26 - JEWISH NEWS OF GREATER PHOENIX – October 26, 2012

Gabriella Jaffeeeditorial intern

Valley residents brought their pets of all shapes, breeds and sizes to Temple Kol Ami’s “Bless the Pets Fest!” on Oct. 21. More than

200 people came to get blessings for their dogs, cats, birds, gerbils, a guinea pig and even a lizard.

The event, coordinated by Michelle Horowitz, was put on in honor of Parashat Noah, which was read last Shabbat. (It was one of several local Noah celebrations.)

“This portion discusses how Noah took the animals onto the ark because they could not sur-vive the great flood of the Earth,” Rabbi Jeremy Schneider of Temple Kol Ami wrote in an email. “This is symbolic of what we know to be true today: Animals, our pets, are 100 percent depen-dent on us, no different than a child.”

Schneider started the event last year, which was called “Blessing of the Pets Day.” Nearly 150 people attended and Schneider said the event was a huge hit.

This year, Schneider and Temple Kol Ami approached the event in a different way.

“Since so many of our temple families are bring-ing out their loved ones (including their children), we offered opportunities for pet vendors to have a table at the event,” Schneider wrote.

A dog groomer, pet pharmacy, pet hospital, an assistant dog service, pet shelter and more were in attendance. A free hot dog lunch was provided for all who attended and a Kona Ice truck sold shaved ice to cool down both pets and humans.

Dog owners even got a chance to let their dogs sample some dog treats from Not Your Average Bone and enjoy a free sample of all-natural home-made dog food after a pet-food cooking demonstration by Jennifer Wilmoth.

There was also a pet costume contest. Prizes were given out for the categories of Best Dressed, Best Look-Alike and Most Creative.

Schneider said he wanted to put on the event because people often forget about all the things our pets do for us. The rabbi even brought his own dogs to the event: Ziggy, a poodle and Malki, a Maltese-poodle mix.

“I like helping our Temple Kol Ami family to appreciate the blessings that our pets bring to our lives,” Schneider wrote.

Kol Ami blesses pets at festFEATURE

above: ayden Shure, left, and her brother arik pose with their rescued Ger-man shepherd mutt, fiona. ayden was one of the many children who enjoyed the free face painting at the blessing of the Pets fest.

Photo by Gabriella Jaffee

left: Seth Krich tried to hold on to his rambunc-tious 9-month-old dachs-hund-poodle mix, Perry. While posing for a picture, the puppy squirmed up and snuck in a quick kiss. Photo by Gabriella Jaffee

Har Zion Congregation also celebrates Parashat Noah with “barking lot blessings” on Oct. 21. Photo courtesy of Nanci Manson

Paige Hill holds her pet Mongolian gerbils, Sherlock and John, in a travel cage she brought to show off at the 4-H table at the bless the Pets fest. Photo by Gabriella Jaffee

lexy Pratte poses with her bichon frise, Snowy. The duo dressed up as fairies for the bless the Pets fest Pet Parade and won the award for best Dressed. Photo by Gabriella Jaffee

Kyle bismore and Hunter, a white shepherd-border collie mix show off their role-reversal costumes for the Pet Parade. Kyle and Hunter won the award for best look-alike. Hunter had a black sheet draped around him with a tie around his neck to complete his business suit costume. Photo by Gabriella Jaffee