While we were preparing this issue I came across the story of a dog in a dog collar. A chaplain who every week visited a home for people living with dementia told how he made no contribution until one day from necessity he took his dog to the care home. Many residents, previously silent and perhaps trapped in their own world, came alive, chatted and petted the dog. Now he takes the dog along every week, and the chaplaincy team has recognised it as a chaplain. Of course, the team has given it a dog collar. Ask your pupils: why did that happen? How is it that so many of us are helped or comforted by animals we love? Is that spiritual?
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