MATTAPOISETT — Dogs and their owners filed up to the front of Mattapoisett Congregational Church to receive blessings Sunday, Aug. 11.

Worshippers sat on the lawn of the church as Rev. Michael Frady and Rev. Dale Thackeray, treats in hand, blessed several pet animals.

Frady said pets “are an emotional shelter in the storm.”

“No matter what’s happened to us, no matter what we’re feeling, our pets greet us with unconditional love,” Frady said.

Animals blessed during the worship included dogs named Dash, Skye, Juju and Hunter-Reddy.

Churches typically hold blessings of animals just prior to Oct. 4, which is the feast day for St. Francis of Assisi, according to Frady.

The Sunday in August was chosen so that the dogs would be more comfortable outdoors, Frady said.

“Thank God for this beautiful day,” he said.

Frady gave a sermon about St. Francis encountering a wolf.

The “unyielding loyalty” of pets follows humans “because they love us and want to be with us, even our finicky cats,” Frady said.

“These pets recover in us our belief that we too can love freely and without shame,” he said. “They release in us the freedom to be our authentic selves.”