All creatures great and small descended on grounds close to a Lowestoft-area church as an annual pet service made a welcome return.
Pets of all descriptions turned out to attend the religious event at All Saints' and St Margaret's Church, Pakefield.
With the special outside service held in the nearby church hall field, extra provision had to be made to keep the animals and congregation cool.
The Blessing of the Animals Pet Service at Pakefield Church was held on an unusually hot September afternoon on Sunday - with umbrellas, parasols and shade from buildings used to keep the flock cool.
Plenty of water was also available on the day - including a doggy paddling pool.
A total of around 25 animals were present and about 40 adults and 15 children of all ages - from church families and local residents - attended the service, which was led by the Rector of Pakefield Church, Rev Sharon Lord.
She said: "We had a wonderful time at the pet blessing service which included animal-themed hymns.
"This annual event was attended by dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, with their human owners, plus Roo one of the Pakefield Church sheep.
"We also introduced the newest member of the team, Amos the donkey. He was very well behaved for his first public outing and will be one of our main characters at the nativity walk on Christmas Eve too."
Katey Mills, the church‘s children and families worker, led a section of the service with a reflection on the importance of animals in our lives and the love that God has for them.
Each animal was given a blessing and a little grain free treat was given to each dog.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here