This Sunday, Catholic churches around the country are inviting community members to bring their pets to church in an annual Blessing of the Pets mass.
Guided by tradition, churches this week will celebrate St. Francis of Assisi, who is best known as the patron saint of animals. Though the saint left few writings he is accredited with the popular hymn, "All creatures of our God and King."
A representative of the Church of Our Savior in Massachusetts told the Middleboro Gazette, "What we know of St. Francis and his connections to animals only comes from legends. However, the celebration and remembrance of his life and work reminds us how we as creatures of this earth are all connected to God and are present because of God’s joy and mercy in creation."
The La Quinta church in Palm Springs, California, has been offering the pet blessing ceremony for the last 10 years. In 2008, more than 200 pet owners brought their animals to be sanctified in the church’s courtyard and then received a personal certificate acknowledging the blessing.
Some churches advise that owners of aggressive animals bring a photograph or stuffed animal as a stand-in for their pet. 
Blog posts Categorized under ‘Pet News (General)’
Catholic churches honor animals with pet blessing
Study: Pets are looking out for our health
A Missouri veterinary research center is preparing to study the ways in which animals provide mental and physical health benefits to older people.
The University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (ReCHAI) has conducted preliminary studies which suggest that pets help to lower blood pressure, encourage exercise and improve psychological health, the USA Today reports.
A 2008 study by the researchers paired older adults with shelter dogs and encouraged them to walk outdoors for one hour, five times a week. Another group of adults were partnered with a human "walk-buddy."
After 12 weeks, the study found that the individuals who walked dogs exercised 24 percent more than those paired with another person.
While the human walking partners often discouraged each other and made excuses for staying indoors, the participants with pets consistently hit their favorite trails. ReCHAI director Rebecca Johnson told the news source, "Pets provide unconditional love and acceptance and may be part of answers to societal problems, such as inactivity and obesity."
While pets work wonders to miraculously improve our health, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association says that veterinary pet insurance can be used to protect pet health and ensure the financial stability of the pet’s family.
House Bill proposes tax breaks for pet owners
U.S. legislators are considering the extension of tax deductions to pet owners for their animal’s healthcare expenses.
Last month, Republican representative Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan introduced H.R. 3501 before the House of Representatives, dubbing the bill the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY) Act. The proposal would amend the IRS code to allow taxpayers deductions of up to $3,500 for certain pet care expenses.
To justify the change in IRS code, the bill mentioned that the 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey determined 63 percent of U.S. households own a pet and that the "Human-Animal Bond has been shown to have positive effects upon people’s emotion and physical well-being."
The legislation defined "qualified pets" as legally owned domesticated live animals, exempting animals used for research or owned in association with a trade or business. Qualified expenses are "amounts paid in connection with providing care (including veterinary care) for a qualified pet other than any expense in connection with the acquisition of the qualified pet."
The bill was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means, where it remains under consideration.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, annual costs of caring for cats and dogs can range from $670 to $1,580, depending on the commodities and services purchased.
Achoo! Tactics to Fend Off Pet Allergies
Posted by Arden Moore on 9/20/2007 in Lifestyle
Sneezing. Runny nose. Itchy, swollen eyes. Rash.
When most of us touch and pet the coats of our dogs or cats, it’s a pleasurable experience. But some unfortunates — approximately 1 in 5 people — suffer from allergies that are set off when they touch an animal or even when they’re simply in the same room with them.
“It’s probably more common to be allergic to cats, and cats also are more clinically significant because they tend to spend more time indoors and find their way onto the bedding more often,” says Oren P. Schaefer, an allergist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester.
Although most people blame a pet’s fur for triggering their allergies, the real cause is the proteins found in hair, saliva, urine and dander (dead skin flakes). The body views these proteins as foreign and manufactures antibodies against them. Those antibodies produce itchy eyes or runny noses – hallmarks of an allergy.
People who love pets but suffer from allergies are constantly on the prowl for a pet that won’t set off their symptoms. A number of dog and cat breeds are believed to be hypoallergenic. Among them are poodles, bichons frise, greyhounds, soft-coated wheaten terriers and Siberian cats.
The disappointing truth, however, is that there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog or cat. All animals produce dander, even hairless ones, and of course, they all produce saliva and urine.
Scientists don’t know why some people seem to be allergic to some dogs and cats, but not to others.
“Some people say, ‘Well, I’m not allergic to my cat or dog’ or ‘I’m allergic to German Shepherds, but not spaniels’ and what I tell them is ‘dogs are dogs,’ ” Dr. Schaefer says. “They all have the basic antigen – it’s identical. That said, some make more antigen than others, and some houses are cleaner than others from an allergic point of view, so there are a lot of reasons people might have trouble at the neighbor’s house and not their house and vice versa.”
One reason people might react less to a particular breed is the amount of grooming it receives. Frequent bathing and grooming can temporarily reduce the amount of dander produced.
Another reason is related to physiological changes that affect hair growth. Dogs with longer hair-growth cycles, such as poodles, may shed dead surface cells more uniformly than short-coated breeds, which shed frequently.
Size is another factor to consider. Big dogs simply produce more dander than small dogs.
In the case of Siberian cats, they appear to produce less Fel d 1—the protein that causes cat allergies — than other cats. But not everyone is able to tolerate them.
“I do not guarantee that the person will not be allergic,” says Siberian breeder Karon Hansberger of Reigning Cats cattery in Clarksburg, Maryland. “I have had quite a few people who had mild allergies be able to have the Siberians, and I have had several tell me they are still having reactions. It’s hard to say why some can tolerate the Siberian and some cannot.”
The good news is that people with pet allergies can take steps to live with their affliction — without giving up their pets. Here are eight tactics to try:
* Minimize allergic reactions by brushing and bathing your pet frequently — a task best done by someone who’s not allergic.
* Keep your pet’s coat healthy with a good diet, regular grooming and parasite control. Anything that irritates the skin surface, such as biting, licking, scratching, external parasites, bacterial or fungal infections and hormonal diseases such as hypothyroidism, can result in more dander.
* Use sprays or wipes — available at pet supply stores — that can help reduce the amount of dander on the pet’s body. Baby wipes may also work.
* Restrict your pet’s access to furniture and certain areas of the house, primarily your bedroom.
* Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter.
* Install a HEPA air filter or air purifier if you have a cat.
* Keep over-the-counter antihistamines such as liquid or chewable Benadryl on hand to help control reactions, and ask your allergist about prescription antihistamines and decongestants that may help.
* Learn to love a contemporary décor: metal, leather and wood are better choices than fabric upholstery and carpet.