March 20, 2008
Church schedules free blessing for pets
By Carrie Coppernoll
Staff Writer
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Thursday, March 20, 2008
Edition: CITY, Section: MY METRO III, Page 2D
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Ministers from Westminster Presbyterian Church will bless everything from geckos to Great Danes this Saturday. The church will host the first in a series of free pet blessings throughout the metro area, event organizer Don Bobzien said.
The blessing will be 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the church parking lot, 4400 N Shartel. All animals are welcome. The blessing will include a short service by Pastor Randall Spindle and an individual blessing of each animal. Each pet owner will receive a certificate. The blessing is free, and donations will be accepted for the Central Oklahoma Humane Society. Animals should be leashed or crated, Bobzien said.
The idea of the pet blessing event came to Bobzien a few months ago, when his pastor gave a $100 bill to five volunteers in the Westminster congregation. Bobzien's pastor told him and the other volunteers they should use their money to help a good cause. Bobzien is a board member of the Central Oklahoma Humane Society, so he decided to use his $100 to further the mission of the nonprofit animal welfare organization.
Bobzien sent letters to other church congregations and a few of his friends, asking for financial support for the blessing and the Humane Society. He easily raised enough money to host the event, he said.
A date for the next blessing has not been set, though it will likely be this summer, said Christy Counts, founder of the Central Oklahoma Humane Society.
For more information, call 286-1503 or go to www.okhumane.org.
Carrie Coppernoll: 475-3911, ccoppernoll@oklahoman.com
Copyright 2008, The Oklahoma Publishing Company.
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