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Anouk Van Dyk and her goat joined a long parade of pets up Queen St yesterday to St Matthew-in-the-City for the Auckland SPCA thanksgiving service and traditional blessing of the animals.
The society is celebrating its 125th anniversary.
In the church, people hugged their pets as they listened to the special song of the SPCA, You are Always There for Me, sung by Elizabeth Marvelly.
Society chief executive Bob Kerridge gave thanks for pioneers in the movement whose work led to the present animal village at Mangere.
One of the society's earliest concerns was ill-treatment of horses, which were the main form of transport. Under the 1880 Cruelty to Animals Act, anyone found guilty faced huge fines for those times. Fines ranged from $1000 in today's terms to $5000 for keeping animals for fighting or baiting.
Today, under the Animal Welfare Act, normal penalties are up to six months' imprisonment or a fine of $25,000, or both.
In 1929, on the brink of the Great Depression, the society decided to build an SPCA hospital - the first in the country - and to create a fund to build a home for stray dogs.
