The priest’s reaction (Video)

Dogs aren’t often present at church. But, maybe they should be. When a playful pooch comes up to you, there’s nothing that can’t stop you from playing with him, not even a church service. Or at least, that’s the attitude a priest named José Geraldo Sobreira has, who got his service crashed by an adorable four-legged friend. A couple of weeks ago, Nossa Senhora das Dores parish shared a video that quickly went viral. The video shows a playful dog who somehow entered the church and approached the priest. The dog definitely stole the attention of the congregation.

“It happened during the Sunday Mass, a puppy got lost in the street and entered the church. The animal was on a leash, which indicates that he was a domestic animal,” said the communications advisor of the church. However, the uninvited guest was quite unruly at first. “He entered the church after Mass had already begun. He went up to the altar, bit and pulled the towels from the altar, destroyed some flower arrangements, even the priest wanted him to leave”. Without hesitation, the friendly pup started to play with the priest and mess with his clothes. “While the readings were being read, and all were seated, the dog wanted to play with the priest, biting and pulling his robes,” the adviser said. The priest enjoyed the interaction as much as the dog. Instead of shooing the dog away, he gave the dog plenty of attention and scratches. The smile and silent laughter of the priest showed just how much amusement and joy the dog gave him.

A uninvited guest

“The priest explained to the audience that [the dog] was a little boy and that he wanted to play. Each day that passes he realizes animals are in this world to teach us what pure love is, and that all humans should spread it.” After the Mass, one person picked up the dog and when he came down the avenue of Contour, a homeless person recognized the dog and knew who it belonged to. Upon being returned, we learned that the dog’s owner has Alzheimer’s. Soon his daughter recognized him too. We learned that the puppy’s name is Herman. Watch the video, it has already been viewed more than 5 million times. Many have praised Sobreira for the adorable way in which he handled the situation. Seriously, who could resist such a lovely dog?