This Old Goat is a Beauty!

A festival dedicated to finding the most beautiful Damascene goat drew goat breeders and livestock merchants to the Saudi capital Riyadh.

You might have read about the goat beauty contest earlier this month but I though you might get a kick out of these articles and photos--as they say, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and personally I have seen Nubian goats that were a lot better looking to my eyes!
Life in the Fast Lane has a great summary with lots of photos about the goat beauty contest and ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) has a video about the goat beauty contestand World News Australia also covered the event.

I'd love to know what you think!

Arranged Pet Weddings & Other Things to Bark About

This week pet weddings seem to be in the news. If you have been reading Blessing of the Animals, you'll find a whole section on the topic.

I met a book buyer in a local store this week who was purchasing my book, she said she was asked to oversee pet blessings in her area (Palm Desert) and already conducts weddings. Kathy has a book coming out so I may hear from her again with luck.

Anyway, I was interviewed for this article, More dogs are saying 'Fi-Do' to pet weddings earlier in the year and after the meeting in the bookstore I discovered that it is circulating around the Internet.

Then today I discovered a blog called Green Pets that reprinted an article regarding a dotcom for mating dogs...not exactly wedding them but more like a mutt-matcher.

So anyway, I thought you might like my finds. Let me know what you think below.

How to know when your pets don't like costumes...

I've been recovering from adrenal fatigue so that is why I have not been posting.

Anyway, I just found this and a video is worth more than the words or anything else I could say.

Pope Benedict XVI's Visit & Archdiocese of Los Angeles Blessing of the Animals Video

I just read a complaint about this video welcoming the Pope to the United States.

Honestly, some people spend too much time complaining instead of smiling--which I am sure the video will make you do.

The video is a compilation of several years of the event--and the recent research indicates that the blessing actually goes back to the founding of Los Angeles (1781) not the 1930s making it the oldest pet blessing events in the United States.

Blessing of the Animals Video

Haute Dog Easter Parade 2008

If a picture is worth a thousand words...enough said!

Olvera Street's Blessing of the Animals 2008

Okay here is the slide show from Olvera Street...finally! I had to select these 50 from about 450 photos. I hope you enjoy it! I have not sorted out the video yet--one thing at a time.

Is your pet a blessing? Olvera Street and other musings...

Leaving town for a few days always takes its toll as I try and catch up. I have the video and photos now downloaded for you but still have to edit and get them up for you. I did post a short teaser over at http://www.arkanimals.com if you want to read and take a quick look.

In the meantime, here is a nice slideshow by one of the photographers who was next to me at the blessing of the animals. If you watch, you can see me in my safari hat in the picture the photographer took behind Cardinal Mahony.

I saw my buddy from last year--she just rescued a new dog and was very excited.

Also, I got to view the Haute Dog parade on Sunday. Sid, the great Queensland Heeler was noticeably absent--his mom shared that he passed away from complications from liver cancer only a couple of weeks ago.

Stay tuned for the video and photos--I promise to get them to you!