Balinese). Selem is her savior. The little girl - Gung Dewi - is forever thankful. And the family dedicated their life to save more abandoned dogs since. More and more dogs were taken to the house. Small, big, abandoned, abused, mange, aggressive, with babies, you name it. They scooped them off the street, treat them with anyway the family can; looking for free rabies shot from the government, pulling out all the ticks off the skin, rub coconut oil on the mange, feed them with simple yet nutritious food, and of course shower them with a final formula that can heal everything; love. So when I visit the house, I cannot help but to feel amazed. The family does it with instinct. Just like what has been done to Bali Dogs by the ancestors. They know what to do with the dogs, how to approach the dogs, understand their behavior and body language. It is in the blood. The second time I visited, I brought donation from thebalistreetdogs; rice, dogfood and some eggs. I still grasped the same feeling. Only with a lot more dogs to welcome me. That day, February 15th was the day where Gung Dewi met Selem for the first time, in that hospital room. They celebrate it every year, never get enough of thanking Selem that literally saved her life. How awesome is that? The mother prepared tumpeng, a traditional cone of turmeric rice with some eggs, chicken and peanuts put around it. It is used as the ‘cake’ of a special event in Indonesia, and I just witnessed it is used to honor a dog. Once we prayed together, Gung Dewi took the top of the tumpeng and hand fed it to Selem. He ate it gracefully, and soon after, the other dogs came to ask for some too. Gung Dewi was drowned in the celebration and tens of dogs’ feet and mouths, asking for the tumpeng too. She was laughing and hand fed each of them one by one. She didn’t even miss the tiny ones in between the bigger dogs’ legs. And to be able to see that was a beautiful feeling. My heart was full. The commitment they have to take care of the dogs is insane. While many of us still stressed out by taking care of 1 or 2 dogs when they became too ‘handful’ for us, or when we think it is just too much, this family did it with 35-ish dogs, in a very little things they have. Even before help came to them, they have done it with no fuss. When we are too worried if the dogs have enough peas in their food or if the dogs allergic to cotton in their bed, this family kept it simple. And the dogs are happy nevertheless. Because a dog saved their life, and they saved many dogs back in return. As simple as that. They do not have much, but they care. They do not know much, but they do it with love. Indeed everyone needs a savior at least once in their life time, but little that we know, that savior could be in the form of a dog. Saat seorang bayi bertemu tiga anjing baru setahun yang lalu, sudah dipastikan hal ini akan menjadi sebuah hal yang menarik, sebuah hal yang sudah terjadi sekian ribu tahun lamanya. Sejarah sudah membuktikan bahwa hubungan antara seorang anak dan seekor anjing adalah percikan yang manis, sebuah hubungan otomatis yang mengembangkan dan mendorong pertumbuhan manusia. Hal ini juga bisa dikaitkan dengan kesejahteraan hewan yang berdampingan dengan kesejahteraan manusia dan masyarakatnya. Tidak ada pemisah sama sekali.
Yang Dea Anjani lakukan saat bertemu pertama kali dengan anjing-anjing ini, adalah mencoba berkomunikasi dengan caranya sendiri, sesuatu yang sangat alami sama seperti saat kita bernafas. Keluguannya dibangun dari hubungan historis antara anjing Bali dan orang Bali. Hubungan batin ini sudah diwariskan secara bawah sadar sampai pada generasi termuda. Hingga saat Dea Anjani tumbuh dari seorang bayi menjadi balita setahun kemudian, hubungannya dengan anjing-anjing ini terus tumbuh, yang membuktikan bahwa kesejahteraan tiga anjing ini dan kesejahteraan seorang manusia Bali benar-benar bertalian erat. When one small local baby met three newcomer dogs one year ago, it was always going to be a very interesting event, an occasion that has been played out for thousands of years. History has proven that the connection between child and canine is an incredible spark, an inbuilt bond that enhances and fires human development. It has also become equally apparent that the welfare of animals is intertwined with the well-being of humans and societies. There is no separation.
