Hundreds of dogs and dozens of cats have cuddled close to share their warmth and comfort during my pastoral visits and dinners over the years.

A chocolate lab named Moose often waits beside my car door as I pull into his driveway in Rye, New York — and if he greets me in the house, he immediately leans next to me, looking for a pat of affection.

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I have seen so many bulldogs, yellow labs, poodles, terriers … each one with its own personality, and each deeply beloved by its owners.

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My childhood pets were a bit unusual but deeply beloved. We started with two gerbils, a large cage, and a running wheel. Soon I discovered that they absolutely loved to crawl out and chew on cardboard paper, so my siblings and parents kept me fully supplied with plenty of it.

The most incredible thing was to witness the birth of several baby gerbils. They were born hairless and helpless, and after a few days, their ears and eyes gently opened and gradually some soft fur developed. As a little kid, I found it fascinating to watch them frenetically spin on the running wheel or stick their faces against the cage; and it was really special to hold one in my small hands. I would give them a little respite from the confines of their enclosed reality.

When it comes to the holy leaders of the Catholic Church, our last three popes have been extremely supportive of animals and their value. St. John Paul II mentioned during a general audience on January 10, 1990, “Animals have the breath of life and were given it by God … men must love and feel solidarity with our small brethren.”

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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, while still a cardinal, used to feed stray cats in Rome and would tend to those cats that frequented the garden near where he worked in the Vatican, often bandaging their wounds. Because of the Vatican ban on owning pets, he was finally reunited with his beloved Chico, a black-and-white domestic shorthair, as well as Contessina, in his new residence at Mater Ecclesia.

Pope Francis concluded Laudato Si with the prayer, “Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light.”  Even the Venerable Pius XII nursed a disabled bullfinch back to full health.

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“Dogs make people feel good,” Brian Hare, an associate professor of cognitive neuroscience at Duke University in North Carolina, said in a piece in The Washington Post a few months ago. He pointed out that dogs are found now in some courtrooms, exam study halls, hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care settings, classrooms, airports, and elsewhere, “and their only job is to help people in stressful situations feel better. Many people seem to respond to dogs in a positive way.”

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With the economic, political and social strains that so many people feel today, especially out here in the competitive “hotbed” of the northeast, I consider it to be a very good thing that so many families have a lovable pet.

Taking your dog for a walk, throwing your pet a tennis ball or a rubber bone, or simply allowing an animal to cuddle up close to you — all of this can be extremely therapeutic. After a long day at work or a strenuous day of classes at school, what a beautiful thing it is to have a happy dog greeting parents or your kids at the door, with tail wagging and joyful barking.

God’s paternal love can clearly be felt through His wonderful gift of pets.

Fr. Michael Sliney, LC, is a Catholic priest who is the New York chaplain of the Lumen Institute, an association of business and cultural leaders.