My animals add so much enrichment to my life, and I know other pet owners feel the same way. I have a crazy German Shepherd named Zany, a 22 lb. cat named Simba, and several unnamed tropical fish. They all provide love, stress relief, and entertainment to my family and friends. I guess I should back up and not refer to them as my pets, because in reality they are the ones that rule the house and it is more likely that I am theirs rather than them being mine. Any pet person knows what that means.

On October 15th, 2006, I had the privilege of doing a pet blessing, and it was truly a joy to watch the animals with their people. There is a love and commitment in that relationship that is not easily explained with words. I had the privilege of blessing around 30 dogs, and one very brave (but rather nervous) cat. As I touched each animal, they were all very calm and seemed to be aware of something unique happening to them. It is always unique when we call upon God to be present in our midst in whatever we are doing, and it is pleasing to Him when we include Him in all aspects of our lives.

From a loved pet's perspective, their owner is the greatest person on the earth. Let's try to live up to that and be as good to each other as we are to our pets.