At 2:00 our church sponsored the first “Blessing of the Animals” event on Church Circle, Kingsport, Tennessee. There were goodie bags, door prizes, and plenty of music – all just for God’s creatures that we love and call our pets. I’d never been to one of these services, so wondered what it would be like. What I found was a bunch of people who, like us, love their pets! Our pastors each had an assigned place of blessing for certain animals, certain sizes. They asked God’s blessing on each pet and thanked Him for their presence in our lives. It was a special time!
Joe had the tent designated to small animals so there were plenty of yipping dogs, quiet dogs, old, young, and sedate dogs for him to pray over.
Sedate is the key word here, because I gave my dog too much Valium before we got there. You see Dobie doesn’t travel well. He freaks out in the car, crying and jumping between our laps or pacing in his crate, so we have to give him a prescription his veterinarian provided. ¼ or ½ tablet is all it takes to make our 7 pound toy poodle calm enough to sleep through any trip.
Following worship this morning and after lunch at a nearby restaurant, we rushed home to change clothes and pick up Dobie to get back to the church by 2:00. So that Dobie would be okay with the car trip and all the action on Church Circle, I made sure he got a dose of Valium. Trouble is, I was in such a hurry I forgot to break the tablet…so he got ALL of it! ¼ tablet is usually plenty for him!
Don’t worry…I found out he’s gonna be okay and just needs to sleep it off.
Now I can laugh about it! Poor little guy was drugged through half the service…eyes glazed…and quite relaxed! I told my friend, Chris Taylor, that the preacher’s dog was ‘stoned’ at church today! Good thing the preacher prayed for him, too!
By the way, Joe said this was the first time he ever prayed for someone who licked his face.
At the end of every blog posting, I’ll tell you this: If you have a pulse, you have a purpose. Make your life count!
