Something very special was also a part of Bobby's life. A pet dog named "Max". A brilliant white dog with large jet-black patches the size of an open hand on some parts of his body including head. Max grew bigger than Bobby in the early teens, but was raised as a puppy, found in the wild or near roads by his parents and could've died of many things including hunger.
It was too young to feed on its own, so they kept him. A new beloved family member.
Max became a very muscular and noble crossbred golden retriever. When gentle, it looked so adorable and friendly.
But when aggressive, it turned into a ferocious wolf/tiger-like appearance. It didn't even look anything like its breed when in this state. Its short fur would firmly stand up or puff, very much looking like a tiger, wondering what was he crossbred from.
Dogs were considered to be gatekeepers of a residence. Owners wouldn't train them to be petted, instead to viciously defend from strangers. Burglary, trespassing, and vandalism made the society adopt this method.
If anyone encounters such dogs, expect to be mauled to shreds or death. The wild dogs were particularly dangerous.
Not so much anymore, dogs became cuddlier and friendly but that could be risky when security is needed.
The Island became a place for rich/high-class tourism which gave growth to a better lifestyle and luxury assets/infrastructure. Crime changed into something more like "Opportunistic Crime" which is seen in every country. Only a kind heart would return the 'lost & found'. Although an animal... Max's character taught Bobby a lot of life lessons or kindness through its behaviour. For example: Returning other's belongings, regardless if it's jewels or favourite food. Well, perhaps not the latter.
Bobby learnt about a different kind of respect and also territory. He should hold ground, running can trigger them to attack.
Animals won't harm if the line is not crossed, but not always... Some will threaten and chase till out of sight.
Good thing dogs cannot climb walls or trees. Adult people were totally fine but children (smaller) had another point of view.
It was very difficult to handle Max's strength. Even on a leash, he could dash away and effortlessly drag ass across the dirt.
Sometimes could even break the chains made out of steel. To feel such a force from sheer muscle was unbelievable.
They didn't know he would become this big and strong, muscles were clearly apparent and defined.
His mother had a different command however... Max would obey her and didn't need a leash. His father also learnt this after.
Bobby made lots of friends. Some of them eventually wanted to visit his home which filled him with joy until he realised that it would be a terrible idea. So he made random excuses.
One time during school holidays, a few of his friends came over. A girl and a boy. They probably followed him to his home.
Somehow they entered the property to knock on the main door and yelled his name. Bobby was outside carving a wooden bow and blunt-tip arrows so he could take down fruits such as mangoes from tall trees. He heard them and also Max dashing through ferns from the backyard while growling. Bobby was worried and panicked about what to do but reacted instantly.
He ran so fast to the door that he slipped across the floor which blistered his hand and calf. He stood between Max and his friends with arms extended attempting to get Max to calm down. Easier said than done; Max was huge with jaws that were bigger than hands and had a bad temper in that moment.
But something incredible happened... Max didn't bite him. Instead, held a frightening stance while growling ferociously.
Bobby has never seen Max confront him like this.
Play the video loudly for a while (preferably headphones) and on full screen.
Max still didn't attack anyone, so Bobby showed him that these strangers are friends, by slowly moving to hug both of them.
While whispering or talking softly to calm down, he told his friends not to move, run or stare at Max, and remain silent.
Bobby wasn't so afraid of his pet since they grew up together, he gently reached out, Max then vigorously sniffed Bobby's hand.
Visibly the animal has calmed down, its fur was more relaxed. Bobby felt that he wouldn't harm at this point so he caressed Max's head and pat its body, showing that there's no danger. Max crept to the side, cautiously crawled up to the boy & girl and began sniffing them too. He seemed hesitant and would back off rapidly by any sudden movement from the 2 kids.
After some kind of inspection, Max's tail was wagging and became very friendly almost instantly.
Bobby recognises this behaviour and sighed deeply out of relief. His friends however were still hilariously petrified and squealing.
Messing with an adult animal that's larger than someone isn't a thing to take lightly, even if it's playing about and having fun.
Training something of this size and strength was complicated for the young boy. It took a lot of patience and tolerance.
After familiarising, all of Bobby's friends loved Max very much and never felt afraid. Max was seen as their mighty Guardian.
Before this incident, there was another girl who protected Bobby against 3 wild dogs. She injured one of the dogs that were very aggressive and territorial but were blocking the path. She held a few flat and sharp chipped rocks from the ground and threw one right at the snout of the dog. The throw seemed to be strong enough to hurt but not badly injure. She had multiple stones, so the first was a warning hit. It sent the dogs running away. This "borderline" was taught by the same girl who played badminton with Bobby when he was solo.
"Don't think about how innocent or dumb those animals are, if the line is crossed and warnings were shown, just give it to them.
No need to be brutal or deadly, just prove them who is alpha and they will flee. Body language is the form of communication."
She was also the only friend who would speak English with him most of the time, and occasionally toss some native language.
After such a manly act from "her", the obvious question had to be asked and she humorously denied having those.
There is a Bond, between living beings. This bond could be seen in many ways such as relationships, friendships, taming, community, mentoring, etc. They appear different from each other but share similar mutual respect and understanding.
With humans it's much easier since we can simply talk, but with animals it's not the same. He learnt an extra layer from his pet.
When facing Max, there was no leash, fence or equipment... Only the mind and heart. Any other method would've probably aggravated the situation even more. Max wasn't trained, he was loved and cared for. It was natural for any animal to defend their belongings and territory, but to see how love overpowered rage, beliefs or instinct was quite something.
Max could've effortlessly just ripped Bobby apart as well as his friends because of its own reasoning. It's an animal after all.
However, animals sometimes show more intelligent understanding and affection than humans.
Max was killed. It was a slow, painful death. Humans took his life, by poisoning his food on a Saturday evening knowing there would be no veterinary help until Monday morning. The killers were criminals and burglars who would've attempted to break in. They were apprehended but the loss of Max was like losing a brother, who protected the family with his life.
Even though there were terrible things on the island, some actions were another level of suffering.
It made humans and animals be aware of their actions before committing themselves.
This respect kept everyone in harmony, only those who intentionally trespass are looking for serious trouble.
It's from this way of thinking that the people developed hospitable gestures and sincere kindness towards each other.
Those who don't understand this, couldn't care less about anything or anyone, they are lawbreakers or ignorant people.
It's as ignorant as a stranger walking into someone else's house because they saw the door was open.
Some of Bobby's friends taught him a few principles about animal territory in a painful manner. But they were right.
Perhaps he did trespass into their territory, which is basically asking for trouble when there were other ways around it.
Understanding this bond and borderline was very important. Over time Bobby could "see" and feel this connection by the heart.
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