Yesterday, pets and their owners were gathered at the Dunedin cathedral for the annual Francistide Blessing of the Animals in honour of St Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals.
While the weather put many off, three excited dogs, a slightly grumpy cat, and a beloved cat that was there in "spirit", made the wet trek.
Prof Sir Jim Mann said it was his wife, the late Rev Helene Mann, who started the annual tradition at the church in 1998.
He had been going since the first blessing, but did miss a few when he was out of town.
Yesterday, Sir Jim brought his 4-year-old wheaten terrier George to receive a blessing.
The terrier had been to as many blessings as years he had been alive.
He said George’s favourite part of the blessings was seeing the cats.
"The cats are his interests, he would enjoy seeing a cat."
Another cat, deceased, was represented by a tuft of fur brought in by its owner.
The honour of "the year that hosted the strangest pet" went to 2024, Sir Jim said.
"There were thousands of pets here ... because someone brought along their bees — there were literally thousands of them."
He said there had not been a sheep brought in yet, but he was waiting for the day that happened.
The Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, the Very Rev Dr Tony Curtis, conducted the blessing with pockets filled with dog and cat treats.
Apart from a small gap in services after a fire at the church in 2020, the tradition has been a long-standing one.
"It was a little bit dangerous for pets, because there was scaffolding and cables all over the place.
"As soon as we got the place tidied up, we restarted," Dr Curtis said.
