Charles Taylor, ex-warlord, ex-President, and thug of thugs in Liberia, terrorized, looted and decimated his country (and its neighbors) for 14 years.

He also, as it happens, owned a poodle.

Taylor left Liberia in 2003 for exile in Nigeria, and is today standing trial before a special court for war crimes in The Hague.

The warlord’s poodle, however, remained behind, in the care of a compatriot who owns the hotel around the corner from ours. He’s happy, cute and playful. (The poodle, that is, not Taylor’s comrade.)

It’s very hard to escape the Taylor legacy in Liberia. The SIM card I bought for my phone? Taylor reportedly owns a major stake in the firm. Want to move to the competition instead? That one’s owned by Taylor’s duplicitous Foreign Minister.

Taylor’s wife, meanwhile, is in Congress. And his brother lives in luxury atop a hill outside town.

Liberia’s Presidency and may be full of palatable people, but others lurk behind the scenes. Some are even elected officials.

Few, sadly, are as charming as the poodle.