Pepper gets a blessing, and a scratch under the chin, from the Rev. Julie Platson. (KCAW photo/Berett Wilber)

An annual tradition in Sitka, the Blessing of the Pets took place Thursday afternoon, October 8, on the lawn of the Sitka Pioneer Home. The Rev. Julie Platson of St. Peter’s-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church officiated, and offered individual blessings for the two-dozen animals who attended, accompanied by their two-legged friends.

Star. (KCAW photo/Berett Wilber)
Maisy. (KCAW photo/Berett Wilber)
Fashionable eyewear optional at Sitka’s Blessing of the Pets. (KCAW photo/Berett Wilber)