All Dogs Go to (Lutheran) Heaven

My friend, Pastor Rick the Lutheran,  staged an event at a Providence animal hospital today--a "blessing of the animals." Joy and I thought it might be fun to see how to bless animals, so we took our pet--Tasha, the Codependent Dog,  down to get blessed.

First let me put out some disclaimers for my Presbyterian brethren. 

• No, I'm not becoming a Lutheran.   
• No, I do not think that blessing an animal somehow makes them a Christian animal since we know that no animal cannot properly be called "Christian" without a thorough knowledge of the Westminster Confession of Faith.
• No I am not encouraging blessing animals as a regular part of worship in a sanctuary. 

We really just wanted to see my friends from the Lutheran church.  Plus,  if you know Tasha the Codependent Dog,  it was worth a try to help improve her behavior. 

We put Tasha in the convertible with the top down.  She rode in the back seat, nose in the wind, happy as I've ever seen her.  We arrived a little late for the ceremony. Pastor Rick was already in full homiletical bloom,  quoting Genesis 1:26-28 and telling how we have dominion of the earth in order to care for God's lesser creatures.  I agree,  though I am little disturbed to think that the same verses, when applied to pigs, cows, and chickens have a somewhat different nuance. 

At any rate, it was a good service.  He prayed that God would bless the families there and their furry companions.  Then we all recited the Lord's Prayer.  I could not help but think while praying it what "deliver us from temptation" might mean to a dog, if they could understand it.  Somehow I hoped it might cause Tasha not to jump on other dogs in the crowd. No such luck .  Tasha, whatever her inner condition, remained unsanctified in  her  behavior.

 Then Vicar Josh,  Rick's assistant passed through the group blessing the dogs one by one.  Apparently, Vicar Josh was fluent in dog, because he knew just what to do.  He rolled them over and scratched their tummies! While this probably would not work on human  parishioners, it seemed to work wonders on the dogs,   since they thumped their feet and lolled around with their tongues out of their mouths.  I have never seen such bliss in a human congregation at the administration of the benediction.  If they ever did, it would be--well, frightening.

Afterwards,  I hung around for a while to speak with Pastor Rick,  while Joy walked Tasha the Codependent Dog around the hospital yard.  I cannot say whether Tasha enjoyed it , or whether she converted to Lutheranism, but I will say this,  she did her best to spread the blessing around, by sprinkling the yard.