(R)egrets, I've had a few

colour pencil sketch from my journal

(R)egrets, I’ve had a few.  Should I start to list them all? I think not. No point crying over spilt Milkbones ™. Let me just say that I regret not posting more often on my blog.

I enjoy the exercise of putting my thoughts into words, and documenting bits of my life. But sometimes life actually gets in the way of documenting. It’s a catch 22 of sorts. If I had nothing going on, there would be nothing to document. But when I am busy involved in things that might be worth documenting, I have no time or energy to do so. Ah, well.

So here’s a bit of catch-up (not to be confused with ketchup, which would be quite messy if I actually tried to feed some to you via the computer screen).

My book, DOG-EARED JOURNALS – art and observation from a dog living in Portugal, has been available since November of 2013. 

back and front covers of my book

Wow, how did I not make a big post about that?! Mainly because distribution is the problem. Since it’s self-published, there are tricky bits to work out if I don’t want to give it away for nothing. I could list it on Amazon, but until I fill out some complicated forms (which make me tuck my tail between my legs), listing it there is out of the question. I would receive about 82 cents per book if someone were to buy it through Amazon. The U.S. government would make about six dollars and then Amazon would pocket the rest.

So for now, my dog-loving Canadian friend Krista sells them from her studio in Nova Scotia (and by mail to North American customers). Go to www.kristawells.ca for more info. For my local friends, she recently re-stocked it in my favourite Portuguese bookstore, Livros da Ria Formosa in Lagos (home of my best friend, Rita).  It’s also available as a digital book from www.blurb.com.

Speaking of my dog-loving Canadian friend, it’s time I made a confession. She is actually my alter ego. I know, I know, some of you have probably already guessed this by now, but I just wanted to set the record straight.  My mind and soul is split: half human, half dog. For the sake of continuity and the suspension of disbelief, I will continue the charade of writing this blog from my dog’s eye view. It forces some interesting perspectives, which might never happen if I simply write from my human point of view. Just play ball, okay? Thanks.

So that’s it for now. My two selves are working on a fundraising event to be held here in Burgau early in April. The proceeds will benefit dog shelters in Portugal.  I’ll let you know details in my next blog post. Tchau-wow!

Fire hydrants are to dogs what notice boards are to people.

It has come to my attention that some people wonder why I write in English when I’m a Portuguese dog. Of course, this question comes from a person. A dog wouldn’t have to ask.

You see, we dogs communicate using and interpreting body language, smell, and intonation. Since the electronic media have taken over the world, curious dogs like me have adapted in order to communicate with dogs beyond our actual physical location. Yes, we have used other means before, and continue to do so.

fire hydrant sketch, colour pencil

Fire hydrants are a perfect example. They are to dogs what public notice boards are to people. If we want to leave a message for someone and it’s not too personal (because any dog who comes along can smell it) then the fire hydrant is the place to do it. If I was to arrive in Lagos for a pre-arranged get together with Rita and she wasn’t at the bookstore where she said she'd be, then the first place I would check would be the nearest fire hydrant to see if she’d left me a message. One sniff of the fire hydrant would tell me that Rita was waiting for me at the News Café. Of course we leave messages in other places besides fire hydrants, but those are usually found just by chance.

But back to the question of communicating in English. Why English and not Portuguese? Well, two reasons really. The first is that English is the people language that I’m most familiar with. This comes from being a free dog living on the streets. Most of the people who pay any attention to me are English - either English people who have moved here or people on holiday. Even those non-Portuguese people who come from a country where English isn’t the primary language still speak English here. It’s the language in common with the most people – expatriates, holiday makers, and people working at bars, restaurants, shops, museums …  It’s all around me, so that’s the easiest for me to use.

The other reason for using English is that I’m trying to reach out into the wider world and connect with other dogs (and people too) who don’t necessarily speak Portuguese. If there is a language that is common among us then it’s likely to be English. For anyone who doesn’t speak English, I’ve provided a translator tool near the top of the blog so the whole blog can be translated into the language of choice at the touch of a button. Magic!

Of course I realize that I could make this a video blog and use body language and intonation to communicate with dogs all over the world, but until the technical whizzes figure out how to transmit smell over the internet, video communication would lack the subtlety necessary to communicate coherently.

the fine art of communication

And besides, it’s kinda fun having people take part in this as well. I don’t think they could ever learn to communicate fully in our language. For one thing, they really seem reluctant to partake in a good butt sniffing. Oh well, their loss.

This speaks volumes!

doggy dental dilemmas

In general, we dogs in Portugal seem to have a lot of teeth problems. That is, we have a lot of teeth (which can be a problem), and we have a lot of problems related to teeth. You can see it in many of my friends. I also know of a few cases of weirdly oversized teeth.

Fango, a friend of mine in Lagos, has pretty funny oversized teeth.

Take a closer look at those chompers!

I couldn't resist doing a sketch of Fango. I hope I captured his regal demeanor.

Underbites are quite common. Crooked teeth are as well. Both of these dental dilemmas run in my family. 

I prefer to think of myself as toothsome rather than toothy.

