My home in Franklin is less than two miles from three other neighboring communities: Hales Corners, Muskego and Greendale. Our dog Annie gets to visit all of them.
Annie is a friendly, active English cocker spaniel, six years old. She likes going on walks in all these communities, usually with her nose to the ground in case someone has dropped a morsel of food that she can snatch up before we spot it. In our own yard she sometimes settles for twigs and acorns, which probably aren’t good for her digestion, but the breeder who sold her to us says all her dogs do it and there’s usually no harm.
Still. . .I would love to have Annie walk in a more stately manner, head erect, as those show dogs do on TV. Annie’s grandfather knows what it was to be a show dog – he has ribbons to prove it and though he’s officially retired, I’m sure he could teach Annie a thing or two if they started hanging out together.
Well, I digress – the way we dog owners sometimes do. As I was saying, there are many excellent walking trails in Franklin, Hales Corners and the other suburban communities. Franklin’s parks even have blue plastic bags available in case the owners forget to bring them along.
People who walk their dogs tend to stop and talk to other people walking their dogs; it’s a good way to socialize. We get acquainted with all the people who walk their dogs on Scherrei Drive – and there are lots of them!
On Saturday, my husband and I took Annie to the Village of Greendale, which boasts an entire network of paths for walking – with or without a furry friend. It happened to be October “Hay Days” and there with hundreds of visitors taking in all the activities, checking out the shops for the specials, listening to live music, and visiting the Farmers’ Market.
We were immediately drawn to a congregation of dogs and owners at the corner of Broad Street and Grange Avenue. It turned out we were just in time for Blessing of the Animals. The Rev. Carla McCook, pastor of St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church (http://www.stocchurch.com) had printed bulletins with a brief order of service, including responsive readings and prayers. There were probably two dozen dogs and their owners who all stood and listened respectfully and then lined up for the blessing.
During the brief service, there were some loud meows of protest from one disgruntled cat inside a carriage with a mosquito-netting canopy. He seemed to be protesting his presence in the midst of so many dogs. But even the cat quieted down when his owner brought him out for Pastor McCook’s blessing and a sprinkling of water.
As for Annie – well, she had never been blessed before but she was very well behaved, I thought. She did seem a little disappointed that she didn’t get to put her nose into the silver dish of water. She was probably hoping for some special treats.
But I must say, our dog has been especially well behaved since getting blessed in Greendale.
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Note: I learned that the Blessing of Animals is traditionally held near the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. A little web surfing led me to the following site: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/francis/blessing.asp
Kevin E. Mackin, O.F.M., (of the Holy Name Province) writes:
“As autumn arrives, people in various places may notice something odd.
“A procession of animals, everything from dogs and cats to hamsters and even horses, is led to churches for a special ceremony called the Blessing of Pets. This custom is conducted in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi’s love for all creatures.
“Francis, whose feast day is October 4th, loved the larks flying about his hilltop town. He and his early brothers, staying in a small hovel, allowed themselves to be displaced by a donkey. Francis wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, an ode to God’s living things. ‘All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures.’
“At Franciscan churches, a friar with brown robe and white cord often welcomes each animal with a special prayer. The Blessing of Pets usually goes like this:
‘Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.’
Mackin also states: “The bond between person and pet is like no other relationship, because the communication between fellow creatures is at its most basic. Eye-to-eye, a man and his dog, or a woman and her cat, are two creatures of love. No wonder people enjoy the opportunity to take their animal companions to church for a special blessing.”
Mackin concludes: “I believe every creature is important. The love we give to a pet, and receive from a pet, can draw us more deeply into the larger circle of life, into the wonder of our common relationship to our Creator.”
