Pastor Tadd Allman-Morton shared some lovely thoughts on the impact animals make on our lives, but barking dogs seated among the assembled kept pulling focus. This past Sunday, the Westhampton Congregational Church held its first Blessing of the Animals. Allman-Morton, who has served as pastor here for eight years, described this new segment of the service as a trial run. But although the half-dozen dogs (plus a couple of pet rats) had their unruly moments, the 50 or so church-goers seemed patient and amused.

“Are there any departed, beloved animal companions that people would like to lift up the name of?” asked the pastor. Members spoke up, offering the names of pets. A pair of cats named Ebony and Ivory. Chickens named Brownie and Strings. A horse named Leviticus. “Holy God,” Allman-Morton said in response, “we recognize and thank you for the blessings you have given us and our companion animals.”

The group read from Genesis 1:20-25, and the seas, skies, and land filled with God’s creatures, according to their kinds. Then the pastor stepped from pet to pet among the rows of folding chairs, blessing each in turn. His face was full of thanks. As the famed writer and veterinary surgeon James Herriot once said: “If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.”

— Hunter Styles, hstyles@valleyadvocate.com