Darwin lives on

Last year a skinny and timid dog started sniffing around the houses of Aussie Parade.  Dogs have a difficult life in Indonesia and this little fella was a poor specimen.  We gave him scraps and he kept coming back, so we adopted him into our community and named him "Darwin" in honor of Charles and his 200th birthday.  Darwin wasn't fussed about our vegan offerings, preferring the chicken bones, pork fat and boiled goat from our neighbors - and I thought he was starving. 

By October, Darwin's coat was shining and he was bounding about the compound.  Still very shy, but full of zest.  This had us worried for his welfare in the off-season, when he could be a plump offering on the Christmas table.  Dog is a delicacy, and there is an annual dog party to chow down on man's best friend.  We once witnessed a family eating their "pet" after it was run over earlier that morning!

To my delight, Darwin was waiting to welcome us home this year, albeit a little thinner.  Long live Darwin.