God and Dog

How we care for our pets and they care for us

10/04/2023

Lk 9:57-62 As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." And to another he said, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God." And another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home." Jesus answered him, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God."

Today is October 4 the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis is the patron saint of Pope Francis and that is why he took the name “Francis” when he was elected as pope in 2013. As everyone knows St. Francis of Assisi loved animals, so today I would like to talk to you about my dog Apollo. St. Francis would really love Apollo, and I brought a picture of him so you could see exactly what he looks like.

I got Apollo from an animal shelter when he was a 4-month-old puppy. When I brought him home someone said to me, “In the beginning you will take care of him, but later he will take care of you.” I have never forgotten that comment, and I have seen how true it is. So, I want to tell you a little about how I take care of Apollo and how he takes care of me.

I take care of Apollo by setting some rules for him. For example, I do not give him any people food, especially no Chick-Fil-A, and he only eats dog food. People food is not good for dogs. I teach him tricks, like sit and shake and to play fetch. And I give him a dog treat when he obeys my commands, again, not Chick-Fil-A.

And when we go for a walk I take a plastic bag. Can you guess why? That is so I can pick up his poop. By the way, I have a whole new respect for rain now that I have started walking my dog. I notice not everyone picks up their dog’s poop, and so I think of rain kind of like God flushing the toilet of the world. Because, after all, dogs are not the only animals that poop; they all do. So, these are some of the ways I take care of Apollo.

Now, let me tell you about some ways Apollo takes care of me. First of all, he helps me write my homilies. I always write my homilies out by hand first (like this one), and Apollo sits by my chair and watches me. Then, I read it to him. Now, if Apollo falls asleep, I know it is a boring homily, so I better change it. But he was wide awake for this homily because I am talking about him. Just like people, Apollo likes to be the center of attention. He is his own favorite subject.

Another way Apollo takes care of me is when we walk we pray the rosary together. Now, this is really cool. I say the first half of the Hail Mary, and then Apollo barks back the second half of the Hail Mary. Apollo is my prayer partner. Are you surprised? When you are a priest’s dog, you have to learn to say your prayers.

Another way Apollo takes care of me is that now perfect strangers will come up to me and talk to me. Heck, even teenagers will talk to me! If I did not have Apollo, people would see me in my priestly collar and all black clothes and think I am a weirdo, and avoid me. They think I am “goth,” someone who wears all black. But priests were goth before goth was cool.

But with Apollo at my side, or better, with me at Apollo’s side, I am a human being that you would want to talk to. Why? Because I have a super cute dog, and everyone wants to talk to a guy (even if he’s goth) with a cute dog. Dogs are a chick-magnet. So, another way Apollo takes care of me is that he makes me more human and a little less goth.

A third way that Apollo takes care of me is that he helps me be a better priest. You see, priests want to make people happy. And we try to do that by telling people about God, and hope that will make them happy. But does it? Well, sometimes it does, but sometimes it does not, like when we tell people about God’s 10 Commandments. And then people roll their eyes.

But when I talk about Apollo, or bring Apollo to visit my parents or the school children, he makes everyone light up with a huge smile, and everyone wants to pet him and play with him. It is kind of funny how the word “dog” is “God” spelled backwards. Both God and dogs try to make people happy, and that is now Apollo takes care of me as a priest: he helps me do my job.

In the gospel today Jesus says about animals: “The foxes have dens and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man (Jesus) has nowhere to rest his head.” On this feast of St. Francis, let’s take care of God’s creatures (like our pets), and God’s creation (like this planet), and make sure foxes have dens and birds have nests. Why? Well, because first we take care of the animals, and then later they will take care of us.

Praised be Jesus Christ!