Saint Dog

This is a sample dog. 

I should have liked to have taken a picture of the actual dog, but I would have thus brought myself to the attention of the owner in the front pew of my church. 

Since I am an altar server and wear the outfit denominating myself in that role, folks have come up to me and complained.  I went so far as to create a sign that said  "We love your pets, but only service dogs are allowed in the Church."  I properly interposed the reality of the problem. Since my sign never saw the light of day, I am making no further efforts. 

In truth, and in fact being a pet lover of enormous energy, I have a hard time objecting to what I know, intellectually, is a breach of reverence. It is probably more of one when my fellow parishioner brings the dog, I think it's a bulldog, like the one above, to the Communion rail. At least she has never presented him as an actual communicant, for then I would object, and heartily. 

Here's the amazing thing, though. The dog is always good. I mean, he is held in her arms all throughout the service and the dog doesn't bark, grunt or squirm. That's better than the children in our pre-school who visit the children's room because they tend to a wee bit of noise.  Not the dog. He lays there in peaceful un-moving.

In fact, he seems almost prayerful in his near snooze, meditative, let's call it. Saintly, even.  Saint Dog.

I recently re-read something about animals and heaven-- the authority (not dogma, so as a Catholic I MAY freely disagree and so I do) is that animals, though they have souls, do not have the knowledge of the Divine such that they are infused with the Holy Spirit and would be with us in heaven. I cannot accept that idea as I plan on greeting my cats Lucretia, Bruno (the sole dog in my life), Rameses, Hollywood, Trouble, Bud, Bert, Diablo, Oz. and Elwood, in heaven assuming I get there myself. 

And now, having seen Saint Dog, on more than one occasion acting in many ways perhaps more reverently than some of his human fellows in attending the service, I am certain that Thomas Aquinas, though otherwise an excellent theologian and all around fellow was wrong about animals. Animals must go to heaven. They make us whole and sometimes even holy.