Churches go to the dogs

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

The Olympian

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Gracie is in the church membership directory. And her picture, which features her thick jowls and underbite, shows up alongside the senior pastor and other ministry directors on the church's Web site.

Her official title is "parish greeter," but members of Grace Lutheran Church say the English bulldog is just as much a member of the church as they are.

A number of churches have parish pets, including Trudy, a yellow Labrador who is the greeter at St. Mary's Catholic Church, and Tinka, a sleek greyhound who keeps spirits up at the Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan.

Some say it's not surprising that pets would be welcome in a church setting.

According to the most recent statistics available from the 2004 National Pet Owners Survey, 63 percent of U.S. households have pets, more than have children.

Gracie, a 2-year-old, has been the constant companion of Grace Lutheran's parish nurse, Elsa Moeller, since she found her as a puppy online after a pet cat died. Moeller thought she might have to wait until she retired to get another pet.

Senior pastor Dan Hallgrimson, however, told her not to wait and that it would be fine to bring a dog with her to work.

Hallgrimson and his wife, Molly, are dog lovers themselves, and they might even be considered Gracie's "doggie godparents."

Office manager Myrta Dill plays with Gracie on a daily basis. The children in the church's Sandcastle Preschool sometimes refuse to go home until they've first hugged Gracie.

Moeller said she was surprised when a photograph of her pet was included in the church directory, but she's come to realize Gracie is an integral part of the Grace Lutheran Church family. And she's grateful for that.

"I'm just so happy to have her here all the time," Moeller said.

At the Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan, Tinka, an 11-year-old Italian greyhound, roams freely. The church offers a Blessing of the Animals service each year near the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.

Church secretary Jane Stoltz explained she started bringing Tinka to work with her about eight years ago after the dog had been injured and the veterinarian told Stoltz to keep a close eye on her. It was supposed to be a temporary situation, but after a while people expected Tinka to be in the office.

"She has the best personality of any dog I've ever known," Stoltz said. "They say pets are supposed to be good for lowering your blood pressure, and I think she really does make things easier around here."

Visitors frequently find the little dog basking in the sun like an Egyptian sphinx on the steps leading up to the church office area. Almost everybody gets a friendly, tail-wagging greeting. Other dogs who take their owners for walks near the church often stop to visit.

Trudy, the official greeter at St. Mary's Catholic Church, belongs to Father John Henderson, the senior pastor. And he said the dog keeps people happy and in some ways helps with his work.

"When people are having a hard day and they come into the office, she comes alongside them, they pet her and that makes them feel better," Henderson said, explaining Trudy's gentle spirit.