I ATTENDED my cousin Matt’s funeral. Whenever I visited, he took me along with him to church. One service focus was on healing miracles; when Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead.

After the service, Matt was quiet. As we neared home, he said: “We have just taken in a new dog. She was a bitch, who had been used to produce puppies and the breeder was going to put her down as she had done all they wanted. I took her. At the vet, they told me that she had cancer and that she did not have long to live – maybe a couple of months.”

When we reached his home, I was greeted by his new dog, his old dog and his wife. I tickled the new dog behind the ear, who bounded off into a nearby room, jumped on the sofa and looked out of the window. Matt followed.

I talked to his wife, keeping Matt and his new dog in sight through the door. He put his hands on the dog and bowed his head after closing his eyes. I continued to talk to his wife and spy on Matt. It was obvious he was praying for the dog. If healing can happen to humans, why not to dogs? At the end of that visit, I said goodbye to Matt and his wife.

We kept in touch by phone. I would ask about his new dog and was told that she was in good health. It was only after seven years that the dog died. The next time I visited, I asked Matt whether he had prayed for the dog. He looked embarrassed and said, “Yes!”

His prayers had been answered and she died of old age. I smiled. The service so long ago had had excellent results.

Alan Coode, Reader in Parish of St Austell