Let's Celebrate Dogs!

October 4, the feast of St Francis of Assisi, is the ideal day to celebrate animals. Last Sunday in LA and around the world, many churches organized pet blessings and I found this poster, spotted in hip Silverlake, absolutely irresistible.
Of course, some pets don't wait for this special occasion to step into a shrine. I remember with delight the arguments that Colette recreates in one of her masterpieces, La Maison de Claudine, as her very own mother, who adored animals, and the local priest quarrel about whether or not her faithful dog should be allowed to attend mass with her. As the mother has trained the pet to get up and sit down together with the congregation, she cannot see what the grumpy priest could possibly object to. Like most of Colette's writings, it is exquisitely written and amusing while still conveying a fearless sense of love.

Above: a baby dachshund I met in Santa Monica, an animal rescue USPS stamp, a Japanese book from the magical Kinokuniya Bookstore in Little Tokyo (crochet dachshunds? kawaii!)
But how can we celebrate dogs without Benjy, ask you. You have a point. Rejoice, as Benjy will soon be back on AUREA in his Oracle capacity, to answer a question from a fan... Woof!