30 dogs, 2 cats and preacher on bent knee...

Sunday was the first time that I ever saw a real live pet blessing ceremony. I had heard of the occasion before, but never really had the opportunity to check one out. This was also the first year that Reverend Drew Ludwig (Lafayette Church) ever hosted a pet blessing ceremony. And the ceremony went so well that attendees are already talking about how to make next year's blessing bigger and better. Drew didn't even know if animals were going to show up since this was such a last minute idea. For only having two days to prepare, the attendance was unreal.
Thirty dogs, two cats and a handful of stuffed animals came walking and strolling from every direction at 2pm sharp. There were a number of unexpected turnouts as well, including young children with their stuffed animals and a woman who was completely shaken since she had recently lost her Italian Greyhound named Colby (see below). It was a heartwarming affair - the crowd sang hymns (handed out by Drew) while the dogs barked and sniffed around. After the hymns were sung, Drew blessed each individual animal. It was a real sight to see. Each animal was introduced by name before being given an official blessing. If you’re an animal lover, then this is something that you must attend at leas once in your life.

*Colby also responds to the name Tucker. Colby is black/brown with a white face and white paws. Weighs 15lbs. Last seen 10/3 @ Cleveland and Elmwood. Reward if found. Please call 716-541-5311 or 716-840-2348 or 703-855-2981

As we mentioned in our previous post, we’re in the process of changing the Buffalo Rising site. We’re almost there as we expect to launch the new site on Friday, December 19th.
In the meantime, posting will be light as we log new stories in the new publishing system which will only be viewable when we launch on Friday.
As always, we appreciate our users’ patience as we make this transition but we promise it will be well worth it. With faster load times, a comment view …
Caroline Kennedy was in town for a visit with our mayor yesterday. A possible choice to succeed US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Kennedy's name has been mentioned along with that of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (son of former New York Governor Mario Cuomo) and our own Byron Brown, among others.
Certainly, Kennedy has "been around politics" all of her life, which is to say she was born into a family of politicos and lived in the White House--neither of which would necessarily f …
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