Los Angeles church is going to the dogs

A church in the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles is going to the dogs... literally. Covenant Presbyterian Church doesn't just do animal blessings; it invites them in to attend services. At least it invites dogs in. Cats and other pets are still persona non grata. Despite the absence of cats, the Sunday night service can still be a barking nightmare and, who knows, a pooper scooper one as well. It's a well-known fact that plenty of people can't sit through an entire sermon without answering the call of nature at least once... and there's no guarantee they're all house-of-God-trained either.

Still, as Covenant's Rev. Tom Eggebeen told the Los Angeles Times, it's a comfort issue for many of the church's 120 congregants.

"The heart of the whole thing has been to provide a worship service for the entire family, including the four-footed friends. . . . Their pets are very, very important to them and virtually comprise a member of family," he said. "I wouldn't be in the pulpit on Sunday mornings and say, 'Leave your children home.' "

The four-footed family members receive comfort too. When their owners put money in the collection plate, they get a dog biscuit in exchange.

The, um, canine-ites (L.A. Times' pun, not mine) are also included in prayer requests. As the Times article reports, Leonard Yee plans to ask for a prayer for "Mr. Booby," a bulldog-mix who rececently underwent knee surgery.

Photo: "Heel! Er, I mean 'Heal!'"

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