Today was an important day in my spiritual development. I was a Puppy in the morning, and this afternoon I became a Dog in the eyes of the Jewish faith. Coinciding with the Torah portion of this week: Noah and the Ark, The Jewish Center of Princeton performed a “Blessing of the Pets” at which Hazzan Dulkin blessed me along with several other pets. 

It was a moving experience, and I am now aware of the responsibilities of being a mature Dog: To be kind to all dogs and humans (remembering the Golden Rule of Dogs: “Bark unto others as you would have them Bark unto you”), to be loyal and faithful to my family, To chew appropriate items (though NOT chewing inappropriate ones will take some work), and To always Poop and Pee outside.

I will now respect the holy Sabbath, to rest on Shabbat, though I pretty much do that every day of the week. 

Instead of a lavish affair for my Bark-Mitzvah, I was happy to have a small gathering with my parents, and receive some treats and a colorful tennis ball.

An interesting fact: The Hebrew word for dog, "kelev", can be translated as "close to the heart" 

Hazzan Dulkin at the 

Blessing of the Pets