Dogs lower the standards for newcomers to Bali

Anging kampung (village dogs) have been a part of Balinese villages well before tourism was even thought of for Bali.  They are a natural facet of all Balinese villages, and they serve a very useful purpose in that they immediately react to anyone entering a village who is not associated (lives) in that village.  Locals within a village arent frightened of them because the dogs dont react to their presence, no matter what time it is at night.

While notorious for their often ferocious bark, the fact is that dog attacks are not particularly common, and when they do happen, the offending dog is almost always dispatched, particularly so if the victim is a child. 

One trick I learned many years ago from my wife, and its very effective, is whenever confronted by them, either as single dogs or in packs, is to reach down to the ground (keeping your eye on them) as if going to pick up a rock.  They will yield, and normally completely scatter.

As for your intention to tackle them meaning local banjar adat and effecting changes that you would like to see, all I can say is good luck.  It is far better for you to spend your energy learning to adapt to the local culture than it is to try to change it.  Personally, I think thats a good thing, and for certain its the key to a long and successful life as an expat in Bali, particularly for those expats who live in Balinese villages as opposed to the expat ghettos of Seminyak, Kuta, Legian, etc.,etc.  The bottom line for me is, "it's their island and their culture."   

Cheers, Roy

Hi Roy

I see that dogs are like security for the local area and it does work well. At night you can hear the distant howling and barking of the dogs. The dogs do like late nights and early morning when their territory is void of people. Stil it can be scary when you come across a pack of barking dogs who want to bite your feet when going past them on the bike. If you ever watched the film 'The Grey' then Bali should be ok and not that scary in contrast with the movie. Thanks for your reminder of what Bali is about as sometimes you can forget. However some changes in Bali need to be made for the future to help the island thrive, as 70% I would imagine now depend on tourism. I would like to see a diversification to new and other industries to help maintain a healthy balance.

The Grey.  Yes, I did see that movie, and God help us all if these dingo descendents ever evolve into wolves like that!  Well, given the way the Balinese so quickly culled so many thousands upon thousands of stray dogs during the rabies scare, Im not worried. 

Actually, on Bali, its agriculture which is still the biggest employer although tourism based income has surpassed income derived from agriculture in recent years. 

Once out of the southern parts of Bali, one can see a much greater degree of balance in terms of sources of income.   The Balinese I know have pretty much written off the south of Bali, and they grow increasingly resolved to not let that happen to them. 

As for future revenue sources, I know that medical tourism and casino development on Nusa Penida are constant topics of discussion.  Time will tellas it always does.

I never even noticed any stray dogs when I went to Bali.  They were probably there, but compared to the millions of stray dogs in China, they're probably a very small population.

Hailey, you've got to leave your hotel room to see the dogs!   

How have you been lately? 

Cheers, Roy

Planning a trip to Bali in January. Can't wait.

I share your concerns Andy. I don't think this issue will improve any time soon as it is fueled by a cultural issue. The Hindus believe that bad ancestors get re-incarnated as dogs. So they don't want to get rid of these dogs because it may be viewed as getting rid of the bad-arse uncle Ketut and this may bring bad luck etc. So their answer is do nothing and pretend it goes away, obviously the problem only gets worse.. The bigger issue that is easily fixed is littering. There is a major problem with littering and throwing rubbish in the drains. Ultimately all of the this rubbish ends up in the ocean whenever the first big rain comes then it all gets washed up on the beach for months until the dry season again. I think the answer is recycling. At the moment recycling is only just starting to be popular in Bali and there are nowhere near enough places to accept the waste. If the locals know they will get paid cash for returning trash they will do it. So far they are only picking up plastic bottles and cardboard but hopefully the idea will catch on with glass, metal and other recycling. Many hands make light work!! Spread the word.

If one puts things into a bit of perspective, and by things I mean both the dog situation and the garbage situation, then one will have a great deal more appreciation of just how different things are today than they were just as recently as 15 years ago.