What Dea anjani did on her very first meeting, reaching out for contact, was for her, as natural as simply breathing. Her innocence was built from an ancient historical connection between Bali Dogs and Bali People. Their inextricable interconnection handed on in unconscious awareness to the latest generation. As Dea anjani has moved from held baby to walking toddler, her ongoing and developing relationship with her dogs is certainly proof that the welfare of three Bali Dogs and the well-being of one Balinese Human are most definitely linked. Ada banyak cerita dan kepercayaan di Bali mengenai anjing Bali. Sekali lagi membuktikan bahwa keberadaan mereka sudah sangat lekat dan hangat dalam kehidupan kita. Mungkin kamu pernah mendengar cerita soal seekor anjing yang menemani Panca Pandawa mencari surga, atau pemilahan watak anjing Bali (Guna, Jaya, Paksa, Ketek, Kiul) yang ditentukan dari panjang mereka saat masih kecil. Cerita-cerita ini sudah sangat dikenal dan akrab di telinga kita, tapi, ada satu lagi cerita yang menarik soal jasa anjing setia ini.
Secara ilmiah, anjing Bali sudah ada sejak 12,000 tahun lamanya. Mereka disebut proto dogs atau anjing pertama, yang terbentuk dari evolusi serigala saat zaman purba. Mereka benar-benar merepresentasikan sahabat terbaik manusia. Dan Bali, dengan ribuan mitos dan cerita sakralnya, selalu menyimpan beberapa cerita unik untuk makhluk-makhluk pribuminya; tak terkecuali anjing Bali. Ini adalah cerita seekor anjing, yang dalam misi untuk menumbuhkan sebuah pulau. Dan seperti yang bisa ditebak, pulau ini nantinya dinamakan Bali (yang berarti ‘kembali’). Di sebuah pertapaan di pulau Jawa, seekor anjing menemani seorang Rsi, yang mendapat sabda untuk membawa 4 butir beras ke sebuah pulau kecil dan kering, dimana penduduknya sangat menderita dan kelaparan. Sang Rsi menugaskan anjing ini untuk pergi dan membawa 4 butir beras di mulutnya. Perjalananpun dimulai. Penduduk di pulau kecil itu sangat menderita. Banyak dari mereka yang meninggal karena kelaparan. Tidak ada yang bisa tumbuh di tanah kering dan retak. Si anjing berjalan dan berenang jauh, hingga sampai di gunung Batukaru. Anjing ini melihat begitu banyak penderitaan. Manusia-manusia yang sudah tidak kuat lagi dihantam kemarau panjang. Anjing itu menatap penduduk satu persatu. Dia lalu menaruh butiran padi itu di celah tanah yang retak, berikut dengan air liurnya yang tercampur di sana. Para penduduk melihatnya. Dan mereka menunggu. Dan menunggu. Di antara tanah retak itu, tempat si anjing menaruh beras, keluarlah rembesan air. Dari butiran-butiran kecil sampai aliran air yang besar. Cukup membasahi tanah hingga sampai ke kaki para penduduk. Mereka membelalakkan mata. Bahagia. Mereka meloncat, menari, berenang dan berguling di dalamnya. Tanah berbalik subur, dan menumbuhkan padi-padi dan petak-petak sawah yang sekarang menjadi objek paling dicari di Bali. Pulau kecil yang dulu kering semakin hijau, para penduduk sejahtera dan bahagia karena cukup makan dan air. Mereka sangat berterimakasih pada anjing yang membawakan kehidupan baru untuk mereka. Cerita ini masih sering beredar di antara penduduk sekitar kaki gunung Batukaru. Begitu mengesankan cara mereka menghormati anjing yang sudah mengembalikan kehidupan untuk mereka. Bahkan, di beberapa daerah, anjing masih memiliki keistimewaan. Setiap beras yang baru diambil dari lumbung dan dimasak untuk keluarga, anjinglah yang harus memakannya pertama. Bukan para dewata dalam bentuk sesajen, bukan kepala keluarga, bukan anak paling kecil, tetapi anjinglah yang pertama menikmatinya. Banyak yang belum tahu atau sadar bahwa, di banyak daerah di Bali, masih tercermin penghormatan begitu besar terhadap anjing dan hewan-hewan lain, karena begitu kuatnya sebuah mitos atau cerita. Bali tidak melulu soal penyiksaan dan penelantaran. Masih banyak cerita indah yang bisa kita dengar dari berbagai daerah di Bali. Fokuslah pada cerita-cerita indah ini, jadikan ini dalil untuk berjuang dan menyelamatkan mereka lebih banyak lagi. Perjuangan ini untuk mereka. Untuk para anjing yang sudah berjasa. Art by Kuncir Sathya Viku https://www.instagram.com/kuncirsv/
There are many tales and beliefs following the existence of Bali Dogs. This once again proves that their beings have been merged in Balinese life. You might have heard about their journey to heaven with the five Pandawas, or the character types of Bali Dogs (useful, lucky, forceful, greedy, and lazy) depending on their length when they were still puppies. Those tales were told during their time accompanying humans in this small island. But do you know, there was a tale about how they actually come here?
