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Phemie
Guest
I’ve seen a therapy dog in action. I had my doubts before but now I’m sold.
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meltzerboy2
Guest
LOL An emotional support elephant.
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meltzerboy2
Guest
There is no such problem in synagogues. Pets refuse to come for fear of being sacrificed.
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CRV
Guest
blackforest
Well-known member
I’m honestly not sure how the “emotional support” thing works. I only know that there’s no official certification for the animals, i.e. pretty much any animal qualifies regardless of species or training.
My immediate concern is for allergies. Contact with a dog sent my niece to the ER with an asthma attack. If there’s one lab or shepherd for a blind person, and the allergy prone sit a good distance away, that’s one thing. But if the whole bring-your-dog-to-Mass thing catches on, the least parishes could do is offer “allergen-free” Masses.
My immediate concern is for allergies. Contact with a dog sent my niece to the ER with an asthma attack. If there’s one lab or shepherd for a blind person, and the allergy prone sit a good distance away, that’s one thing. But if the whole bring-your-dog-to-Mass thing catches on, the least parishes could do is offer “allergen-free” Masses.
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on_the_hill
Guest
I knew a woman who wanted to move into a ‘no pets’ apartment, and she didn’t want to give up her dog. She got her doctor to fill out a form that verified that her dog was for therapy, and she got to keep her dog when she moved in to the new apartment.
I’ll bet that this sort of ruse goes on all the time. All the time.
I’ll bet that this sort of ruse goes on all the time. All the time.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
I sincerely doubt it is going to be a trend.
I’ve seen one person bring a dog to church once in the last 5 decades.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
And I’ll bet you’re not being disturbed in the least in your daily life by it.
When you are, you can complain.
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Phemie
Guest
Well the person I know is an RCMP member who held way too many kids who died from suicide in northern indigenous communities. Then she moved to the sexual abuse sector. She is now suffering from PTSD and has not worked in 2 years. I’ve seen how the dog reacted to her slightest change in mood and helped calm her down in times of stress, stress that we would have thought just normal day to day living. This dog was not her pet, she’d already had a pet dog for years before she got the service dog. The pet dog stayed home while the service dog accompanied her everywhere.
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Horton
Guest
There is a valid use for true emotional support dogs but so many people are out of control with trying to label their pet as a therapy dog. A therapy animal is just that an animal, not three.
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ZMystiCat
Guest
I think we should start encouraging people to bring their German shepherds and pitbulls to Church as guard dogs as an alternative to everyone bringing guns.
(I’m only half-serious, but I would prefer that to being around a bunch of armed people.)
My work allows any dog to be brought, though it is encouraged to only bring them 1 - 2 times a week, not every day. I’ve actually gotten a chance to see one guy’s pitbull go from a puppy to a now almost fully-grown dog. I don’t think anyone has raised a fuss except maybe a few cat owners disappointed there’s no similar program for cat lovers.
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Phemie
Guest
I know I’ve told the story of Skipper before. Our Pastor had a Samoyed who went everywhere with him. He’d usually pop in to the office for a visit a couple of times a day but would quickly resume his place at Fr. Jack’s side.
Skipper was kind of neurotic and was deathly afraid of thunder. The rectory was separated from the church only by the door to the sacristy. During one Saturday evening Mass, thunder started to rumble. It wasn’t long before we heard Skipper clawing at the sacristy door and whining. I’d seen the damage he could inflict on door frames if left to his own devices so I went to let him in, thinking maybe he’d sit with me.
He walked in and made a beeline for Fr. Jack who was at the altar. He pressed himself against him to reassure himself then went to lie down in front of the Tabernacle. That’s where he stayed, quietly, until the recessional when he got up and accompanied Fr. Jack down the aisle.
Skipper was kind of neurotic and was deathly afraid of thunder. The rectory was separated from the church only by the door to the sacristy. During one Saturday evening Mass, thunder started to rumble. It wasn’t long before we heard Skipper clawing at the sacristy door and whining. I’d seen the damage he could inflict on door frames if left to his own devices so I went to let him in, thinking maybe he’d sit with me.
He walked in and made a beeline for Fr. Jack who was at the altar. He pressed himself against him to reassure himself then went to lie down in front of the Tabernacle. That’s where he stayed, quietly, until the recessional when he got up and accompanied Fr. Jack down the aisle.
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Thomasbradley312
Guest
This is totally disrespectful and should not be aloud. My God…
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dochawk
Guest
That is the origin of both the Communion rail in the west and the Iconostasis in the East . . . not a matter of pets in the car, but that the poor couldn’t leave their animals unattended (risking theft).
A barrier was put up to keep them out of the Holy Place . . .
Or, given that other recent thread, may should would keep it, and you would only ever seen it again on Dormition
There are many other trained animals that perform life-saving services . . . and while at one point I was dismissive of the notion, there are quite definitely people (and not just autistic) that can function at some level in the world when the animal accompanies him, that would be quivering in fear, staring at their front doors afraid they might open, without that.
I just give animals the benefit of the doubt.
I don’t know why that family needs one at one of our liturgies, or even whose it is, but it is clearly a support animal (even without reading it’s certification badge). Today I was amazed that that little dog simply sat happily while being carried around like a piece of luggage or purse (it’s harness actually has handles that allow it to be surprised!). It meant that people who otherwise could not have come to that liturgy to say farewell to a departing parishioner could do so.
If an animal isn’t disruptive, it’s for Father to address, not me.
In the news as couple of days ago, one is now in a kerfuffle with the FAA (?) or some other agency over drawing the lien at pit bulls (?) after one attacked a stewardess. (and whether it can be trained or not, using a pit bull for such a services is an objectively poor choice . . .)
I saw a picture in the news a day or two ago of a theater half full of dogs on seats . . . it was actually training for service animals at a live play production (a low-something event for autistic and others).
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dochawk
Guest
An elegant solution for someone traumatized and dysfunctional from bullies . . .
I don’t either, but the calming effect of animals on people (and the other direction) is well documented. Objective measurements, such as pulse and respiration, and I believe cortisol and other measurements are affected, as well. And see @Phemie’s comments above . . .
I’ve seen it, too: when my twins were born five weeks premature, one had to go to a children’s hospital half an hour away (lung wasn’t finished. And, surprisingly, it was the larger of the two). She spent a week in a rack under a light. When I would put my hand on her (my palm covered her torso!), her pulse and respiration both would go down by consistent and measurable amounts.
Nurseries and bookstores should have cats. I can’t think of any other business offhand where they would fit in (or be happy!). OK, cat cafes, but . . .
[I asked my local nursery about their cat. It is the most diffident cat I"ve ever seen; it just doesn’t *care* if someone pets it; it neither avoids nor seeks out people, and isn’t fazed by an old wagon rattling by. They explained that about half of their locations have a resident cat–and that the other half have mice!]
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on_the_hill
Guest
In that case I’ll stick with Amazon.
Not that anyone but me will notice.
But I do know that when I hear about a shop that has a resident cat I make a mental note to avoid it.
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on_the_hill
Guest
I am not. But I am experiencing a great wailing and gnashing of teeth because the concept of it irks me considerably.on_the_hill:
And I’ll bet you’re not being disturbed in the least in your daily life by it.
When you are, you can complain.
I like animals. I don’t like that nowadays people feel that there’s an unquestionable right to take their dogs with them everywhere they go.
What happens if I’m out and someone’s animal gives me an asthma attack? Who takes precedent? The human being or the animal?
This is an argument I can’t win. You guys can go ahead and take your pets wherever you can get away with it, and I’ll give swift judgement when I see people walking their dogs through Home Depot.
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