Features / Bristol cathedral
Bristol Cathedral’s most obedient member of staff
Proudly wearing his Bristol Cathedral lanyard around his neck, Teckelgarth Tobermory, or Tobie to his friends, strolls down the cloisters to ensure that everything in the cathedral is running smoothly.
With his owner and cathedral head verger Glynn Usher by his side, Tobie looks left and right, keen to make sure that his job is carried out in an orderly fashion.
Tobie (right) and his owner Glynn, head verger at Bristol Cathedral
It’s a very important job for somebody so young. Tobie is only 19-months-old but has been coming to work as the official Cathedral Hound since he was a puppy.
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“He comes in with me if I’m opening up,” explains Glynn, who lives with his partner and Tobie on nearby Jacob’s Wells Road.
“He’ll just totter around behind me doing his patrolling. He’s not a sniffer dog but he’ll notice if things aren’t in the right place.”
As head verger, Glynn’s duties include cathedral security as well as facilities and stage management, with Tobie a regular co-worker.
Tobie is a 19-month-old otter hound
“Tobie has become quite a stress buster,” Glynn explains while sitting in his narrow office tucked away out of sight of the public.
“He really can just take the stress out of the job. Other members of staff come in here for Tobie time, just to chill out a bit.”
If Tobie comes to work with Glynn on a Sunday, he will often join the congregation while they are having a cup of tea after the service.
Tobie is an otterhound, classified as a Rare Native Breed by The Kennel Club. He was originally bred to compete in shows such as Crufts, but an underbite put pay to this ambition.
On a day off, Tobie and Glynn will go on long walks around the harbour or up to Leigh Woods.
Glynn says: “Tobie is very gentle and laid back. He loves people and loves to spend time on the sofa at home. He doesn’t do anything if he doesn’t have to.”
Read more: Behind the scenes at Bristol Cathedral
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