Asia: A continent where they don’t love dogs, they permit dog fights in Indonesia

Indonesia currently belongs to the countries with the highest incidence of rabies among the canine population. This concerns mainly the island of Bali, where you meet the dogs on every corner. Most locals don’t pay attention to them and in most cases, they don’t like them. The dogs are here on the bottommost rungs of the social ladder. This also corresponds to the neglected care for these Indonesian dogs.

For tourists, these are “mangy mongrels! and at the same time, they don’t pay much attention to them. In addition, you’ll read in the guide, that because of the risk of jaundice, cuddling is not recommended. Reactions of local dogs may be unpredictable due to their wild life on the street.

I was deterred from scratching them rather by fleas, which every other one (maybe ever one) of these dogs is proudly carrying in their fur. However, in comparison, for example, with Sri Lanka, where I’ve first encountered the attacking dog packs, local dogs seem calmer and even apathetic to me.

There's a sort of an unspoken agreement on mutual conciliation. I won't bite you and you're not going to beat me. Peace, however, lasts only until something happens. For example, a dog that has been starving for several days, steals an unguarded meat on a stick from a stand or polishes off a sacrificial basket. At that moment, the locals don’t go far for a stone or a slingshot.

That’s a scene that complete tears my dog lover’s heart. Still, the fighting for survival and frequent fights are their everyday reality. Besides, they still run the “bloody sport” in Indonesia, when they let the dog fight with a boar. It’s not surprising, that the dog does not play any significant role in the Indonesian tradition or culture. 

Some Indonesian, specifically Balinese organisations have started vaccinating and neutering the dogs living on the street, but they’ve also started organising educational and awareness-raising activities for the public. Thanks to financial donations, the situation of Indonesian dogs is gradually improving. However, education will still be needed for some time. If someone from the locals decides to keep a dog, he usually has them tied on a short chain at their house or stand.

Yet you still pass pet stores on the street and you can’t stop wondering, for whom they might be intended. Here and there, you might meet a dog with a collar, but it’s not in a much better shape than his fellow tribesmen without a master. Not even western tourists usually bring their dogs here, due to the local bacterial environment that’s dangerous for the organism of their four-legged pets. So, the same way as I do, they seek temporary replacement for their dog loves in giving the leftovers from their lunches to stray dogs.

What is your experience with dogs when traveling abroad?