Never Seen In Isolation

In speaking of isolation we refer to evidence that shows the prize factor behaviour associated with ‘owning’ a canine other than a lokal dog.  Bali dogs are not isolation items, they are valueless.  Foreign imported and now Island born specialized breed canines have unfortunately become such.    

Evidence appears to show that there has been a shift from unaware, unconscious and what many believe to be an uncaring relationship in respect to lokal Bali dog to a fully aware, conscious and caring position when it comes to new and fashionable breeds.   When attempting to examine and observe the deeper facets in the ancient Bali dog Bali people relationship this shift creates a dichotomy between what was a stable relationship for so long and what has so recently changed.  It makes understanding how decisions are made somewhat more confusing and insightful clarity in respect of how choices are made more difficult and cloudy.

The battle for hearts and minds in the welfare field will always be driven by emotion.  Welfare is by its very nature emotive and there really isn’t any other way to kick the ball around other than with feeling, thoughts, and resultant actions.

Beyond the no-win positioning there are realities that continue to throw up many more painful questions than soothing answers.  For those in the Rescue and Re-home (R&R) arena the frustration faced on a daily basis inevitably takes a heavy toll and good news or positive outcomes are always outweighed by constant incoming pain.  There are most certainly endless things that strike at the heart, tear at the soul and render answers redundant in the face of an avalanche of equally endless questions.

​As Bali continues its move to an increasing commodity consumer reality, life for all canines will bend toward isolation, not unlike those countries that demand stricter regulations on all things dog related.  More and more dogs, especially non lokal, are already behind gates walls or chained.  The reasons are obvious, when seen from a development point of view, yet also complex when viewed from the wealth of historical evidence that points directly to free roaming.  There are of course positive and negative outcomes dependent on where you sit on the welfare spectrum.

What and how this shifting has impacted the lokal Bali dog Bali people relationship is really unknown at this early evolution.  They and their dog are still cohabiting.   A need to continue the union still appears to be evident and their viewpoint of each other appears to be unchanged. 

In this consumption fueled driven era where value and greed are one of the many new age Gods, everything is fast becoming about showing off ones wealth and newly elevated status.  This show of valued items is of course nothing new and Balinese people are by no means immune when it comes to publicly presenting who has the biggest, best and latest stuff. Unfortunately when it comes to new and different non-animate objects such as sentient beings there can be so much more involved, especially when there are no easy step by step instruction manuals to guide a novice.

Sadly, evidence has already shown that as time goes by many of these valued unfamiliar and foreign items become isolated in a variety of ways.  Chained caged and enclosed are physical manifestations employed when something you don’t understand becomes too difficult to handle.  Emotional stress and boredom becomes the torturous mind map with no way out.

For thousands of years and endless generations Bali people had nothing to think about when it came to their Indigenous dog.  Valueless in monetary terms yet valued for their service, Bali dogs and Bali people in communities simply survived together in the way their forebears had always done.

​Bali dogs and Bali people fit together whether they are aware or not.  Their need for and reliance upon each other is a mutually binding contract with absolutely no value at all other than one needs the other to feel complete.   
Their relationship is a mystery spanning lifetimes.  It is a relationship that can never be seen or placed in isolation.