Books Tell How Furred and Feathered Friends Feed the Soul

by Heidi Schlumpf, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly, 10/4/2006

Last weekend priests and ministers around the country armed themselves with holy water, dog treats and catnip for what's become an annual tradition at an increasing number of churches—the Noah's ark-like procession and blessing of the animals on or near the Oct. 4 feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

That pet-owning Christians flock to such events with their dogs, cats, hamsters, parakeets, snakes, reptiles, mice, and assorted other critters is evidence that they see some connection between their feelings for Fido and their faith. Now several new books examine that connection.

"This is a topic whose time has come," Debra Farrington, author of All God's Creatures: The Blessing of Animal Companions (Paraclete, Sept.), told RBL. "My book is for anyone who feels an affection for animals, but has been told it's childish, or who doesn't have words for it and is looking for something deeper."

Farrington, who lives with seven cats and one dog (as well as one husband), argues that just as God covenanted with Noah and all the animals in the Genesis story, human beings are called to live in a covenantal relationship with the pets in their homes, and ultimately with all of creation. That covenant brings a responsibility to choose only those animals we can truly care for, to give them names that reflect our hopes and dreams for them, to feed them properly, and to not rush their deaths. "I think sometimes we are too quick to put our animals down and miss the opportunity to be with them during the end of their lives," she said.

Farrington is not the only one reflecting theologically on the human-animal relationship. Father Jim Schmitmeyer, a Catholic priest from Cincinnati and a horse trainer, describes his and others' experiences of grace gained through their relationships with horses in Stable Faith: Stories from the Heartland (Twenty-Third Publications, Oct.). In Ask the Animals (Morehouse, Oct.), Elizabeth Canham offers 30 reflections on as many creatures, drawing lessons about the divine from the lives of humpback whales, blackbirds and elephants. Each chapter includes scripture passages, prayers and meditations, and a charcoal sketch.

Four-color illustrations accompany the hardcover The Spirituality of Pets (Northstone, Sept.), in which author James Taylor invites readers to explore their own spirituality in relation to the animals who share their lives. "You may wonder, can animals teach spirituality if they don't have spirituality themselves?" Taylor writes. "Our pets may or may not have spirituality themselves—and by the way, I do think that many animals experience elements of awe and wonder, just as we do—but certainly our association with them affects our own spirituality."