Pets marry on World Animal Day

A canary, a goldfish, a guinea pig, a handful of cats and more than two dozen dogs received blessings from a Catholic priest in church to mark World Animal Day. In a ceremony that was sometimes touching and often comical, Rev. Pierre Valkering led his congregation in songs and prayers - frequently interrupted by meowing and yapping from the pews - before the blessing took place. St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals on whose feast day World Animal Day is held, was the inspiration for the Oct. 4 service - a seven-year-old tradition in Amsterdam.