October 4 is celebrated across the globe as World Animal Day and like every year pet owners celebrated the feast of St. Francis who was also the patron saint of animals wagging tails across the globe got blessed with holy water but this time the blessings came with a twist.

Not even the COVID-19 pandemic was enough to stop pet lovers from celebrating World Animal Day across the world. Pet owners in the Philippines and Mexico flocked to celebrate the feast of Saint Francis.

In Manila, the pets received their blessings via a drive-through ceremony meant to keep everyone safe. A catholic priest blessed various breeds of cats, dogs, and birds with holy water as the pet owners lined up inside their cars, eagerly waiting for good fortunes for their animal companions.

“It’s very important for us to have our pet blessed because we really feel like our pet is part of our family, we also want the best for his health too that’s why we decided to join the pet blessing for today,” Arlene Pedron, pet owner, said.

“The reason for my attendance at the church of Saint Francis is to bring my pet, Goyi, to be blessed in the name of Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals,” Silvia Navarro, a worker, said.

In Mexico, people were seen queueing outside a church to seek blessings for their pets geared with masks and maintaining social distancing. The pet lovers believed that it was fundamental even in between a pandemic to seek blessings for their animals.