Dogs Of The Gathering

Whilst we were away over Christmas we got to spend a very happy hour with some good friends, chatting about life and having a laugh. I was struck by their new dog, a rescue from the local animal shelter. She's called Rosie and apparently has bitten everyone who has attempted to stroke her, including the local policeman.

I decided to use my dog whispering skills from feeding dogs at The Gathering's weekly Soup Kitchen, and amazingly, Rosie responded and allowed me to spend some time stroking her and tickling her tummy, much to her owners' amazement.

Needless to say I felt quite honoured by Rosie, and it got me thinking about the many dogs that come to our Soup Kitchen and how we treat them.

This coming May, The Gathering's weekly Soup Kitchen will have been running for 10 years, and in that time we've met a lot of the local dogs, as they come with their owners, or some, like Bruno (more on him in a moment...) just seem to know there is a free meal on offer and a bit of sanctuary from the rough & tough of life on the streets.

Each week we (and by we, I mean me) try to be kind to the dogs that come, we give them a cup of soup out on the pavement, and try to create a safe space for them. I also try and get them to allow me to pet or stroke them, and over the years some of the dogs have become quite friendly with me/us.

Our Soup Kitchen has been quite a hit with many of the local dogs, and we even have one dog named Angel (in pic above) who attends our Sunday Gatherings more faithfully than her owner who is an actual church member. 

It costs nothing to show a little kindness, and the rewards can be a great blessing, and I love the fact that many of the local hounds know the The Gathering is a safe space from them where they are never beaten, chased away or have stones thrown at them, which is par for the course in the community.

A quick word about Bruno; I used to laugh with some of our regulars that Bruno was my dog (that's him in the last pic). Not only was he a regular at our Soup Kitchen, but he would keep an eye out for me, and he would come and spend time with me when I was in the building.  

Sadly, he disappeared one day, and a few months later I learnt that he had fallen down a drain and the locals had just left him down there to die. I miss Bruno.