Blessing of the animals, big and small

Humans tend to have big hearts for animals of all kinds, and for many people, pets are more than companions. They’re cherished family members. Social media is full of daily posts by people attempting to find owners of stray dogs or cats, while others use the internet in their crusade to find homes for animals, and still other citizens lobby local government for ordinances with public safety and orderly neighbors in mind. At the heart of these efforts are often clashing intentions, which define the essence of community issues. This series takes a look at the role animals play in the lives of Weston County residents and the issues created by the position the animals themselves hold in our community.

Jen Kocher
NLJ Correspondent
 
Tilly shivered under her tiny, fleece leopard skin coat as she waited for her turn to receive the blessing from First United Methodist Pastor Brenda Torrie. With paws curled around owner Becky Burleson’s arm, the 13-year-old long-haired Chihuahua assessed the scene unfolding around her at the Weston County Fairgrounds on the afternoon of Oct. 7. Tilly is used to visiting with the neighborhood dogs, but these new dogs, cats and horses milling around the dusty barn floor had her a bit on edge.  
Tilly looked up as Pastor Brenda patted her head and read the “The Blessing of the Animals” in honor of the feast day of the patron saint of animals, St. Francis of Assisi, on Oct. 4. Such blessings were widely celebrated around the state and country last weekend, though this was the new pastor’s first time administering the blessing, let alone in her new home in Wyoming.  
She wasn’t sure what to expect, though she’d been eager for a few more barn animals. Some members of the congregation had run the idea past her, and she said she was more than happy to comply as she takes in her new culture.
“I’m in Wyoming now,” she said, with a laugh. “Everybody has so many animals. I was hoping for some goats, chickens and maybe a few hares.”
In all seriousness, she added, today was about honoring all of God’s creations.
“We do honor all creatures and so does God,” she said, including her own 7-month-old puppy, a caramel-colored standard poodle named after Georgia O’Keefe. Georgia was to also receive her first blessing.
For Burleson, watching her beloved dog receive a blessing was no small thing. For her, it meant a lot, especially in light of Tilly’s heart condition, for which she takes daily medications and has her own pill box.
Tilly is quite the character, Burleson said, ticking off some of her finer qualities, including her smarts. Tilly had been good friends with Ken, Burleson’s husband, who passed away six years ago.
When he was sick, she would put the mail in Tilly’s mouth and the dog would jump up on the bed to deliver it to Ken in person, who was bedridden at the time. In return, Ken gave her a $1 allowance each week, which the canine princess was permitted to spend at her discretion. When Tilly heard the tell-tale ripping open of Ken’s Velcro wallet, she’d leap on his lap to collect the bill daintily in her mouth. 
“She likes to get money,” Burleson said. 
These days, Tilly’s stash goes mainly to her medical bills, though she shows no sign of slowing down and is always ready for her daily walks through the neighborhood.
Tilly is also smart, Burleson added. She knows all the names of the dogs in the neighborhood, and all Burleson has to do is say a name and Tilly trots off in that direction. Burleson smiles down at her dog and squeezes a paw to warm her feet.
Being here today has meant a lot to Burleson, who went out of her way to ask a neighbor to drive her, and whose arms were currently aching under Tilly’s weight, as the pair braved the frigid day for a chance to receive the blessing.
“I’m not ready to lose her yet,” Burleson said, and she’s hoping God will grant her a little more time to enjoy the pet she’s taken care of for nearly 13 years. 
Many of the pets in line for the blessing Sunday harbored some kind of ailment, including Shannon, a midnight black horse who was regally led into the barn by clinical social worker Hope Phelon. Shannon has an equine sarcoid, or cancerous tumor.
“Hope’s hands were the first hands that touched him when he was born, and she has an affinity for him,” said Hope’s friend, as he watched Hope look on as Pastor Brenda administered the blessing. “They’re not expecting miracles. We’re just hoping for some relief and peace.”
Nearly a dozen pets and twice as many owners stood in a circle in the far end of the practice barn as Pastor Brenda blessed the animals one by one as she read the words from a piece of notebook paper. 
“Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures,” she said. “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.”
Turning circles excitedly in the dirt as he yanked on his chain, Buddy, formerly known as Prince, eagerly sniffed out the much larger dogs playing around him. Immune to the cold in a tartan sweater, Buddy has come a long way from to his new home in Wyoming after landing in a shelter in the wake of floods in Texas nearly four years ago. When then-Prince’s owners could no longer care for him, the miniature poodle ended up in a shelter, where he was set to be euthanized because at age 7, he was considered too old to adopt.  
Tom Crum’s grandchildren stepped in to save the day when they found Prince on a rescue website and told their grandfather they’d found his new dog. They were worried about their grandfather, who was divorced and who used to have a miniature poodle. How could Crum say no? A few weeks later, he drove to Cheyenne to pick up his new pet, at which point his grandchildren declared he looked more like a Buddy. Now, at age 11, Buddy has been with Crum for the past four years. 
“At first, he didn’t like the wide-open spaces,” Crum said, “but he’s getting used to them.”
He watched Buddy sniff a dog twice his size and chuckled. Crum knew Buddy would have fun today. Like the others, Crum did not take today’s blessing lightly. 
“Buddy’s starting to show his age,” he said with a watery-eyed, solemn smile. 
Ensconced in a puffy fleece blanket cradled in owner Jake Shook’s arms, Elizabeth (Lizzie) the cat tentatively peeked out from underneath the edge of the blanket with big, blue eyes as Pastor Brenda approached her.
“She’s pretty spoiled,” Shook said of his step-cat as he watched her head being nuzzled. He adopted the 14-year-old feline after marrying Lizzie’s mom, Sandy. Now, it’s hard to tell whose cat it is.
Lizzie took her blessing gamely as she craned her head toward Jack for a scratch. Like many of the other pets, Lizzie has some health issues and the blessing brings peace to the Shooks as they watch the pastor lean over and pet her head.
“She’s on medication, so we thought it was a good idea,” Sandy said, looking fondly at her cat.
Other animals in the barn Sunday, several of which were rescues, had equally inspiring stories of people who loved them and had gone to great lengths to save them and give them good lives. 
Pastor Brenda is hoping that the celebration becomes a tradition, with an even larger of variety of animals next year — and maybe even a goldfish.