They said you was high class...

It’s a dog’s life here. Most of the rest of the country is filled with cats, but Bali is dogtown. At least they look like dogs, and bark like dogs, and almost get hit by cars all the time like dogs, and sleep all day unless noise or hunger awakens them, like dogs. But these aren’t like any dogs I’ve ever known. For one thing, they are as social as cats. Not once all week does a dog approach me or wag a tail in my presence. No begging, no wet nose, no slobber, no hair, no need for companionship – no best friends here. Instead, they are adored as a species by the population, and thanked for guarding the populace against evil spirits. A dog barks, and there’s bad ghosts around. The guardians, many of whom have no fixed address, don’t go hungry. Aforementioned offerings are made every day, many of them in small coconut or bamboo-leaf trays at ground level, incense lit to attract the spirits. When the incense burns itself out, the guardians collect what the spirits have left behind.