Potentially Peeing In The Pews

Before moving out, I used to occasionally work as a volunteer in a historical church, and I’ve seen my share of visitors, usually foreigners, trying to come in with shorts, bare shoulders, or even swimsuits, and the need to direct them either to the “disposable veil” bin or the outside of the church, something the signs outside explicitly tell you. However, there are also other unspoken rules when it comes to churches…

I was sitting down at the pamphlet table, when I saw an older man enter with his dog, which looked like some sort of bulldog. I immediately got up.

Me: “Excuse me, sir, pets aren’t allowed in the church, there’s a dog parking outside where you can leave them.”

He looks at me as if I had told him his dog had to be butchered and served to the poor.

Man: “What? Why I can’t take my dog in the church? He’s a good boy, he won’t bark or make a mess inside.”

Me: “Sir, unless your dog is a service animal, he really cannot enter the church.”

Man: “Well, he isn’t a service animal, but I want to take him inside the church! It’s too hot out there; he’d get a heatstroke!”

Me: “Don’t worry, the dog parking is in the shade and has a bowl of water if he needs it.”

Man: “But what if somebody steals him? Besides, why do you care so much? Can’t you just let me take him in?”

Me: “Sir, I can’t make any exceptions.”

Man: “You’re a d*** and not Christian at all, you know that? For people claiming to be so tolerant, you sure like to boss people around.”

He then left in a huff. I know that “no pets allowed” isn’t commonly found on church doors, but shouldn’t the saying “being treated like a dog in a church” be a hint on how acceptable they are in a church?