BONUS BLOG: John Wesley & Jack the Dog

With gratitude to our Commission on Aarchives and History of the United Methodist Church —-

International Dog Day is a date (Aug. 26) that even John Wesley would have celebrated!

History tells us that the Wesley family owned a large Mastiff named Jack. We meet Jack in the following tale.

The story goes that the Wesley family’s Epworth parsonage had a ghost, a spirit they called “Old Jeffrey.”

While John Wesley was off at Oxford, strange things began to happen back at Epworth.

Footsteps were heard in the night coming up the stairs. Loud banging occurred. A noise like a chain being dragged startled everybody in the house.

When this would happen their dog, Jack would crawl under the bed. Jack was a large Mastiff who was usually fearless. [Story from Dave Hanson, South Georgia Advocate, 2017]

Happy International Dog Day to all the fearless –and even fearful — dogs in our lives!