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.