West Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- Platt Springs United Methodist Church hosted their first Blessings of the Animals service on Saturday.
Members of the church and the public gathered on the field outside of the church, and one-by-one, they brought their family pets to be blessed by the church's pastor, Michael Hood.
"The purpose of it is to reach out to the community and also to include people's family and, you know, people love their pets and pets are a part of their family," said Pastor Hood. "So, this is a chance to be able to bless the pets and in that way be able to receive a blessing for the whole family."
"I got Bella blessed today because I love her and she's my best friend," said Tiffany Este, who brought her pit bull, Bella.
Dogs, rabbits, cats, and lizards were among the pets brought to Saturday's event.
The church, located in West Columbia, hopes to host another blessing of the animals in 2019.