Beware the Black Dog: it’s not racist, it’s a ‘curse’

Black dogs aren’t recommended by some of the residents of a kampung in East Denpasar. Seriously strongly not recommended.

If you get a black dog, it will die, say some residents of Pura Paibuan Banajar Paang Kaja, Penatih Village. Apparently this doesn’t just apply to Bali dogs, but all other doggie species with black fur too. 

Penatih resident, I Wayan Wita experienced just that: he had a German Shepherd die that had some black on its coat, along with a black Kintamani dog that later died. For him, the weird part was that both dogs died very suddenly, without any obvious causes. For Wita, the reason black dogs aren’t locally kosher could be because of a black dog statue in one of the village’s temples. Imitation is supposedly the highest form of flattery but maybe this pooch isn’t ok with sharing its trademark black coat. 

However, some residents blow this off as an urban legend, that it’s just a myth. Head of the neighborhood, I Nyoman Dharma Yudha is on board with Wita and warns his neighbors against his black dogs, but also clearly acknowledges that the status of the village’s black dogs is quite debatable and a local controversy. Take that for a town hall meeting topic. 

Source: Tribun Bali