Have you ever thought or felt that maybe your dog or any dog you know or have seen might want a life that’s beyond the scope of the home or environment they find themselves in? Your intuition might just be right as sometimes some of the animals in the canine family do want something more than they have but sometimes some of them don’t even get or have the love and affection of a parent so they embark on the journey of self-discovery and self-accomplishment to give themselves the life they’ve envisioned and know they deserve. It’s just like how humans accomplish their dreams and set goals but coming from a dog isn’t just unexpected but also outstanding and astonishing to see them achieve these goals.
Such is the story of Bali, a Belgian Malinois who has left us completely dumbfounded by his act of bravery and courage to go for what he wants his life to be like.
A DOG WITH DETERMINATION.
Bali, a Belgian Malinois did an unbelievable and outstanding thing and you’re about to find out but his story would be incomplete without mentioning his past challenges and the events that lined up to his brave decision and proper execution of it. Bali unfortunately, just like most dogs in this day and age, was a stray dog scavenging and living on the remnants of what he finds everywhere he goes and also drinks the water he finds the same way. Though no one knows the story of how he had come to be a stray, the life he has lived is enough evidence to know that he has never had a parent to call his own, love, and be loved in return nor a roof over his head and considering that he was a puppy at the time. Before he began the new behavior that made him achieve his goal, as a stray will do, he was always seen on different corners of every street and hanging out with other strays but most stray dogs living and fending for themselves will stick to this daily ways, that wasn’t Bali. He soon got tired of this life even though he was but just a puppy at the time, he wanted something different and felt like he deserved better but couldn’t figure out what it was. Bali soon drifted away from the relationship he had built with his friends in search of the meaning he wanted to draw to his life.
He ran from corner to corner scouring the sparseness of the town he has always known and even stretched his search beyond, seeking and searching for what he thought was right, only resting in between his journey and he soon found it. What he found and decided to do made all and sundry surprised at his bravery.
As you might have guessed, he found a military barracks and decided there and then that he had found his life purpose but what was left now was how to go about it in becoming a decorated soldier with human comrades. They wouldn’t want a stray dog, nor was there a way for him to squeeze himself into becoming a military dog, and neither could he voice his decision.
But Bali being a smart and intelligent who knew military life was for him soon figured out what he had to do to achieve his seemingly unattainable goal. Bali began by staying at the barrack’s gate every day waiting and barking till it was open and running in demanding a chance to become a soldier something no one had ever seen or heard of before.
Every day Bali would repeat this routine trying to fight his way in and only leaving when he needed to fill his stomach to keep him strong for the task ahead. At first, the soldiers thought he was only trying to disrupt the flow of training and was but just a disturbance that needed to go as soon as possible. As soon as he made his way in, he would be chased out of the premises. As usual, Bali found another way to communicate his message so it became sound and clear that that was what he wanted. Anytime the puppies were undergoing training with their respective handlers, he would approach and start tugging at any closest handler’s trousers to call his attention to himself. It was surprising as it was shocking to them as to what the little puppy wanted.
For a month, he repeated this every day until one day, he got what he wanted when one of the commanders saw him tugging at one of the handler’s trousers and saw the same sequence of events at the same time that week. He demanded an explanation of what they’d done than send the dog away and that was when he was told that the dog had always been there at the same time for a month.
The commander in his high intelligence after he realized the puppy was a Belgian Malinois, just the perfect fit for a military dog, knew there was more to the dog than the rest of his squad was seeing demanding that the puppy should be brought in and trained as a K-9. They later realized that Bali was three months old, yet another reason for him to be incorporated into the army to help protect the nation side by side with his potential brothers-in-arm.
He was named “Bali” which means “Brave or Powerful”, a perfect name for this puppy who decided to go for his dreams by all means necessary. Now in the army, it was a no-brainer that he would thrive beyond their imagination. It was a given to thrive in your own chosen dream or goal no matter how hard it seemed at first or how hard it gets, you chose it because you loved it. Though, as expected he struggled at first, he wasn’t used to this life even though he wanted to be a part of history badly as a hero. His handler was having a rough time teaching and training him in the ways of the army but he decided to be patient a little bit to help adjust and transition successfully from being a stray to a K-9. As you might have guessed yet again, he started changing, with the level of his intelligence soon picked up on his training in tracking, explosive detection, patrol, search, and rescue operations. Bali soon became extremely good at his job, has a mastery of the scent of the most dangerous explosives such as TNT, C4, etc, and his olfactory skills have improved compared to when he was just a stray.
He also started excelling even though it was only a few months into his training. Everyone was amazed at how much he had learned and incorporated himself into the army in such a short time, something most people wouldn’t have expected from a puppy who was a stray. It was as if he was doing everything necessary to prove to everyone who had seen him struggle his way in and didn’t want him to be a part of that he was not only good but would soon become one of the best K-9 they’ve ever seen and served side by side.
OFFICER BALI.
Bali thrived both in his relationship with his handler whom they soon became best friends and also at the battlefield, protecting and defending his nation effortlessly. On one such occasion, he saved all of his platoon mates unexpectedly. He detected an explosive as it was thrown at his platoon, he was way ahead of them and he quickly ran back to alert his comrades that they needed to move as soon as possible. He kept barking to get their attention and ended up jumping to save one of them who was closer to where the bomb was detonated just before it exploded. He saved their lives and sustained an injury on one of his back legs in this regard.
He was taken to the clinic for appropriate medical treatment. With his bandaged leg, after they had won the war, while the other soldiers were decorated, Bali was also given a Medal of Honor as he had demonstrated exceptional valor in not just serving the country but in also protecting his comrades. He was given a standing ovation by his comrades and other people present at the ceremony.
The respect for him grew in the hearts of many, not just his comrades but also the citizens of the country he had sworn to protect. Bali became a soldier through his bravery, courage, and utmost determination, everyone was proud of him and he was proud of himself for having taken his shot at what he knew was right for him. He was mentioned in the national news and tagged “the loyal comrade” and “the nation’s K-9 hero”.
We are all proud of this K-9 and hope he has a happy ending which he deserves. Bali isn’t just a soldier in rank but also a soldier and a warrior at heart.