Visitors to Tewkesbury Abbey are warmly welcomed by two assistant verger dogs, Eric and Flo, complete with their own staff lanyards. We spoke to the owner of these loveable labradors, Head Verger Chris Skepper, who shared more about the duo and their therapeutic presence in the Abbey.
How did Eric and Flo become appointed as Assistant Vergers to the Abbey? It’s an impressive feat for a dog!
My wife and daughter were travelling to New Zealand to visit my wife’s sister for around 5 weeks. The dogs would have been on their own in the house during the day, so I approached the Abbey to ask if I could bring the dogs along with me whilst they were away. I was granted the permission to do so as long as the dogs were well behaved. Luckily, they were so well received by both the staff and members of the public that they were then able to accompany me to the Abbey on a permanent basis!
What would a typical day on duty look like for the Eric and Flo?
Every day is different for Eric and Flo, but what they do ultimately depends on my schedule. When we’re in, I’ll put their lanyards on and we’ll open up the Abbey together. Depending on the schedule for the day, they’ll either spend time walking around with me on site, or they’ll sit on their matt at the head of the nave. If they come with me to meetings, they’ll be in the room with us lying on their matts.
Do they stay for concerts?
As long as the performance is neither too loud nor crowded, they might stay on. During the Choral Evensong, you’ll usually find them in the Abbey’s side aisles sitting on their matts.
What benefits have you seen from having the dogs around visitors and concert audiences?
I’ve found their presence to soften the entrance into the Abbey for visitors, and put a smile on their faces. I’ve also noticed the way they encourage visitors to open up about things they wouldn’t usually discuss.
For example, we recently had a care home visit the Abbey. When they engaged with the dogs, one gentleman started talking to me about the dogs he used to own – the care staff weren’t aware that he’d ever owned dogs! Eric and Flo had triggered those memories for him and, more importantly, had gotten him talking about those memories.
We also had a lady visit who had recently lost someone, and she sat at the back of the Abbey during a service and stroked the dogs. The dogs provided her with what she needed at that time, and that was really special to see.
Is this a tradition you’ll keep going for years to come? And do you think any other Churches/Abbeys will follow in your footsteps?
I’d like to think so – outside of this we’ve always ran a policy whereby dogs are allowed in the Abbey. For example, we’d much rather a couple with a dog experience the Abbey together, rather than waiting outside and rushing around.
In terms of other venues following in our footsteps, I know that a number of Cathedrals have changed their entrance policies for dogs. I do think Eric and Flo may have influenced this, and they are known beyond Tewkesbury. They’ve appeared on Midlands Today, BBC Points West, and were featured on BBC radio Gloucestershire’s Instagram account.
We’ve had visitors from around the globe visiting the dogs. Most recently, we had a couple and their daughter visit from Tasmania – they’d seen the dogs on Instagram and had made a special trip to the UK to visit them. We’ve also had people from the US making specific trips, and of course, people from around the UK.
Whether this will continue is another story. Eric is now 11 and Flo 10 – another Winter in the Abbey is probably going to be too much for them, so we plan to conclude their duties in September. We are hosting a retirement party for them on Wed 1st October at 3.30pm, to which all are welcome. Hopefully they will still be able to visit for certain events in 2026.”
You can catch Eric and Flo in the Abbey on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and two Sundays a month.