First, let me dispel this urban legend of what the Balinese really believe about dogs as reincarnations of bad ancestors.  This is a not too uncommon myth (excuse actually) spread about to foreigners as a quick method to explain away the ambivalence that the Balinese often show regarding their canine population.  It can also be a visual aid for a parent when dealing with an errant child by pointing to a mangy looking mongrel and using it as a visual aid..."keep acting like that and youll come back like that dog."  The truth is, within Bali Hindu Agama there isn't any strata or levels of reincarnation which are defined by species of animals, and in fact, when animals are used as sacrifices in ceremonies, they are believed to achieve "Nirvana."   

Moreover, even within the Muslim population of Indonesia, especially within villages (kampung life), dogs are similarly treated with disregard and ambivalence and not as the cherished loved pets which is so common place in most western cultures.  They are regarded as effective guards, and signal the approach of strangers to the village, day and night. 

Over the years the Balinese attitude towards dogs has changed considerably.  This can be attributed to a number of factors:

-The good work of several NGO and Yayasans on Bali such as BAWA and others.

-Much greater exposure to western media (TVs are now most everywhere).

-The rabies scare on Bali starting in 2010.

Today it is not impossible to see a Balinese with their dog being walked on a leash, and today it is more common for dogs to be provided with the requisite shots/inoculations.  These things would have never been seen just 15 years ago.

For the Balinese, dogs will never achieve the level of beloved status that they enjoy in so many western cultures, but the quality of their lives has greatly improved over the years, and there are no indications that this is about to change anytime in the future.

As for garbage, I haven't yet met an expat who like me, has been living on Bali 24/7 for over 15 years, who would argue against the fact that it is much better today than it was 15 or more years ago.  Simply put, it is extremely better, although there is still much work to be done.

Re-cycling was first introduced to Bali by my dear friend, David Kuper some eight years ago, in 2006.  His tireless work as well as the work of some of the Rotary organizations on Bali has done a great deal to improve effective waste management as well as public awareness of this huge challenge:

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2006 … earch.html

I see the results of this each and every day, and this photo linked below, taken at a temple in my own humble village just two years ago could never have been taken when I first arrived in Bali. 

http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/uploads … _78550.jpg

You wrote,

"If the locals know they will get paid cash for returning trash they will do it."

That comment can be interpreted to mean, if they don't get paid cash for returning trash they will be happy to wallow in it. 

The fact is, trash on Bali was never a problem for the Balinese prior to the explosion of tourism and the onslaught of expats moving here.  In my mind, and clearly in David Kuper's mind, that alone dictates that we all share this concern, and we all should work together in better managing this challenge in the years ahead. 

It is of course just human nature to form opinions and gut feelings about things based on one's own limited personal experience.  It helps a great deal to widen that experience by increased exposure to other parts of Bali, as well as to keep an open mind and the ability to find more realistic appraisals of what is accurately conveyed by the opinions of others.

Cheers, Roy

No need to worry - the problem is being solved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqxmFb9YnZo

Fred!  You disappoint me!  Such unnecessary and clearly sensationalistic journalism from you.   

As you well know, sate anjing is also popular in Java!  Even the US President Barack Obama has freely admitted that while living in Jakarta as the young boy Barry, he ate dog meat.  That story went more viral in political circles in the US than when President Clinton admitted to smoking pot! 

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter … indonesia/

In China there is a huge festival surrounding dog meat.  Just Google, Chinese festival eating dog. 

So what?  In all of Asia and SE Asia, this is usual, as you should well know.

And just for the record, it's not underground in Bali...not by any means, nor is it underground in Java either as well as with a host of other islands of Indonesia.

Also in Bali, a pair of dogs (puppies in fact) are a required sacrifice (along with other animals) at melaspas (purification) ceremonies. 

Again, so what?

God forbid when western ideologies and cultural norms, as unpleasant as they might sometimes seem to us, take over here in Bali, or anywhere else in Indonesia.  That will be my signal, "time to find somewhere else to live."

But in the end, I'll take your last post as just lighting a fuse for me to carry on. 

Woof, woof, and bon appetite!   

I have never seen dog meat in Java, but my wife assures me it's around.
Of course, back then my Indonesian was really crap (As opposed to a bit crap at the moment ) so I may have seen it without realising what it was.

Dog meat available here in Laos. I enjoy it.

