I am about to go
to our veterinary clinic and pick up our 12-year old dog, who yesterday had her
spleen removed because of a growth that seemed suspicious. She also has been
diagnosed with Cushing’s Disease and so will be treated for that once her
incision heals. We thought nothing of taking her for an ultrasound when she
seemed to be lethargic and when she began having ‘accidents’ on the rug –
although it seemed quite deliberate to me, not accidentally!
We lost her sister to bladder cancer earlier this summer, and were so afraid that she might have the same condition. We didn’t hesitate to follow the recommendations of our vet about surgery and treatment. So, we are hoping that soon she will be back to her perky, funny self.
For many of us,
we treat our pets like members of our family…because they are. Other cultures
do not give dogs or cats the same free reign of the household; in Senegal, on a
student trip several years ago, I saw carcasses of dead dogs on the side of the
road that would never be collected, because it was forbidden to touch them. In
Puerto Rico, there is a beach where dogs are abandoned and discarded, alive and
dead, because people do not want to care for them and have not neutered their
own dogs to prevent litters of unwanted puppies.
Dead Dog Beach, Puerto Rico |
I have had
conversations this fall with congregants in emotional agony because they are
separated from their pets while hospitalized, or because they have to make
decisions about their pet’s treatment in the face of possible terminal
conditions. And I have heard stories about how, when, in the past, church
members have shared during Joys and Sorrows their sorrow over losing a pet,
they have been ridiculed for doing so by other members.
Next month we
will be having a Sunday morning Blessing of the Animals. I understand that some
people just don’t have pets; others can’t because of allergies, and for them,
this is not a service they will care to attend. But for so many of us, the
furry family members we will bring to the service (on leashes, along with scaly
and feathery creatures in cages) add value to living. We are fascinated with
them, we spend hours looking at them, playing with them, grooming them, not
because they reflect anything about us, but because they are so different from
us. They make us aware that we are only one species; and that we have a
responsibility to respect and care for the other members of the animal kingdom.
We are most
keenly aware of this when we see the headlines about Cecil the lion being killed
for sport, or the most recent local headline about Moxie, the beautiful puppy
who was found beaten and buried, barely alive, not so far from this church. He
is surviving, possibly against all the odds; he may not recover fully because
of the head trauma he suffered; but the loving treatment he has received from
the veterinary clinic that took him in has made the news locally and
nationally.
St Francis of
Assisi is the Christian saint whose feast day is October 4th, which
is the customary date for the Blessing of the Animals. He is said to have had a
loving relationship with all of Creation, and these are his words:
“If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from
the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who deal likewise with their
fellow men.
All creatures have the same source as we have. Like us, they
derive the life of thought, love, and will from the Creator. Not to hurt our
humble brethren is our first duty to them; but to stop there is a complete
misapprehension of the intentions of Providence. We have a higher mission. God
wishes that we should succour them whenever they require it.”
http://www.think-differently-about-sheep.com/Animal_Rights_A_History_Saint_Francis%20of%20Assisi.htm
St. Francis has
become the patron saint of animals and many in the animal rights movement try
to emulate his care and concern for Creation. Many Unitarian Universalists take
this to mean that our First Principle, by which we affirm and promote the
inherent worth and dignity of each person, should be amended to read “the
inherent worth and dignity of every being”.
I recommend that you go to the
First Principle Project website and read more about this proposal: http://firstprincipleproject.blogspot.com/p/faq.html
. I’d be interested in your thoughts and reflections.
And I’ll see you
– and your non-human family members – in our Sanctuary on October 25th!