Prayer and pet blessings have played a big role in their relationship between James Quitoni and his Labrador retriever, Echo.
Echo has arthritis and has been on medication for two years and even had acupuncture performed to help her condition. Recently, she had to be off her medication for two days, and it pained Quitoni to see her attempting to walk and move with nearly paralyzed joints. He said he prayed for her health to improve.
"That was my prayer to St. Francis, and he answered that," Quitoni said.
Many pet owners will attend pet blessing ceremonies to receive prayers for their animals in celebration of St. Francis of Assisi the first week of October. St. Francis is the patron saint of animals, birds and the environment.
Pet blessing ceremonies in his honor are typically held on the first Saturday of October.
Because of Quitoni's love for Echo and all animals, he organizes the pet blessings ceremony at St. Edmund Church in Brooklyn, N.Y.
"Echo is a big part of my life, having her since she was 8 weeks old. She has showered me with nothing but unconditional love the past 12 years," he said.
He encourages people with older pets to bring photos to the ceremony if the pet is unable to attend.
"It's a special day for the pet and the owner when they can receive a blessing," Quitoni said.
Hush Falls Over Congregation
Sometimes when a lot of animals get together, there may be a few fights.
Coletta Bonnett, of St. Christine Church in Euclid, Ohio, said that's not a problem.
"They get along fine. They are never arguing," said Bonnett, who brings along her 7-year-old collie-mix, Dixie, to be blessed.
She said a hush falls over the crowd during the pet blessing ceremony each year.
"It's like (the animals) know that they are being prayed over," she said.
Bonnett organizes the event each year for St. Christine's. Hundreds are expected to attend on Oct. 6 this year.
Creatures Of Comfort
Rev. Phyllis Ann Min, an animal chaplain, said pet blessings likely bring more comfort to the owners.
"It enriches our lives knowing our pets have been blessed," she said.
Min, of Richmond, Va., said because pets provide service and companionship "they are a link to our creator, a gift from God."
Min, who has prayed for animals over the phone with owners, said animals teach us unconditional love, patience, tolerance, not to take ourselves so seriously and to live in the moment.
"Animals help us to open up our hearts," she said.
First-Timers
Gail Arndt's is excited about taking her "little girl" Maggie to a pet blessing ceremony at her church, St. Joseph's in Strongsville, Ohio.
"I will feel better about it, mentally, that someone is looking over her," Arndt said.
The blessing will be extra special to Arndt, who adopted Maggie about a year ago, because it will be Maggie's first blessing.
"It's just me and my dog," she said. "I don't have any kids."
And though some may think that pet blessings are for the religious fanatics, they are not.
"I'm not too religious, but I go to church," Arndt said. "It's kind of fun. It's cute when you get everybody together."
The pet blessing ceremony is not just for Catholics, either.
"It is truly a non-denominational event that brings together people who really care about animals," said Deborah Workman, director of the Sanctuary For Senior Dogs.
She attends St. Christine's blessing each year to showcase dogs that need homes.
Bringing People Together
Diana L. Guerrero, author of "Blessing of the Animals," said pet blessings bring people together in a way that nothing else can.
"Practices honoring pets change human viewpoints," she writes. "Pet-related events attract people of all faiths and from all walks of life."
Guerrero noted in her book that while there are many saints associated with animals, St. Francis is most closely associated with the trend of animal blessings.
"St. Francis developed a profound connection with living things through his fascination with nature. His main inspiration came from animals. He viewed animals as living examples of spiritual integrity, blessing them and striving to understand and connect with them," she wrote.
Although dogs typically make up the majority of crowds at pet blessing ceremonies, they are open to all animals.
At St. Edmunds in Brooklyn, the most unusual pets have been earthworms and an ant farm. Quitoni said the earthworms belonged to a child who was unable to have a traditional type of pet, so he dug up the worms and kept them as pets.
At St. Christine, Bonnett said the most unusual pet has been a snail.
"People just love their pets," Bonnett said.
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