Bethel Park Church event shows love, appreciation for animals

Drew FitzGerald

Jul. 2, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- It was no Noah's Ark, but for one Saturday outside Christ United Methodist Church, people celebrated some of God's creatures that held a special place in their hearts.

Now in its sixth year, the Bethel Park church's Pet Adoption and Care Fair aimed to help congregants and nonmembers better care for their pets and find a home for some animals in need. Last year, pet adoption groups reported the event resulted in about 60 adoptions.

"You don't see an event like this, even in the secular community," said organizer Carol Hirsch, 63, a retired teacher from Scott.

Hundreds of people visited dozens of adoption tents, pet training stations and pet care vendors. Barbecue, veggie burgers and roasted nuts provided people with their own chow. Hirsch said the fair does not rely on any church funds and sustains itself through donations and fees from commercial vendors.

The fair's first aim is to help needy animals, she said, but there were also memorials and written material to help people dealing with the loss of pets.

"It's like losing a family member, and many people grieve for a long time," Carol Hirsch said.

When Hirsch and her husband, Joe, 65, first conceived of the fair with fellow congregant Sue Irwin, the church's then pastor treated the idea apprehensively at first, Hirsch said.

"When he saw that it was actually bringing members into the congregation, he said it was a great idea," she said. "Some of the people who have come into the congregation have said, 'If you care this much about the animals, how much will you care about me?' "

Mt. Washington resident Mona Horgan, a manager at a venture capital firm, watched a presentation from Therapy Dogs International with her Redbone Coonhound, Copper, at her side. Horgan was trying to train Copper to pass a behavior test that allows dogs to safely enter hospitals and nursing homes to cheer up the people there.

Horgan said she learned of the fair through Meetup.com, a social networking site that helps people with similar interests find events right for them. She said she had never visited Christ UMC before Saturday.

"That's part of Christianity -- helping animals out and treating them as well as other people," Horgan said.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0288-36170370