It is very nice for churches to have services expressing our love of animals. What seems strange to me is the idea of churches “blessing” the animals. Undomesticated animals live connected to the web of life in a way we can only imagine. It is we who need to be blessed by them. If animals could speak do you not suppose they would say, “Thank you for wishing us well, but we don’t really need your approval. If you want to show you care, how about you stop torturing and eating us?”