South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Prayers for pooches
Father Joe Spina, with the Parish of Saints Francis and Clare in Wilton Manors, blesses Luigi as Ray Couturier and Luigi’s owner Janyce Dyer look on during the 20th annual Blessing of the Animals.
WILTON MANORS – Dozens of dogs, cats and other pets were flocking to Blessing of the Animals ceremonies around South Florida.
Rosie, 2, attended her first blessing at the Parish of Saints Francis and Clare in Wilton Manors on Saturday morning.
“We think she’s part Yorkie, part goat, because she climbs all over everything,” said owner Kathy Zimmer. “She’s a great addition to the family.”
Rosie’s stepsister, Raine, is a 14-year-old Chinese crested dog who has been blessed before, partly because of her age and health.
“She has some cardiac issues but she has her own cardiologist,” said Zimmer, who came from Pompano Beach. “We take of her.”
Instead of having paws in the pews, the ceremonies were held outdoors.
Dressed as St. Francis of Assisi — the patron saint of animals and the inspiration for the annual blessings — Father Joe Spina has been bestowing God’s graces on pets at the Humane Society of Broward County since 1997 and at his own parish since 2004.
He’s blessed them all. “Hamsters, turtles, a squirrel that someone had domesticated,” he said. “But it’s mainly dogs and cats.”
Janyce Dyer brought her 3-year-old Italian greyhound Lu i g i and 5-month-old chrome philander Archie from Hollywood.
“Luigi is a little skittish so I kept him back until he was comfortable,” she said. “Everybody is considerate of the other dogs.”
Meanwhile, next door, The Pet Project was handing out free pet food to people who could not afford to feed their four-legged family members.
“If you got low income, you’re down on your luck, you lost your job, and things are not happening for you, and you want to keep your animal but you can’t afford to feed it or get its shots or vet care, we provide that for you,” said volunteer Sylvia Druitt. “We try to keep the pets and their family members together.”
About two dozen dogs showed up for individual blessings at the Unity of Delray Beach church for a 20th straight year on Saturday morning.
“In years past I’ve had bearded dragons, boa constrictors and some other wild exotic animals, but this year all dogs,” said Associate Minister Laurie Durgan.
Pets that were too old to attend or who had died were still remembered on a large table displaying 25 to 30 photographs.
“We lit candles and blessed them with rose petals,” she said. “It was sweet.”
Father Joe expects to bless a larger crowd of canines and felines at the Humane Society of Broward County beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday.
“Usually, about 70 people show up,” he said.
“We need as many blessings as you can get,” Zimmer said. “We’re thankful for them. We all need them.”