You can see from the photo that my teeth, while somewhat jumbled, are healthy and white. My secret weapon against dental disaster is raw carrots. It’s hard to get good and crisp fresh carrots though. They don't usually end up in restaurant garbage which is usually one of the best places to find good food. I know of a couple of places I can dig them up, but it’s only at certain times of year that I can find them. Hmmm. All this talk about carrots has given me a craving. I'm off to do some digging!

Tchao-wow!

Sometimes we just think with our stomachs.

Boy oh boy. Sometimes Rita just goes off the deep end. Remember a few weeks ago she had fallen into a real funk because one of her favourite snack spots was closing? Well, her hysteria was a tad misplaced.

The confusion started with Rita going to the Alentejo with her person for a couple of days. They got back to Lagos on a Monday, but Rita thought it was Tuesday. She’d lost track of time while she’d been away. On Mondays News Café is closed. This is the one day of the week when the staff takes a holiday. Rita knows this. But when she went on her snack round the Monday after she’d gotten back from the Alentejo and saw News Café closed, she flipped out. She thought it was Tuesday, not Monday, and in her mind the café should have been open. And of course the fact that there was a for sale sign in the window didn’t help. But eventually Rita’s person was able to explain to her that yes, there is a vende–se sign up and the owner is entertaining the idea of selling, but he’s put such a ridiculously high price on it, it seems pretty unlikely that he actually wants to sell it.

So, crisis averted. Until now.  Another one of her snack cafés has closed. Permanently. And now Rita is inconsolable. Again.

This is the café that is closed.

My thought is that diversion is the best medicine and the best diversion for Rita is food. I’ve made a pact with Rita that we will have a special snack date every couple of days right in front of the recently closed café.

Rita, thinking with her stomach

We’ll keep this up until I can gradually wean her off needing to have a snack there. Bit by bit, bite by bite, I’ll make the snacks smaller and less tasty until she really has no particular urge for snacks at that spot. I know that Rita is smart and should see through this ruse, but sometimes we dogs just think with our stomachs. Wish me luck!

It isn't right to toy with a dog's emotions.

Rita is upset. She's confused. And I don't blame her. As dogs, by nature, we're pretty laid back creatures. We can go with the flow ... most of the time. But sometimes we can get upset. Like with Rita right now. It all started a little over a week ago. Let me give you a bit of background to this story.

As I've mentioned in an earlier post, Rita spends a lot of time at her person's bookstore, Livros da Ria Formosa, in Lagos. The shop sits on the corner of a block which has several cafes, a padaria (right across the doorway from the bookstore - the tantalizing scents can drive a dog crazy), a papelaria, and several other shops with very dog-friendly owners. Rita has a routine each day when she's at her bookstore. She goes from neighbour to neighbour, has a little visit, catches up on the local gossip and has a little snack, courtesy of the shop owner. One of her favourites is News Cafe. It's a great spot for getting local gossip as well as a bit of a perspective on world events since many of the Cafe's patrons come from all over the world. And of course the snacks aren't too shabby either.

Rita's favourite snack stop

But a little over a week ago disaster struck. News Cafe was all closed up and there is now a Vende-Se sign in the window. Ack! Rita is devastated. Her world has been turned upside down. Of course her person sees how upset she is. He's tried to get her mind off the situation. He makes her big bowls of cafe com leite. He gives her long belly rubs. He reads her passages from her favourite book, Saramago's A Caverna. But nothing seems to snap her out of her blues.

Rita's person tries to console her, but sometimes even love isn't enough.

Now, to make matters worse, News Cafe is open again, but the For Sale sign is still up. It isn't right to toy with a dog's emotions and stomach like this. This is just prolonging the torture. There are too many questions. Will the new owners be as welcoming and friendly? Will the cafe continue to attract the cosmopolitan clientele that is essential to Rita's sense of the wider world. Will the snacks be as tasty as before? All we can do is wait. Rita's person and I will do our best to keep her mind occupied with happy things. Love can't solve all your problems, but at least it can make them bearable. Chin up Rita.

introducing Rita, my friend from the bookstore

Rita standing in front of her bookstore, Livros da Ria Formosa, Lagos

So I've mentioned my friend Rita a number of times already. I suppose I really should introduce her. She's a collared dog who lives with a very good man who has a bookstore in Lagos. She has a great influence on me. It's because of her that I'm doing this blog. She thinks it will help me to organize my thoughts a bit and possibly connect with others who might have common interests. "It's a big world out there. Poke your nose into it," she says. She encourages me to continue to explore various ways to be creative. She's a very well-read dog. She's a whiz on the internet. She comes up with so many ways to solve a problem or to work something out - I'm just in awe of her. I'm not really sure what she sees in me. I hope that I amuse her at least. I love to make her laugh. We just seem to really click. I never have a bone to pick with her - unless we're sharing a tasty pork chop of course.

She's a real beauty, but don't let that fool you. She's got the brains too!

I may be able to pursuade her to do a guest post occasionally, so keep your ears pricked for that!

Tchao-wow!