"I have never seen dog meat in Java, but my wife assures me it's around."

Chances are high Fred that you might have already tried it when dining at one of those "mystery meat" type of warungs!   

I probably have too, and also without knowing it.

Ubudian wrote:

Hailey, you've got to leave your hotel room to see the dogs!

That's a good point.

When the hell are you next coming to Bali girl?  I'm looking forward to buying you a beer (or cocktail of your choice).

Cheers, Roy

Perhaps it is the tourists who lower the standards in Bali....??? Food for thought.

Getting away from the dogs topic but commenting on the rubbish issue.  I did read an interesting article last week, which I can't seem to find, but it was about the clean up of rubbish around the Ubud area.  Apparently it is much better and tidier over the last few years, but now the problem appears to be where the rubbish ends up.  The story went onto explain that as the drivers/rubbish collectors get paid so little, they cut costs by other means, where they basically dump the rubbish in local village areas for a smaller payment, which saves them on tip fees and petrol costs.  The story stated that there are some villages close by that have areas that need land fill so they can build car parks for ceremony facilities, which they can profit from parking fees etc.  Obviously as these are not controlled sites, there is concern over contamination etc and longer term affects.  The article was well written and I can't recall the author's name but I do recall that he is from the US and has spent some time living in Bali and also completed his thesis from Uni on Bali.  I have been visiting Bali since the mid 80's and I have noticed that the beaches are a lot cleaner than they use to be.  There is still plenty of rubbish in water when you go swimming or surfing, but I guess that is a population thing with regards to having so many people crammed on a small island.  It must be a big issue for the Balinese government and I do hope that they find a solution soon.  Cheers.

Hmmm, interesting, and too bad you can't put your finger on that article as I would love to read it.

Anyway, going on 16 years of 24/7 living in Kedewatan-Bunutan just outside of Ubud I am very familiar with all the villages surrounding Ubud.  And while I haven't personally scoured each and every square foot of all those villages, I haven't seen anything that resembles a land fill dump in any of them.  However, after large ceremonies there will indeed be a collection of all the temporary bamboo structures and waste associated with that ceremony which can take several days before it's finally burned off.  Someone unfamiliar with kampung life in my neck of the woods could understandably be misled by that.   

Moreover, a fatal flaw in the article which causes me to totally dismiss it, is this idea of having to pay for parking in association with a temple ceremony.  That just doesn't happen, and in all these years of regularly attending ceremonies at numerous temples around Ubud, we've never once paid a single rupiah to park.

Can't find the exact article but here is the author's blog http://graememacrae.wordpress.com/ which covers a lot of articles regarding Bali.  You have probably already seen this info and know the author.  Cheers.

PS Just found the article I referred to.  It is the 2nd story down on the home page.

Hah, a bowl of bollocks, and I should have known who you were originally referring to!

An anthropologist?  Give me a break.  There was another famed anthropologist who totally got Bali wrong some time ago...Margaret Mead.   

Just a hint...do you see a photo of this guy anywhere?  The question is rhetorical.

Its a funny thing about Bali, and the sort of folks it sometimes seems to attract. 

Shall I call them ingrates?  Nah, that would be far too kind.  And after all, this is a family approved forum. 

If you want to read what a true anthropologist, and someone who has been living here 24/7  for 30 or so years has to say, then do your Google searching on Dr. Bruce Pohlmann of Singaraja.  His doctorate was earned at a real university, The University of California-Berkeley, which is always ranked among the top 20 universities in the US each year. 

These otherwise wanna be academics who call attention to themselves by purposefully writing BS aren't worth my time, and they shouldn't be worth your time either.  But then again, who am I to tell you what to believe?

Anyway, thanks for the laugh.

Guys like that guy make me agree with what I sometimes hear from my closest Balinese friends and family..."there ought to be some standards as to who we allow, and don't allow to live here."

I couldn't agree with them more.

Thanks for the heads up Ubudian.  I guess you can't always believe what you read, even if it is from a so called academic.  At least I gave you a laugh...

Hi everybody,

Can we please go back to the main subject of this topic?

I remind you that the title is Dogs lower the standards for newcomers to Bali.

Thanks

Priscilla