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In 16th-century England, stray dogs disrupting church service became such a big problem that many parishes employed “dog whippers”, whose job was to shoo away dogs and prevent these animals from crowding around the church or attacking priests when he was handing out communion bread and wafers on church steps. The dog whipper carried a whip and a long pair of tongs using which he would grab a dog by its neck and physically remove him from the church grounds.