‘Blessing of the Animals’ for cats & dogs at the Greenbrier Humane Society

By Jenny Harnish, RealWV

Joan C. Browning had 16 cats and a “perfect” dog named Gabriel. For each of the 12 years of his life, she brought him to be blessed. 

“I saw how special it was to me, and I thought it might be special to others,” Browning said. She began offering blessings for people’s pets and eventually had a realization. 

“It occurred to me that the animals I bless are already blessed,” Browning said. “They have homes and are taken care of in every possible way. It occurred to me that the animals that really need to be blessed are those that are waiting for homes at the Greenbrier Humane Society.”

On Monday, Browning sat on a bench as workers at the Greenbrier Humane Society brought her kittens, cats, and dogs to be individually blessed. 

“I bless you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. May you find a loving home where you can love and be loved as your Creator intended,” she said, while placing her hand over the animals as they meowed and licked.

This was the second time Browning brought her blessings to the animals waiting for adoption at the Greenbrier Humane Society. Last year, she and other pastors blessed 70 cats and 60 dogs. 

“I don’t know that it does anything for the animals, but it helps us remember that they are also God’s creatures and are precious in God’s sight,” she said. “Actually, they said that after we blessed the dogs, seven of them were adopted pretty quickly — so maybe it helps with adoption.” 

After her dog Gabriel passed away, Browning decided to donate her stock in Chewy to the Greenbrier Community Foundation and set up an endowment in his name. The money goes to the Greenbrier Humane Society, and Browning said anyone who wants to can donate. 

“We hope the animals we bless today are adopted into homes where they love and are loved,” she said. “I don’t think you can over-bless anybody or anything. I think we could all do with some blessings.”