Blessed animals

Father Stanley Szybka sprinkles Holy Water on a couple of pooches during Tuesday’s Blessing of the Animals at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Van Wert. The annual event, which honors St. Francis of Assisi, generally brings out a number of pets and their owners. Although there have been a variety of pets, including birds and other non-traditional pets, this year’s “blessed” pet population was nearly all dogs. (Dave Mosier/Van Wert independent)