Dogs showered with love — and ceremonial blessings
Allan Gardens pooch praising an interesting interaction between human and beast
Dogs of all religious denominations — even the atheists — were showered with love by their owners on Sunday during a blessing ceremony at Allan Gardens. It’s unclear how much the pooches — many of them too busy barking and smelling each other — actually registered. The event, staged by St. John Ambulance’s Therapy Dog Services, was led by Yogi Akal. He prefers not to be called an animal communicator, but rather, someone for whom “all species are of interest.” “One of the things I want people to learn is to pay attention to their animal,” said Akal. “Dogs belong to a different culture. We don’t want to humanize them. We’re just trying to communicate with their culture.” As curious onlookers gazed from afar, about a dozen dogs were blessed as a group by Akal. He encouraged owners to chant praises for their pets along with him, making for a curious, if not slightly humorous, interaction between human and beast.
Akal then went up to each dog for an intimate heart-to-heart chat.
The animals received a certificate, but more importantly, a treat, for their troubles.
Their owners, meanwhile, were offered plenty of canine eye candy when they said to their pets, “Look at him! Look at her! Ah, how sweet.”
The ego-boosting exercise will have no doubt added extra motivation for the dogs to get on with their work, for these were primarily therapy dogs, who pay weekly visits to children, the ill and the elderly to lift their spirits.
A blessing is also a great way to sign up new dogs, said Mary Anne Mampe, volunteer co-ordinator of the Toronto program. She said she has 150 dog teams currently in place, but there are still 30 facilities on a waiting list.
Pam Nauri, a dog groomer at the event, said her 14-month-old Shichon, Oggy, treats her “like a movie star.” It was the animal’s first blessing, but likely not the last.
“It’s important to acknowledge the pets that really fulfil our lives in a public forum so everyone can see how much they mean to us,” she said.