BY KEITH UPCHURCH

kupchurch@heraldsun.com; 419-6612

DURHAM -- Love was in the air Sunday as creatures great and small -- including a pony and owl -- were prayed for at Duke Chapel during the annual Blessing of the Animals.

Hundreds sat on the chapel lawn as pet owners, many hugging their beloved dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs, sought God's blessings.

A special prayer went out from Cynthia Robinson of Cary, whose 3-year-old golden retriever, Lily, is suffering from a crippling elbow disease.

"Her elbows are basically fusing, and within about three years, we could have to put her down because her quality of life might not be that great," she said with sadness etched on her face. "So, I brought her here today for God to really bless her. I'm looking for God to heal her."

Amberly Adams of Durham brought her Great Dane, 6-year-old Boone, to the service for the fifth year in a row. Boone had surgery for a torn ligament in his leg about a year ago, but "he's done real well," she said.

Adams said coming to the annual Blessing of the Animals "just helps to keep him in good health. And every little bit helps with Great Danes, because they don't live that long."

One of the big draws was a pony named Rocky, owned by 10-year-old Faith Gardner of Hillsborough. Rocky was a present for her birthday in May.

"I've liked horses since I was little, and then I sort of got into the sport of horseback riding," Faith said. She rides Rocky nearly every day.

"We just thought it would be a nice thing to come here and get him blessed," she said.

At the other end of the size spectrum was a hamster named Bumble Bee, owned by Reid Mario, 8, of Durham.

Reid said Bumble, as he calls him, is a good friend "but usually he bites."

"I like his stripes and how cute he is," Reid said. "But the only thing I don't like are his red eyes."

Another cutie at the service was Cotton, a rabbit born on Easter Sunday. Owner Bonnie Elingburg, 10, of Raleigh also calls him The Easter Bunny.

"We went to the pet store looking for a guinea pig, and we saw the bunnies and thought they were really cute," she said. "And we met one of the people who works there, and he said this was his favorite, and that he was really sweet. So that is how we chose him."

Across the lawn were three wiggling guinea pigs owned by the Kennedy family of Durham. Maria Kennedy, 12, of Durham said Cally, Victoria and Snickerdoodle are "very fat and lazy, but they're very cute," though they can be annoying when they squeal.

After a prayer and music by the Durham Children's Choir, the Rev. Meghan Feldmeyer, director of worship at Duke Chapel, drew parallels between owners' love of their pets and God's love of humanity.

"I wonder if, in our love for our pets, God gives us a small glimpse of what it is like for God to love us," she said. "It is a sacred gift to love and be loved by a pet. It is a sacred gift to call them by name, and to welcome them into our lives. And part of why it is sacred is that it points to the Good Shepherd, who knows each of us by name, who nurtures and feeds us, who knows our quirks and foibles, who has unending patience, who laughs and delights in us and who weeps at our suffering.

"We remember the Good Shepherd," she said, "who desires our companionship, who searches after us diligently if we go missing, and who calls us home."