"All's well that ends well," quoth the bard, and that seems to be the case with Takut the dog, who has gone from a generally fearful life of hiding under the back patio floor, creeping out only when he felt he'd be unnoticed, to basically owning Villa Kampung Kumpul, making himself comfortable on whichever porch or veranda he chooses and receiving food from door to door.
After asking me, some short time ago, whether I couldn't just stop feeding the dog, or whether I couldn't just lock him out of the villa, and being rather curtly upbraided for such a request, the villa owners made a 180 degree turn and actually took it upon themselves to seek medical evaluation and treatment for the unwanted dog, such that he is now, as a result of a bit of medicine provided by them and a generous dose of love (not to to mention food) provided by me, in much better shape. His sores have healed, he is not itching all the time, his fur has grown back, and he is generally bright-eyed and bushy tailed--for an old dog, anyway. As far as Takut is now concerned, he is a resident of the villa, and has, moreover, elevated himself to the position of guard dog.
Oh, there are those who do not like Takut--and by 'those', I mean Peter the Dutchman--but objection has been overruled by compassion. Or is it merely acquiescence? As in, 'the dog is not going away, so we may as well get used to him.' In fact, it was Peter all along, and not the Indonesian family at the back of the villa as I had previously suspected, who objected to Takut and complained to the villa owners. But what they discovered over the course of time is that Peter is far more troublesome than Takut. The man complains about something nearly every day and continually expects management to provide services and accommodations that are simply not part of the deal--a stove, a refrigerator, extra bedsheets, extra furniture, and so on. These are things that every one else has bought or brought with them. Ah, but not Peter. So it happens that when Peter last complained about the dog, asking that he not be allowed in his area of the villa, management, having invested in the critter, replied that the dog had the run of the villa and would not be barred from any area, period.
So Takut has proven himself to be a rather cozy, non-troublesome tenant. He likes everyone (even Peter), he is always there to greet people when they come home from wherever they have been, he is polite in his door-to-door requests for leftovers, and does not enter any room he is not invited into, and he provides a sense of safety at night or when the villa is vacant. And all at the cost of just of bit of tolerance and human kindness.
In fact, I begin to wonder whether, when I leave some months from now, it will be best to take Takut with me or leave him in this place he has become accostumed to. I have never considered myself the dog's 'owner', but merely his friend; and, indeed, it is the villa management that has invested actual money in the dog. So I will leave the decision up to them when the time comes. If they want him to stay, that's fine. If not, I am happy to take him with me.
After asking me, some short time ago, whether I couldn't just stop feeding the dog, or whether I couldn't just lock him out of the villa, and being rather curtly upbraided for such a request, the villa owners made a 180 degree turn and actually took it upon themselves to seek medical evaluation and treatment for the unwanted dog, such that he is now, as a result of a bit of medicine provided by them and a generous dose of love (not to to mention food) provided by me, in much better shape. His sores have healed, he is not itching all the time, his fur has grown back, and he is generally bright-eyed and bushy tailed--for an old dog, anyway. As far as Takut is now concerned, he is a resident of the villa, and has, moreover, elevated himself to the position of guard dog.
Oh, there are those who do not like Takut--and by 'those', I mean Peter the Dutchman--but objection has been overruled by compassion. Or is it merely acquiescence? As in, 'the dog is not going away, so we may as well get used to him.' In fact, it was Peter all along, and not the Indonesian family at the back of the villa as I had previously suspected, who objected to Takut and complained to the villa owners. But what they discovered over the course of time is that Peter is far more troublesome than Takut. The man complains about something nearly every day and continually expects management to provide services and accommodations that are simply not part of the deal--a stove, a refrigerator, extra bedsheets, extra furniture, and so on. These are things that every one else has bought or brought with them. Ah, but not Peter. So it happens that when Peter last complained about the dog, asking that he not be allowed in his area of the villa, management, having invested in the critter, replied that the dog had the run of the villa and would not be barred from any area, period.
So Takut has proven himself to be a rather cozy, non-troublesome tenant. He likes everyone (even Peter), he is always there to greet people when they come home from wherever they have been, he is polite in his door-to-door requests for leftovers, and does not enter any room he is not invited into, and he provides a sense of safety at night or when the villa is vacant. And all at the cost of just of bit of tolerance and human kindness.
In fact, I begin to wonder whether, when I leave some months from now, it will be best to take Takut with me or leave him in this place he has become accostumed to. I have never considered myself the dog's 'owner', but merely his friend; and, indeed, it is the villa management that has invested actual money in the dog. So I will leave the decision up to them when the time comes. If they want him to stay, that's fine. If not, I am happy to take him with me.
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