Paws In The Pews: Why Some Churches Have Gone Out Of Their Way To Welcome Dogs
LONDON — It is said that all dogs go to heaven. At least, these two certainly will.
In fact, Eric and Florence are no ordinary assistant attendants undertaking duties at England’s Tewkesbury Abbey located about 121 miles (195 kilometers) northwest of London.
After all, they have paws.
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These special helpers are two Labrador dogs belonging to the head attendant, Chris Skepper, who come to work on a regular basis within the abbey, offering to meet-and-greet visitors. During services, they sit quietly on mats inside a side chapel.
Dedicated pet services have long been held in churches across the U.K., with owners bringing their cherished friends to be blessed. Such congregations have been known to include fish, goats and donkeys, as well as more conventional pets such as cats, rabbits and, of course, dogs. What makes Eric and Florence different is the way in which they demonstrate the expanding welcome on a regular basis to canine companions.
Eric and Florence are now very valuable resources to staff and visitors at Tewkesbury. Never far from Skepper’s side, they are proving to be extremely helpful with visitors.
“The dogs don’t bound up to people and don’t interact unless people want them to do so,” he said. “One lady came to a service and found she couldn’t stay because she lost someone recently. She moved to the side chapel and found the dogs. She just sat and stroked them. They gave the help she needed then. Children with ADHD come in, and stroking them relieves their anxiety.”
He said that he believes their presence has helped the abbey’s overall ministry.
“There are people who have never been in churches before,” Skepper said. “They see the dogs and immediately relax. Ninety-nine percent of our visitors are put at ease by the dogs’ presence and start smiling. What it does is open up opportunities for conversations.”
Although they are the only four-footed assistant vergers, other canine visitors are equally welcome in the abbey, as Skepper explained: “Tewkesbury Abbey has always allowed dogs to come in. It is big enough to accommodate them and visitors. We like to offer visitors a shared experience so they can bring their dogs in rather than one person having to stay outside and come in afterwards. I asked if I could bring Eric and Flo in officially, and we thought it would be right thing to do to make them assistant vergers so everyone knew they were there officially.
“We have had people come in and say this a great idea and go back to their own churches to suggest it. We have had people from cathedrals come to see how Eric and Florence work, planning to go back and talk about ways of operating it within their cathedrals.”
Photos courtesy of Tewkesbury Abby
Their presence reflects the welcome being given to canine companions in churches and cathedrals in many parts of the Christian world. Assistance dogs have always had access, but now cathedrals across the U.K. — in Bradford, Bristol, Carlisle, Coventry, Chester, Chichester, Derby, Durham, Ely, Lincoln, Newcastle, Norwich, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Salisbury, Sheffield, Southwell Minister, St. Edmundsbury, Truro, Wells, Winchester and Worcester — are among the many houses of worship providing dog-friendly facilities.
Doggy treats are made available along with bowls of water, and there are often dedicated pet services.
The Very Rev. Jonathan Brewster, dean of Carlisle, said, ”Increasingly, cathedrals are becoming more dog friendly, and as the Çathedral for Cumbria and the Lake District, we wish to welcome all! We understand that dogs are part of the family too.”
More than three-quarters of the churches forming the U.K.-based National Churches Trust welcome dogs.
Sarah Crossland, engagement manager for the National Churches Trust, said it’s “great that so many churches welcome pets.”
“We are seeing more churches finding new ways to make dog owners feel especially welcome, both in the congregations at services but also as tourists and sightseers,” she added. “For parish churches in remote and rural areas, this makes churches more accessible places for dog owners and dog walkers to visit and explore. Making churches pet-friendly opens up churches to people when they are walking their dog or planning holidays with their pets.”
Dogs are not limited to just visiting; they are becoming involved in other ways. At Lincoln Cathedral in Lincolnshire, police dogs regularly attend services in order to practice search training sessions.
The Rev. Elizabeth Foot in Cornwall takes her three dogs to church and said that “the best dog is Barnabas, who goes to every ringing event across Penwith. His predecessor, Fabion, was given a long service award for attendance at bell ringing events.”
Some basic rules do have to be followed. Visiting dogs in churches need to be kept on short leads and never left unattended. Their owners must clean up if any accidents occur and be considerate of the needs of other visitors.
Introducing dog-friendly policies have not always met with approval from everyone. At Winchester, there were some complaints that dogs had no place in churches.
Overall, reactions have been largely positive. The vast majority of U.K. churches and cathedrals now regard themselves as pet friendly. Well-behaved dogs are welcome in almost all ecclesiastical buildings now.
As Tewkesbury’s Rev. Nick Davies points out: “If we can make it a little bit easier for people coming with dogs, so much the better. All God’s creatures are welcome in Tewkesbury Abbey.”
Angela Youngman is a freelance journalist who has written for a wide range of national and international publications.