Saturday, October 5, 2024
Hood County pet lovers will not want to miss an afternoon filled with furry friends and heartwarming connections as Emmanuel Lutheran Church and T.E.X.A.S. Rescue team up for an event that’s sure to make tails wag.
Set from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct. 12, at T.E.X.A.S. Rescue, located at 950 Williamson Road, community members — and their pets — are invited to a Blessing of the Animals event.
For the past few years, Emmanuel Lutheran Church has held a pet blessing event at its pavilion outside the church to honor and celebrate Saint Francis of Assisi — a beloved saint who was well known for believing that all creatures are loved by God.
This year, however, the church has decided to partner with T.E.X.A.S. Rescue to not only reach more members of the community, but equine animals as well — making it a neigh-borly gathering for all involved.
“This year, we’re widening our approach,” Evangelism Chairman Sally Adamson told the Hood County News. “It seemed like a really neat way to showcase the blessing of animals — not just pets. (We wanted) to also showcase a facility that's in Granbury that most people don't know about.”
T.E.X.A.S. (Texas Equine Xperience And Sanctuary) Rescue is a nonprofit organization that serves to rescue, rehab, and rehome donkeys, horses, and mules.
Husband-and-wife duo Tracy and Vicki Miller founded the organization in 2020 to provide care and a forever home for many equine animals that have long-term medical or behavioral issues — problems that are sometimes deemed “unacceptable” as they will need lifelong care.
“We rescue animals that have been starved, abused, neglected, forgotten, whatever the case may be,” Tracy Miller said, in a previous interview with HCN. “Part of our mission statement is ‘We're helping the animals whose ancestors built the great state of Texas.’”
Emmanuel Lutheran Pastor Dan Weichart explained that the idea for the collaborative event between the church and T.E.X.A.S. Rescue actually originated when he was a member of Leadership Granbury last year.
“The class project involved creating a small, shaded area for people to gather at T.E.X.A.S. Rescue,” Weichart said. “So, to have more events and interaction in the community, I contacted Tracy and asked if we could have the pet blessing at T.E.X.A.S. Rescue.”
Tracy Miller said he was immediately excited about the partnership — especially considering he’s never witnessed a pet blessing before.
“I think it’s a great idea,” he said. “We've got a couple of donkeys we'd like to bring out to let them participate in it, and we would love to see it turn into an annual event here. Since we have the space, it's just kind of a natural setting for it.”
The pet blessing will take place by the Millers’ oak tree under the pergola — providing a beautiful and serene setting for this special occasion.
“I've got some ideas on decorating the pergola for it, so I think we'll be ready,” he said. “This is gonna be fun.”
During the pet blessing, Weichart will place a hand on the animal’s head, say their name, and will then bless them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Following the blessing, each pet will receive their own pet blessing certificate. Pets and owners are also welcome to stay after their blessings to enjoy fellowship, along with the beauty of the animals and the grounds.
Tracy Miller said although he’s curious to learn the inner workings of a pet blessing, he’s even more excited to see a variety of different animals and their owners.
“(A pet blessing) is something that most people don't do, and if you've never done it before, jump on the bandwagon,” he said. “Go do it. Bring your animal out, whether it's a dog, cat, turtle, chicken, whatever. I think the bigger variety we have out here, it's going to make it that much more exciting, because the people that show up are obviously animal people, and I think they're going to be excited about seeing what somebody else has to bring.”
In previous years, Adamson noted that the event featured many exotic animals, like a sheep, a cow, and even one local student's heifer. However, last year's event included fewer unique animals — a challenge that Adamson is eager to address this year.
“We would bless fish, we'd bless iguanas, hamsters ... We are open,” Adamson said. “Any living thing that they want blessed, we will bless it. We also will bless an animal in absentia, so if someone comes and says, ‘I couldn't bring my dog, Fluffy,’ we will still say a blessing for Fluffy and give him a certificate.”
Tracy Miller also issued two challenges for attendees: to see how many exotic animals they can bring and to invite as many people and pets as possible.
"I think the more people we can get, the better,” he said. “It's going to be exciting, especially for the first time here, and we're going to blow it up big time on all of our social media and try to get it out to as many sites as possible."
According to Adamson, all animal lovers are welcome to attend the blessing — with or without a pet.
“Bring pets, or don't bring pets,” she said. “If they just want to come see the donkeys, the horses, and other people's pets, that would be super.”
The only requirement, Tracy Miller said, is for the animals to always be under owner control, whether using a leash, harness, rope, or even a fish tank.
“Donkeys do not always like four-legged critters, and I don't want to see an animal get out into the pen with them,” he explained.
While Adamson will be providing dog and cat treats for the animals, Vicki Miller will be providing “human treats,” and coffee.
“Maybe I'll do a big cake with animals all over it, and be able to serve some little samples,” Vicki Miller said.
Adamson said her hope is for this to serve as a “community-wide event” and to have more attendees — and animals — than ever before.
“It's not a big drain on your day, but it's a fun hour, two hours to just get together with other people and their pets and visit and meet people,” she said. “And, it’s a good opportunity for people in the community to meet each other with a common interest, which is our pets that we all love.”
Adamson added that her dog — a German Shepherd mix named Daisy Mae — is a huge part of her life.
"I just rescued her, and she's been wonderful,” she said. “She’s been a great companion after my husband died. She's filled a special place in my heart, which has been a real blessing to me."
She said more than anything she wants to get the word out to the community about the event, adding that she hopes animal lovers will come together to celebrate their cherished pets.
“I'm excited,” Tracy Miller said. “In my opinion, I think this will probably be the most fun event we could have here — just because it involves animals.”
Through the partnership with T.E.X.A.S. Rescue, Weichart said he is looking forward to exemplifying the “church without walls” idea by doing the pet blessing in the community.
“Please join us for this fun and informal event,” Weichart added. “If you have never met a donkey, you are missing out on making a new friend with one of God’s friendliest creatures.”
For more information about T.E.X.A.S. Rescue, visit texasrescue.org online. To learn more about Emmanuel Lutheran Church, visit their website at elcgranbury.com.
