Dogs Blessed at Good Shepherd Church

Thanks to Interim Pastor Keith Organ and everyone at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, 56th and Merrimac, for blessing about two dozen dogs at an outdoor prayer service--inspired by St. Francis of Assisi--on Sunday afternoon, September 20.

Cats were apparently boycotting.

"There are 62 million cats in this country, and not one of them is on the lawn with us today," Pastor Organ quipped.

The dogs were of all sizes, from the gigantic yet gentle Burly, a rescued Rottweiler owned by Joe and Barb Midona, to the roly-poly and lovable Baxter, a Basset Hound owned by Carolyn Pysac, to an irascible toy chihuahua that yapped at dogs 10 times as large and was taken away before the service ended.

Helping out were girls from Brownie Troop 20026 and mixed-level Girl Scout Troop, 21524, both sponsored by Good Shepherd.

Here are a few shots we were fortunate enough to snap:

Giving everyone a good laugh was Emma (below), a six-year-old German Shepherd who nuzzled into Pastor Organ with affection and then lay down on her back.

Being a good sport, the pastor rubbed her belly while blessing her.