Saint Francis Dog Tags

Pet owners put Saint Francis tags on their dogs because he is the patron saint of animals.

Saint Francis is the patron saint of animals. For this reason, each year, Catholic parishes around the world set aside a special day in October, right around his feast day, for blessing animals.

Usually, most of the pets are the typical dogs and cats. But, sometimes, people show up with pet hamsters and even gold fish. It's believed this blessing, bestowed by a priest, will benefit the animal in some way, perhaps keeping him safe from accidents and illness.

The tags shown below are made by Zazzle, an online gift shop located in California. Because these items, designed by individual artists and galleries, are made on demand, additional customization is possible, such as adding your pet's name.

A relatively large number of different styles of tags are available, but those shown below seem to be some of the more popular. All of these Zazzle creations are made in America.

Pixabay image top by tomsramekjr

Saint Francis and the Wolf

Saint Francis is typically pictured surrounded by animals. Statues and pictures of this famous saint often show him feeding birds, as, during his lifetime, he wanted to exist in harmony with all living creatures. There was also an incident when he preached to a group of birds, and they stopped to listen.

Oftentimes, a wolf is shown at his side as well. Legend has it that the wolf was a vicious killer who had terrorized the people of one town. This had happened just prior to one of the saint's missionary trips.

Because Saint Francis was gifted with mystical abilities, he was able to communicate with the wolf, who went by the name of Gubbio. Realizing that the animal was striking only because he was hungry, Saint Francis was able to convince the wolf to stop killing people, if food was made available to him. The wolf and the townspeople then lived peacefully ever after.

Saint Francis was born into a wealthy family that lived in Assisi, Italy. However, he rejected this wealth, and chose, instead, to live the life of a beggar. He is the founder of the Franciscan religious order, which is now found all over the world.

He went to his Heavenly reward on October 3, 1226. In 1228, he was Canonized, or made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. His feast day is October 4.

St. Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Birds

Ad AllPosters

Saint Francis Assisi Dog Tag

Made from recycled steel, this beautiful dog tag is designed to be placed on your pet's collar. This tag is designed by a gallery called Dog Tag Art, based in Asheville, North Carolina, and is available in large, shown below and small.

A similar tag, with the same Saint Francis design, can be ordered for cats.

St. Francis Protect This Dog Pet ID Tag

Price info

Bone-Shaped Saint Francis Dog Tag

This bone-shaped tag can also be customized. Made of silver, it measures 1.5 by 1.5-inches, and was designed by an artist named malibuItalian, which features a number of other dog and Italian-themed items, some made specifically for Italian Americans.

St. Francis Dog Bone Shaped Pet Protection Tag Pet Tag

Price info

Saint Francis Pet ID Tag

This bone-shaped dog tag features a waterproof colorful image of Saint Francis surrounded by animals. Customization options are also a possibility with this tag, made from burnished silver. This tag arrives in a small black felt bag if you choose to give it as a gift.

ST. FRANCIS PET ID TAG

Price info

Poster of the Saint Francis Prayer

This is a beautiful prayer that sums up the theology of Saint Francis.

Ad AllPosters

Updated: 08/01/2016, ologsinquito

Thank you! Would you like to post a comment now?

Comments

Only logged-in users are allowed to comment. Login

ologsinquito on 02/12/2015

All of the saints did seem to appreciate God's creation. You are correct. Thank you so much for reading.

WriterArtist on 02/12/2015

Saint Francis certainly adored nature which is common factor for all saints. They all have a peaceful nature and they co-exist with environment in harmony.

ologsinquito on 02/10/2015

He was a fascinating saint. I imagine a lot of people thought he was crazy.

sheilamarie on 02/10/2015

I love St. Francis. The tales about him sounded fantastical to me until I lived surrounded by nature myself, and now I realize how much animals can respond to our emotions and our spiritual presence among them.
Although I love the story about him and the wolf, and I don't doubt he could have had that effect on a real wolf, I have heard an alternate interpretation as well. Some people have said that instead of an animal, that wolf was a human person who lived as an outlaw, pillaging villages and terrorizing the people. Francis went to speak to him and made an agreement between him and the villagers to feed him so that he neither had to starve nor to loot in order to survive. If I can find my sources, I'll post an article about it to discuss it further.
It's a fascinating story, no matter which way you look at it.

Pink Biking Jacket for a Lapdog Hell's Angel

They are the wolves of the street! But they've been saddled with a reputation...

Dog Bathing Suits and Bikinis

Does your pooch have everything? Think twice! Perhaps it needs a dog bikini o...

Disclosure: This page generates income for authors based on affiliate relationships with our partners, including Amazon, Google and others.