Scientifically proven, Bali Dogs have been hanging around us for 12,000 years. They are considered as proto dog or the ancestor of all dogs. Evolving from wolves during Neanderthal era, they represent the true meaning of man’s best friend. And Bali, with its thousands of mystical stories, always keeps one or two special stories for its indigenous creatures; including Bali Dogs. This is a tale of a dog, which was on mission to grow an island. And as you can guess, the island later named Bali (means ‘coming back’). There was a dog, living in the huge mountains of Java (another island), and was owned by a Rishi (a holy person). During his meditation, the Rishi got some God’s utterance, to bring 4 grains of rice to a very dry deserted island next to Java. And he ordered his dog to take the grains to the island. So the journey began. People of the small island were having trouble in making food. The land was too dry and the soil was cracking. Many of them starved to death, as there is nothing to grow. This dog came with 4 grains of rice in his mouth, to this tiny island of nowhere, and reached a mountain range of Batukaru, in the centre of Bali. He went down to the hill, looking at these people who cannot bear anymore suffering due to long period of drought. The dog looked at them, and put the grains of rice from the Rishi mixed with his saliva in between the cracking. The people looked back at him. And waited. And waited. In between the soil that cracked, drops of water sprouted through. From tiny leak to bigger flow, it continued to stream down, reaching these hungry people’s feet. They were in utter shock. They jumped in it, dance and roll in it. The water was enough to wet the soil and grow rice paddies, which was now the main attraction of Bali. Bali Island became greener and greener, with enough food and water to live. All of this because of a dog that made its mission to save them. This tale is still there among villages around Batukaru Mountain. They have a high respect to the dogs, as the dogs were the ones who brought life back to them. In some areas, the dogs are still having privilege to have the first rice cooked from the rice barn. All the rice that was stored in the rice barn and taken to feed the family is cooked, and once it is done, the dog should be the one who eat it first. Not the Gods in the form of offering, not the father, not the youngest kid, but the dog. Many people do not know or realize, in some part of Bali, the respect to dogs and other animals still exist. It is not only about cruelty or neglect, there are also beautiful parts of Bali who still respect and love Bali Dogs through their beliefs of myths and tales. Focusing on this beautiful bond among many horrible rescue stories and news will give us hope. A postulate to believe and fight for them. For the dogs who made it all. Art by Kuncir Sathya Viku https://www.instagram.com/kuncirsv/
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There is no difference between Bali Street Dog urban and their village family. Their pure nature to roam, forage for food and carry out an array of other ancient functional performances, is unbroken by distance.
There are many reasons why in many urban areas, the Bali Dog is no longer seen. One brutal reality that faced such a dog, given to live by its strong instincts, was how to fit in and adapt with a very foreign landscape reality. Unfortunately fitting in, no matter how incredibly adaptive its species is, was never on. Nobody wanted Bali Dogs free roaming and doing what they are designed to do. Such an occurrence couldn’t be on, on the streets of Seminyak or the lush wide lanes of Legian or that pristine stretch of beach from Tuban to Canggu and the more upmarket enclaves. It wasn’t personal, it was just progress. Thankfully away from the cacophony of progress, the Bali Dog remains its pure self. In many villages they are living, not like some pampered prize, but with Bali people and as close to their full nature as possible. It’s not the Bali Street Dogs fault that it couldn’t survive and thrive at urban level. It just wasn’t on, for them. |
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