It is said that suffering can in actuality be the door to peace and happiness.
No journey has a starting point, its duration and quality is peppered with happenings that are born from the unexpected.
If Bali opens the door and allows you into her house, you will have a home forever. You will become intertwined in her family, she will protect and nurture your soul and feed your spirit. She will never forget your kindness; she will repay you with mutual respect. However if you are disrespectful, hurtful and arrogant, she will act in accordance with a karmic law of cause and effect.
The Bali Dogs, who unexpectedly entered through the gate to our house, could very well be said to have experienced suffering. Their limited knowns and vast unknowns added up to an educated supposition of discomfort. Observing their reactions and behaviour from a canine perspective added physical proof.
We were foreigners living on Bali, struggling to make sense of all that the Island is. Shallowness covers the surface of all things and stereotypical examples are abundant when focused on the Island of the Gods. The land of smiles is deep and broad, steeped in mythology and cultural complexity. Its Hindu belief built around the three causes of well-being, a traditional philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, harmony among people, harmony with nature or environment, harmony with God.
Whatever brought us to be where we were at that time, is part of that unexpected journey. What maintained its duration and sustained its quality was the companionship of the unique and complex Bali Dog. They are the embodiment and reflection of all things Bali.
They will bend stretch twist and break you, tease test torment and challenge you. Taking all your knowledge, they will reshape you, educating you one step at a time. Only then will they trust respect and protect, you. They are the Dog of Bali.
Initially we believed that we were rescuing them, but like all things on Bali the truth is always there, if you just take time to feel. If you fall into feeling Bali, you will have no choice in accepting that things may not be done or managed, the way you want or how they should be. A belief is one thing, reality is vastly different, and the dogs on Bali certainly proved that.
We accepted that one dog eventually become four and lived with the fact that we could heal each other’s wounds, as long as the simple truth of do no harm was maintained. They taught us much about the rhythm of daily Bali life and introduced us to a village and Banjar that had many more animal friendly people than not. They awakened us to strangers passing by and to unseen elements so pervasive in that spiritual realm. They taught us that different barks indicated an array of welcoming and dangerous elements and that as much as we thought we had them worked out, we hadn’t.
As days became months turning into years, our fascination about and learning from them never stalled, they were infused with Island energy, from tip to tail. If a Bali Dog chomps metaphorically into your heart and Bali bites deep within your soul, there can never be total disconnection. We had loved lived laughed and learned; it was now time to leave, to disconnect in order to reconnect.
It took a heap of heartache, a load of emotional pain, a few trusted people, depleted bank balance, too many sleepless nights and time and distance and faith. The only other options were few and awful, but had been considered and tormented over.
Rehoming adult Bali Dogs with a history of trauma is problematic, attempting it with a pack is just about impossible. Euthanasia was always on the table, it was always on a hair trigger, especially if they or we began to suffer too much. We began the difficult process of smuggling them off the Island, then realized that the actual physical handling required, would have untold stress upon the Alpha and his third dog, in the pack hierarchy. They were Bali Dogs and it was decided that they would remain on Bali, with Bali people, if possible.
So it was time to ask Bali to open her heart and decide if our conduct was in keeping with the simple mantra within Tri Hita Karana.
No journey has a starting point, its duration and quality is peppered with happenings that are born from the unexpected.
If Bali opens the door and allows you into her house, you will have a home forever. You will become intertwined in her family, she will protect and nurture your soul and feed your spirit. She will never forget your kindness; she will repay you with mutual respect. However if you are disrespectful, hurtful and arrogant, she will act in accordance with a karmic law of cause and effect.
The Bali Dogs, who unexpectedly entered through the gate to our house, could very well be said to have experienced suffering. Their limited knowns and vast unknowns added up to an educated supposition of discomfort. Observing their reactions and behaviour from a canine perspective added physical proof.
We were foreigners living on Bali, struggling to make sense of all that the Island is. Shallowness covers the surface of all things and stereotypical examples are abundant when focused on the Island of the Gods. The land of smiles is deep and broad, steeped in mythology and cultural complexity. Its Hindu belief built around the three causes of well-being, a traditional philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, harmony among people, harmony with nature or environment, harmony with God.
Whatever brought us to be where we were at that time, is part of that unexpected journey. What maintained its duration and sustained its quality was the companionship of the unique and complex Bali Dog. They are the embodiment and reflection of all things Bali.
They will bend stretch twist and break you, tease test torment and challenge you. Taking all your knowledge, they will reshape you, educating you one step at a time. Only then will they trust respect and protect, you. They are the Dog of Bali.
Initially we believed that we were rescuing them, but like all things on Bali the truth is always there, if you just take time to feel. If you fall into feeling Bali, you will have no choice in accepting that things may not be done or managed, the way you want or how they should be. A belief is one thing, reality is vastly different, and the dogs on Bali certainly proved that.
We accepted that one dog eventually become four and lived with the fact that we could heal each other’s wounds, as long as the simple truth of do no harm was maintained. They taught us much about the rhythm of daily Bali life and introduced us to a village and Banjar that had many more animal friendly people than not. They awakened us to strangers passing by and to unseen elements so pervasive in that spiritual realm. They taught us that different barks indicated an array of welcoming and dangerous elements and that as much as we thought we had them worked out, we hadn’t.
As days became months turning into years, our fascination about and learning from them never stalled, they were infused with Island energy, from tip to tail. If a Bali Dog chomps metaphorically into your heart and Bali bites deep within your soul, there can never be total disconnection. We had loved lived laughed and learned; it was now time to leave, to disconnect in order to reconnect.
It took a heap of heartache, a load of emotional pain, a few trusted people, depleted bank balance, too many sleepless nights and time and distance and faith. The only other options were few and awful, but had been considered and tormented over.
Rehoming adult Bali Dogs with a history of trauma is problematic, attempting it with a pack is just about impossible. Euthanasia was always on the table, it was always on a hair trigger, especially if they or we began to suffer too much. We began the difficult process of smuggling them off the Island, then realized that the actual physical handling required, would have untold stress upon the Alpha and his third dog, in the pack hierarchy. They were Bali Dogs and it was decided that they would remain on Bali, with Bali people, if possible.
So it was time to ask Bali to open her heart and decide if our conduct was in keeping with the simple mantra within Tri Hita Karana.