The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, known in Christian tradition as the day for blessing all animals, is traditionally held on Oct. 4. Chaplain Anne Gardner invites faculty and staff to send her the names of the animals they’d like her to celebrate. She said employees asked her to bless 176 pets, some of which you may not expect.
Of the total pets reported, 97 are dogs and 79 are cats.
“Plus a handful of fish, turtles, snakes, etc,” she said in an email to the adults.
The craziest pet, according to Gardner, belongs to choral music teacher Paul Keilbach who has ant farm.
She deemed the Best Multi-Pet Name Combination belongs to the pets of math teacher Dan Reeves: Cleo, Glitch and Toothless.
Gardner puts treats for each pet in the pet parents’ mailboxes.
“A love and devotion to one’s animals is a universal affection, which prompted me to contact my colleagues in the hopes of learning a bit more about their beloved creatures,” Gardner said. “The reaction was overwhelming, flooding my inbox each year with photos and stories about their treasured pets.”