Contrast

I just came back from a short stint in Bali for my brothers' wedding. It was very different to any other place that I have been before. Hot, humid, loud, vibrant, cheap! 

As I do on my holidays, I always keep an eye out for animals and take any opportunity to visit places with animals I haven't seen before. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time there (I was only there for a few days), and the monkey's any other animals I hadn't seen before were too far to travel too. 

What I did see was a few tied up cow's, cats and dogs, and some squirrels. Of these, the squirrels were the healthiest looking. 

The dogs and cats were mostly wandering. Some had collars, most didn't. All looked mangy - they all had dreadlocks or lots of patches of fur missing.  The one exception was a Husky being walked early one morning by an Australian who lived in Bali. 

Whilst the wandering dogs looked to be a reasonable weight, it was also apparent that many had mobility issues.  Many had obvious lameness, lots not so obvious lameness.  At the wedding, the dinner after was on the beach edge. Three stray dogs were curled up in balls in the sand on the beach, as a sleeping spot at the end of the night.  

For me, it showed the contrast in the care that our New Zealand dogs have. It is very usual to see a dog looking particularly mangy and uncared for, wandering, or obviously lame (and not being treated for this).  We don't have as many parasites and our climate isn't as favorable in relation to the manifestation of skin conditions.