At St. Hilda’s we have had sofas, office chairs, beer bottles and other sundry detritus left in our church grounds – the overflow of an affluent town that seems to be under the impression that the local Anglican Church can remove not only your sin, but your garbage. Last Sunday was a first, though: someone had left a puppy tied to the railings. Being a dog person, I approached the puppy – which was quite fearful – said hello and scratched her ears. It was quite obvious that the unfortunate dog had been sprayed by a skunk, a calamity that would make the passing of the peace even more entertaining than usual.

The dog garnered a great deal of attention, was fed, watered, spoiled and fussed over; the humane society was not called, at least five families offered to adopt the animal and she ended up attaching herself to a couple who took her home.

The undeserving owner of the puppy – who, as far as I am concerned, can’t have her back – at least had the sense to leave her pet at an ANiC parish on the correct assumption that it was full of warm-hearted generous people who cannot not resist dogs; I shudder to think of what might have happened had the dog ended up at the ACoC Church of the Epiphany down the road – it could have ended up as a pagan dog.