Jesus didn’t have a dog. But, according to the Christian church, he loves yours.

Usually held around early October, a pet blessing will typically see owners lugging their dogs, cats, hamsters and parakeets into church, where a priest/rector will say a prayer over the animals.

“I think the whole thing is to honour our animals, because we see so much cruelty to our animals … it’s important for us to have greater love and respect for them,” said Virginia Briant, a reverend at St. Saviour’s Anglican Church in Penticton, B.C.

Briant has held pet blessings across Canada.

St. Francis of Assissi, an Italian monk, started the pet-blessing trend way back in the 12th century. The patron saint of animals, Francis developed a particularly close relationship with the fauna of central Italy.

According to Catholic legend, Francis once directed a sermon to a flock of birds.

“My sister birds, you owe much to God, and you must always and in everyplace give praise to Him,” he said.

Since Francis chose to deliver his sermon in Italian, instead of chirping, religious historians remain divided on whether the birds actually knew what he was talking about.

Another legend holds that while Francis was on his deathbed, he summoned his donkey to thank him for all the times he had ridden him. The donkey is reported to have wept.

Once a year, around Oct. 4 (Francis’ feast day) churches began hauling in nearby creatures to give them a good dose of religion. Contemporary pet blessings are sometimes scheduled to coincide with earth day.

A church in Quebec upped the ante this year, by offering monthly pet-friendly church services. Minister Michael Johnson declared that barking would be welcome. Some churches even dispatch dog-equipped “animal chaplains” to comfort the sick.

Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism have also jumped on the pet blessing bandwagon.

Islam, on the other hand, hasn’t been quite so liberal on the issue. Pets are forbidden, since, according to Islamic law, angels will not enter a house containing a dog, or a picture of a living creature.

The issue of pet blessings has prompted some division among Christians. In 2003, Civilta Cattolica, published by the Vatican, claimed that “animals have no rights, as rights are a privilege of spiritual beings.”

At Briant’s blessings, some parishioners have purposely avoided the ceremonies.

Although, with thousands of Canadians suffering from pet allergies, their opposition might have simply been a bid to breathe properly.

In 1989, Burt Reynolds lent his voice to the animated film All Dogs go to Heaven. The movie may have disappointed at the box office, but the title became lodged in the public consciousness.

“The title had a built-in attraction — heaven, with all the mystique and mysteriousness attached with that, and the idea that there might be somewhere out there in the cosmos where dogs go after they die,” explained animator John Pomeroy.

Briant has had her own experiences with this.

“People have asked me if their pets are going to go to heaven; I usually tell them yes,” said Briant.