The annual Blessing of the Animals at Hope Lutheran Church in The Villages took place on Saturday morning with Pastor Jon-Marc MacLean officiating the service.
Dozens of dogs, two goats and two cats were blessed at the event.
Pastor MacLean led the congregation in prayer before a general blessing of the assembled animals. He followed up with an individual blessing for those who made special requests.
The Villages Greyhound Club was present with several hounds and even welcomed a Spanish Galgo hunting dog, Gunner, to the group. Gunner was rescued by Carol Bellavia who lives in the Village of Briar Meadow.
Sara Morgan of the Dynamic Dog Club of The Villages was there with Finnegan, a service dog. Morgan has trained Finnegan to respond when he is shown flash cards, a real thrill to the local school children when Finnegan “reads” in their classrooms. The club deploys therapy dog teams to 17 assisted living and memory care facilities as well as local schools and hospitals.
The local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was present providing information to the audience.
The Best Buddies Pet Pantry was invited to the service after they began distributing pet food at the Hope Lutheran Church’s Lake Weir campus.The pet pantry is an all-volunteer 501c3 nonprofit organization. The mission of the pantry is to help reduce the number of dogs and cats surrendered to local shelters due to lack of food and to keep families and their pets together. Best Buddies distributes pet food six sites in the local area and is supported by donations. Their website is www.bestbuddiespetpantry.org.
Steve and Tincey German, who live on a farm in Summerfield, brought two mini LaMancha goats, one who was born with only three legs. Tiney German said, the three-legged goat, “Gets along fine.” The Germans have been regulars over the years at the blessing and in past years have brought llamas and alpacas to the blessing. They clearly love the event.
