Tuesday, November 19, 2002

This brings back memories...
Gregg the Obscure posts about
a dog showing up during Mass. Back when I was in college, the Catholic campus ministry had to celebrate several of the Sunday Masses in an auditorium, since the secular university's chapel was far too small for the number of people who would come on Sunday. Apparently, one of the professors was often in the building on Sundays, because his dog, a huge black Standard Poodle named Balzac, would turn up outside the auditorium door after Mass Sunday after Sunday, trying to cadge doughnuts from people. He was usually thwarted though, since his owner had attached a cardboard sign to his collar which read, "Hi ! My name is Balzac, and I'm a bit silly. Please do not feed me, since I will overeat and then get sick."
Balzac came to Mass occasionally, but unlike the Golden Retriever in this above post, he didn't saunter down the nave, since there was no nave. He either paced back and forth just inside the door or barrelled down the auditorium steps like a curly-haired freight train,either of which was distracting, to say the least. One of the students would have to tug on his collar a bit and get him to go back outside until Mass was over. Fortunately, this did not happen often.
This was over ten years ago, and doubtless Balzac has since gone wherever good, if sometimes goofy, dogs go. I hope his end was kind. He was a sweetheart, if a bit overenthusiastic about food !

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