Community Connection ~ May 3, 2026: Let's Hear it for the Pets!

Community Connection, May 3: Let’s Hear it for the Pets!

Today marks the beginning of National Pet Week, which in turn is the first part of National Pet Month. Founded in 1981 by the American Veterinary Medical Association, National Pet Week (and its month-long expansion) highlight the benefits and responsibilities of pet ownership. And seeing as Desert Mission seems to be chock full of animal lovers, this is the perfect time to introduce our pets more fully into the community!

Current statistics say about ⅔ of U.S. households include a pet. So while we’ve met some of the dogs of Desert Mission, both in person and via our social media pages, there are certainly plenty more dogs out there who haven’t been properly introduced, as well as other animals large and small, furry and non-furry. If one (or more) of those animals lives in YOUR house, we invite you to submit your picture here. You can also share a picture with us via an email sent to Jen or to the church office (from which it will be forwarded to Jen). Include your pet’s name(s) and, if you’d like, a fun fact about them. We’ll accept photos for the next two weeks, through May 16, and then share an “All About Our Pets” slide show during church so we can all see, admire, and celebrate the animals that bring so much joy into our lives.

If you don’t have a pet but would still like to show your love during this animal-centric celebration, consider contributing to our mission for the Sunshine Dog Rescue - we accept towels, blankets, dog toys, and dog food and treats on an ongoing basis. After all, being rescued is, for many dogs, the first step towards becoming somebody’s beloved pet!

*A note: last week’s Community Connection was never posted online - if you were waiting for more information about the small ways in which we can walk a more joyful path, we wanted to be sure to share the link to the Little Steps Today app as promised!