Overview
- In Madrid, Padre Ángel led blessings at the Church of San Antón for hundreds of attendees, urging love and human connection as remedies for loneliness.
- Participants brought dogs, cats and less typical pets such as turtles and a snail, underscoring the ceremony’s inclusive reach.
- In Avilés, pets were welcomed inside the Santa Bárbara parish, and the priest said he also offered remote blessings following requests on social media.
- Palencia’s Cofradía de San Antón complemented the rite with sugar-free biscuits for pets after the blessing despite rainy weather.
- Oviedo and Pontevedra reported strong participation—Pontevedra continuing an uninterrupted practice restored in the 1990s—while Puebla, Mexico, held its own celebration alongside local discussion of Mexico City’s new ban on live-animal sales.