They came out of work smiling to greet their friend, and returned to their duties wiping tears from their eyes after the most precious hello and difficult goodbye.
At the centre of all the emotion in east Belfast was Ballyhackamore's favourite customer, Barney the Labrador, aged 18 and 1/2 - or 130 in human years.
Barney took his final walk amongst his friends, taking in his daily haunt and his favourite spot for snacks and cuddles.
Restaurant owners, shop and cafe workers came out for Barney's goodbye, while his mum Anne did her best to hold back the tears.
In the end, everyone wept for this big old dog who’d bounded into the life of the area full of vim and vigour 16 years earlier and left to go home on stiff legs, his belly full of treats, the end of his journey within sight.
Anne said: “We’d held on as long as we could to Barney. We maybe should have let him go earlier but we just couldn't and he didn't want to go, we knew that. But one day he gave us the look and we knew it was time, he was tired, he was ready.
"His hips had become very stiff and sore but worse than that he’d developed a tumour in his nose and mouth.
"So we knew the end was coming but it was hard to contemplate life without him, and it has been heartbreaking to say goodbye not only for us but for all the friends he'd made along the way.
“But as with everything, we did it for him, we did our best for Barney every day and saying goodbye was the kindest but hardest of them all.
"He brought a smile to so many faces and his cafe friends told us his visit was the highlight of their day. For 16 years we did the rounds with him, his favourite stop off was at Cafe Nero where he always enjoyed a croissant and a cuddle.”
