It was a dog day at St Mark’s Church, Hale, on Sunday, January 24, when the church held a pet service.

The service was a hit with a canine congregation and their owners who came forward to ask a blessing on their animals and also explained why pets are so important to them. The company and calming effects of having a pet were among the reasons given, and some spoke of the realisation that animals were God’s creatures too. One (human) member of the congregation said afterwards:?“It showed that church is about the whole of our lives”.

The dogs remained silent through the hymns, which included ‘All God’s Creatures Got A Place In The Choir’, though there was much panting heard during some of the prayers.

Stella Wiseman