From Portugal comes the tale of a dog which walks 16 miles every Sunday morning to attend Mass at 7:30 am. Nothing so extraordinary about that except that she usually does it on her own. Preta, or Blackie in English, has created a sensation among the locals in and around Sobrado, near Oporto. Crowds now gather to see her at St. Rita’s Church in Ermesinde, where she apparently lies down near the altar and rises and sits with the congregation. Her owner, Maria do Ceu, is as mystified as everyone else. “One Saturday night, we kept her locked indoors,” says Maria. “At about 5:00 am she began scratching at the door and howling to be let out. As soon as we opened the door, she charged off in the direction of Ermesinde.” Just goes to show you can’t keep a good dog down.

Salamat sa THE TABLET