Skip to content

Waiting for dog: Cathedral's welcome to canines

Tom Soper Photography A black Scottish terrier leaning up on the keys of an organ looking towards music with a gothic window behind, St Edmundsbury CathedralTom Soper Photography
Bridget the Scottish terrier tries out the organ as the calendar's March model

A Scottish terrier playing an organ and a cocker spaniel using a kneeler are among 12 dogs featured in a cathedral's calendar.

St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, came up with the concept to show how warmly it welcomes our furry friends.

Marketing manager Catherine Rayson said: "We've always been dog-friendly but perhaps haven't pushed it as much, so this year it was very much an excuse to promote that fact."

The 2025 calendar has been released a few weeks before Bury St Edmunds competes to be crowned England's most dog-friendly town once more in the National Dog Friendly Awards.

Tom Soper Photography A husky sitting upright at attention, wearing a red harness with her tongue lolling out, looking at the camera with a blurred out background of St Edmundsbury CathedralTom Soper Photography
All the models, including December's Maisie the husky, were drawn from the cathedral community, say organisers
Darren Rozier/BBC Adam Musgrove with shoulder length light brown hair and close cropped beard, smiling up at the camera, crouching down with an arm around his boxer/staffie cross who is looking away in St Edmundsbury CathedralDarren Rozier/BBC
Adam Musgrove's rescue dog (above) is another star and he plans to give everyone a copy of the calendar for Christmas

A different breed was chosen to represent each month of the year, with models supplied by those from the cathedral community.

Adam Musgrove's boxer/staffie cross was among the hounds who took part in the photoshoot.

"It was an opportunity I couldn't resist... this little photogenic face of hers needed to be on a calendar and preferably one with a month with 31 days," said the 39-year-old from Bury St Edmunds.

Darren Rozier/BBC Catherine Rayson with shoulder length dark hair, smiling at the camera, standing in St Edmundsbury Cathedral Darren Rozier/BBC
The cathedral's marketing manager, Catherine Rayson, said the two-morning photoshoot was a success with "no divas" among the pooches

Mikey was another one of the featured canines and was already "very at home in the cathedral", according to his owner.

Dee-dee Dobell, 82 and also from Bury St Edmunds, said: "He regularly comes to the morning service most mornings and he comes to the 08:00 communion on Sundays - and when I'm sidesman, he collects the offertory with me and comes up to the altar."

The animals were photographed across two mornings and were "very well behaved", according to Ms Rayner.

"It was relatively straight forward and we didn't have any divas," she said.

Visitors have been asked to keep their furry companions on a lead.

They can enjoy a water bowl outside the cathedral and dog treats from the welcome desk.

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

Related internet links