The picture on the front of the Animal Blessing Service programme featured a dog, a cat, a rabbit, a goldfish, a cockatoo, a hamster, a snake and a ferret. In the event, the congregation was confined to people and dogs, including my two cockers.
We sat in a circle in the shady courtyard of St James’s Church, Piccadilly as the Reverend Lindsay Meader, resplendent in a rainbow stole, led us in prayer. If a passing tourist wanted to understand British people and their animals, they had come to the right place. A few sightseers did wander into the square and watch for a while.
St James’s is a dog-friendly church where members of the congregation regularly attend Sunday communion with their pooch at their side. It is a lovely idea, and the annual animal blessing is now in its third year. The builder boyfriend and I took Cydney and Poppy with some trepidation, for they are not the most well-behaved dogs.
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