The patron saint of dogs is St. Roch (also called Rocco or Rock), a 14th-century French pilgrim who nursed plague victims in Italy, caught the plague himself, and, according to his legend, was kept alive in the forest by a dog that brought him bread every day and licked his sores. He is almost always shown with that faithful dog at his side, and his feast on August 16 is a traditional day to bless dogs in many parishes. St. Francis of Assisi, patron of all animals, is also invoked for dogs. Below are St. Roch’s story, other saints known for their dogs, the one good dog of the Bible, and prayers for your dog.
A short prayer for a dog, written for this page:
St. Roch, you were cared for by a faithful dog when you were sick and alone.
Pray for my dog, (name): keep it healthy, safe and happy.
Lord, thank you for the love and loyalty of this good companion. Amen.
St. Roch and his dog
Roch was born to a wealthy family in Montpellier, in southern France, in the 14th century. After his parents died, he gave away his fortune and set out on foot as a pilgrim to Rome. Italy was being ravaged by the plague, and instead of fleeing it, Roch stayed in the stricken towns to care for the sick, and his early biographers say many were healed when he made the sign of the cross over them.
At Piacenza he caught the plague himself. Not wanting to infect anyone, he dragged himself into the woods to die. There, the story goes, a nobleman’s dog found him, and every day it brought him a loaf of bread from its master’s table and licked his sores until he recovered. The dog’s owner, Gothard, followed it, found the sick pilgrim and became his disciple. Back in Montpellier, Roch was mistaken for a spy and thrown into prison, where he died unrecognized.
Because of that dog, St. Roch became the patron of dogs and dog lovers, as well as of plague and epidemic victims, invalids and surgeons. See the St. Roch prayer and the novena to St. Roch.
Other saints known for dogs
- St. Francis of Assisi (October 4): patron of animals, who tamed the wolf of Gubbio. See the patron saint of animals.
- St. Hubert (November 3): patron of hunters and hunting dogs. See the St. Hubert prayer.
- St. Dominic (August 8): before his birth, his mother dreamed of a dog carrying a burning torch to set the world on fire, and Dominicans are often shown as dogs with torches. See the St. Dominic prayer.
- St. Bernard of Menthon (May 28): the Alpine hospice he founded gave its name to the St. Bernard dogs that rescued lost travelers in the snow.
The faithful dog in the Bible
In the Book of Tobias, a dog goes with young Tobias and the Archangel Raphael on their long journey (Tobias 6:1, Douay-Rheims):
And Tobias went forward, and the dog followed him, and he lodged the first night by the river of Tigris.
When they come home, the dog runs ahead with joy (Tobias 11:9):
Then the dog, which had been with them in the way, ran before, and coming as if he had brought the news, shewed his joy by his fawning and wagging his tail.
Prayers for your dog
Written for this page.
A blessing for a new dog
Lord, bless (name), the dog you have given to our family.
Keep it healthy and safe, help us to care for it well,
and let its loyalty remind us of your faithful love. Amen.
For a sick dog
St. Roch, you were healed with the help of a dog; now pray for my sick dog, (name).
Lord, ease its pain, guide the vet who cares for it, and, if it is your will, make it well. Amen.
For a lost dog
St. Anthony, finder of lost things, and St. Roch, friend of dogs, help me find (name).
Lord, keep it safe tonight and lead it home. Amen.
For a dog near the end of its life, see the prayer for a dying dog.
God’s care for animals
Proverbs 12:10 (Douay-Rheims):
The just regardeth the lives of his beasts: but the bowels of the wicked are cruel.
Psalm 144:9 (145:9 in modern Bibles):
The Lord is sweet to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the patron saint of dogs?
St. Roch, whose feast is August 16. St. Francis of Assisi is the patron of all animals.
Why is St. Roch shown with a dog?
Because, according to his legend, a dog fed him bread every day when he was sick with the plague in the forest.
Is there a dog saint?
No dog has been canonized. In medieval France a greyhound called Guinefort was venerated in a folk cult, but the Church never recognized it and condemned it as superstition.
More prayers for pets
- Patron saint of horses
- Prayer for a dying dog
- Catholic prayers for pets
- Patron saint of animals
- Patron saint of cats
- Patron saint of veterinarians
- Feast of St. Francis
Texts and sources
- Tobias 6:1 and 11:9, Proverbs 12:10 and Psalm 144:9 (Douay-Rheims).