The #1 source for news about monkeys and apes

[Carrie McLaren <carrie AT stayfreemagazine.org>]

Blessing recognizes pets as God's own
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/02/23/Northpinellas/Blessing_recognizes_p.shtml

In a ceremony planned to be an annual event, animals and their 
companions receive a pastor's blessing at a Palm Harbor primate 
sanctuary.


By TIFFANI SHERMAN
Published February 23, 2004

PALM HARBOR - Linda Wood said she thinks prayer saved her 10-year-old 
Rottweiler Chenoa when the dog was sick with gallstones last year.

"I thought I was going to have her put to sleep," said Wood of Tarpon 
Springs. A vet operated and Chenoa came home after only four days.

During the dog's illness, Wood prayed, lit lots of candles and 
blessed her dog with holy water.

"(The doctor) even let me put a rosary on her cage when she was in 
ICU," Wood said.

On Saturday, when special prayers were bestowed on animals at the 
Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor, Wood came with Chenoa.

"I brought her here to be blessed again," she said.

Chenoa was among the two dogs and a leopard that were blessed by 
Pastor Timothy Bryant, 30, of the Waters of Mercy Pentecostal Church 
in Plant City.

He made the drive Saturday from central Hillsborough County to Palm 
Harbor. Some of the sanctuary volunteers go to his church. "God 
wished that every living creature prosper," Bryant said.

So Bryant read from the Bible during a short ceremony in the 
sanctuary's enclosed patio. Chenoa and Heidi, a 6-year-old English 
springer spaniel, listened, then received private blessings.

"I just thought it would be a nice thing to do for our animals since 
we love our Heidi," said Joanne Bernard of Tarpon Springs. "I think 
if you don't show your love for animals, you can't love anything 
else."

The blessing is the first of what will be an annual event. The 
sanctuary is not open to the public yet but should be soon. The area 
used to be called Noell's Ark Chimp Farm and closed to the public a 
few years ago.

Volunteers run the nonprofit sanctuary; the idea for the blessing 
came out of a volunteer meeting.

"We wanted to do a yearly event that gave back to the animals," said 
volunteer Debbie Cobb, 44, granddaughter of the Chimp Farm founders. 
"Lots of people don't believe you can pray for animals."

It also wasn't the first blessing for Sonja, a 10-year-old amur 
leopard that lives in Largo. "It's a little extra insurance with me 
taking care of her and God looking after her," said Sonja's owner 
Claudia Gunther.

Sonja lives with three other leopards and two Florida panthers. 
Gunther prays for all of them. "God works wonders," she said.

"They are God's creatures," said cat owner Mary Kolb of Dunedin. "He 
created the animals before he created us."