What is your opinion regarding banning dogs inside the church?

Why should they ban dogs inside the church? In my own opinion, they are God's creation so I don't think that they should ban the dogs inside the church especially when the dog is well-behaved. I love dogs, too and I don't treat them as animals but I treat them as humans. I can't find any reason why your church have to ban your dog from entering the church. Distracting is not a just reason to ban your dog.

Ok, just my opinion and I am a dog lover I don't see a problem with taking a dog, your baby, to church. Where I see a problem is other people and I can see where a dog in church may be distracting to others (probably the ones who need the worship the most). We do have 2 dogs in our church every week and at other times also - they are both seeing eye dogs and are very welcome. Yes there are times when new people will comment or be distracted but there is a purpose for the dogs being in church... I might also mention I was a shih tzu owner - Chaffon passed away 3 years ago and I miss her dearly, she went every place with me except church and the store.

Hi msvenzon, we all dont share the same opinions just about everything. Pet lovers do not see any problems bringing their pets everywhere or treating their pets like a baby. In my opinion, even if your puppy behave, others will find it disrespectful.

of course you should bring your Dog to church! Dogs are God's creatures just as we are, and if your dog does not get religious training hes going straight to Hell. There will be no salvation for him at all! Just ask your Priest he will be the first to confirm this. AS for the squeeling Church member he may get sent to Hell also, Who Knows except God and He isn't talking!

I have two small dogs and my older dog used to be like yours, so please take everything I say as speaking from experience rather than being critical of you. I am an animal lover and would love to take my dog everywhere, but I don't think church is an appropriate place to bring a dog. But you could substitute the word church out and put a number of other places and I would say the same thing because the issue is not whether "all God's creatures should come to church" but an issue of seperation anxiety that you are trying to avoid and it must be overcome. Also, your dog probably isn't quiet because he knows "its a house of worship" - your dog is quiet because you yourself are probably calm in church, and everyone else is quiet and calm and so your dog is behaving apropriately. When someone is nervous they say "it travels down the leash" and your dog might be on edge. The same thing works when you are calm. Your dog is still very young and in his formative stage. And it is very common for small dogs to have seperation anxiety, protective biting issues, etc and it is not because of how the dog inherently is but because we tend to baby our small dogs. We have no trouble teaching a larger dog that he/she can't go everywhere or be held all the time and for our small dogs to grow into well adjusted adult dogs, we need to remember these things. If your dog is 7 months, I don't think you have given him adequate time to learn (he just has not enough life under his belt yet) that he can feel secure when you aren't with him. Crate training works well. Look up tips on the internet or read a few books. if you make the dog crate a warm and safe place associated with good, he will see it as his den or sanctuary and will actually seek it out. Never put your head in there or allow anyone in there but him. Put treats in there, sometimes put his food bowl in there when its mealtime so he associates it with all that is good. If you he has a secure place, you can leave him home for short periods of time building up to a few hours with no incident. Also, when you come home, don't make a big "fuss" - we often think our dogs can't handle when we are not home but in actuality they are just getting so worked up when we come home because we act all excited. If for the first minute or two when we come in the door, if we don't make eye contact with our dogs - put our keys and bags down, take our shoes off and do not acknowledge them until they have calmed down - it will help your dog also. When you and he have the freedom to be able to be apart - that is when outings together become more enjoyable. It also makes him a better guest should there be a time when you attend an out of town wedding, or go somewhere where the dog is totally not allowed. Whoever watches him will have an easier time of it. So, that being said - I still don't think a church sanctuary is an apropriate place for a dog. A Family fun day event is another story. Firstly, this is your time to reflect and your mind will be thinking about your dog everytime he shifts his weight in his carrier - is he going to make a noise, is he not... Also There are people out there with severe allergies. If someone had a cat in a little petpurse at church and they were within 4 rows of us, my husband's throat would close up. He loves cats, but is unfortunately that allergic to certain cats. And when you are there, its not like you are at an ice cream social and are constantly moving around. People are more or less a captive audience for betweeen 45 minutes and several hours depending on your denomination's traditions and the time of year.

If you know me at all you would know that i believe that Dogs are people too. I also think that the Man Upstairs is everywhere. This includes in the household, in traffic, at work etc. If the only time we pay attention to him is "at church" then there is truly something wrong with us. Let us not forget that the Dog is one of God's many creations and are considered by some one of there family members... I say create a place for the pets to reside while church is in session and then go get them on the way out!!! http://www.jimboshoundhouses.com

i grown up without a pet in our house since my father hates them so i can't say i'm a pet lover in fact i'm not. but eggnog is different, the first time i laid my eyes on him i instantly felt the fondness. the dog is very lovable, he's so little and very harmless so i dont understand the reason why certain people would ban him. his owners trained him to behave, and i can testify on that. i'm not a self-righteous person either, and i admit i don't go to church for many years now but i believe that the church is a sacred place of worship, nevertheless i dont agree with them banning a harmless dog. if the church goer brings a doberman or a bulldog to church then by all means they should be banned. but for a dog that is less than 1 foot and can be cuddled like a baby its unreasonable to have it banned. look at him in the photo...does he look dangerous for crying out loud...

Well, I think the church member has a point too because if my seatmate had a very cute dog just like yours then a dog lover as I was, my attention will be on the dog than on the Mass because I really love cute dogs and I cannot stop myself staring at it. ..^^..cherry

Well Im not sure that I understand why you would bring a dog to church, but to each his own. Perhaps your being a bit harsh by saying you wont attend anymore. This animal may be your baby, but dont you think your not being considerate of other people by bringing it? Perhaps some people have an allergy to the dog. I know quite a few peopel who are allergic to the hair, or the smell of a dog. They either break out in hives or sneeze and cough or it causes internal swelling like the throat and eyes. And if your in a rather enclosed space this could be the cause for them asking you not to come with him anymore. This could be the distraction, someone is suffering because you dont want to leave your dog alone at home. They have pet sitters that you can hire since you dont like leaving him alone for any length of time. I really think the dog will be fine alone for a couple of hours on Sunday mornings. Bay Lay Gray xx

i think bringing a dog inside a church would be very distracting. i respect the love you have for your dog but there is always a right place where you can bring your dog..and a church would never be that right place..a church is a place were people pray..and do you think they can pray properly if there is a dog in their sight? it's just a matter of respect towards other people and a matter of being sensitive to others...