Saint Guinefort - Must Love Dogs
Guinefort was made a saint not by the pope, but by the people.
Guinefort lived near Lyon, France in the early-middle 1200’s and was honored for his act of heroism / martyrdom. What makes Guinefort’s story unique is that he was a dog. That’s not a job title or nickname. He was a greyhound. Four legs. Wagging tail. The whole canine package. And a saint.
As the story goes, a knight left Guinefort in charge of his infant son. Yes, he left a dog to care for a baby. As you do.
The knight returned home to find the crib knocked over and Guinefort covered in blood. He assumed the worst about the dog and killed Guinefort. Shocking!
Later, the knight discovered the baby alive and well, just snoozing, but right beside a dead venomous snake, covered in dog bites. Now the truth was clear. Guinefort risked his life by attacking the venomous snake to protect the child. Tragic.
The knight buried Guinefort and built a shrine to honor his sacrifice. According to Stephen of Bourbon,
“The local peasants, hearing of the dog’s noble deed and innocent death, began to visit the place and honor the dog as a martyr in quest of help for their sicknesses and other needs.”
While the peasants of Lyon were happy to have a greyhound saint, the local bishop was not at all pleased. The church authorities banned the practice of veneration of Saint Guinefort, even imposing a fine on those caught praying to the dog for healing.
Despite the ban, people kept coming to the shrine in search of healing. Their numbers dwindled across the centuries, but they kept coming. The last known pilgrim to the shrine of Saint Guinefort made the trek in 1940.
The moral of the story is clear: It is perfectly acceptable to leave a dog in charge of your infant, just make sure to check for snakes before you hit the town.
Hmm, maybe a better takeaway is that people love dogs. They’re more than just companions on which to blame flatulence. People are attached to their pooches, leading to the rise in dog-friendly workplaces. Some studies show that having furry friends in the office lowers stress overall, which leads to higher productivity and job satisfaction.
If you’re a lord looking to appease your peasants, why not allow dogs at the office? This is a high demand perk that doesn’t cost you anything, and it keeps your village happy and less likely to rise in rebellion. If your star employee gets to bring their dog to work every now and then, it makes it far less likely that they’ll get poached by a recruiter for another company where Fido is not welcome. Especially if the dog is a good boy. Yes he is! A good, good boy. Ooooooh, yes he is.
Bonus tip: The names of early medieval rulers can be a great source when you’re naming your dog.
Wuffa, King of East Anglia, is the obvious best choice, because, c’mon, Wuffa is the best name for a dog. You can’t beat that.
A non-exhaustive list of other great options for your new puppy could be:
Ongendus - Ongendus, King of the Angles (5th century)
Cerdic - Cerdic, King of Wessex (519-534)
Chlodomer - Chlodomer, King of the Franks (511-524)
Childebert - Childebert I, King of the Franks (511-558)
Theudebert - Theudebert I, King of the Franks (534-548)
Theobald - Theobald, King of the Franks (547-555)
Chlothar - Chlothar I, King of the Franks (558-561)
Dagobert - Dagobert I, King of the Franks (629-639) (not to be confused with Dogbert)
Sigebert - Sigebert III, King of Austrasia (634-656)
Radbod - Radbod, King of the Frisians (680-719)
Ecgberht - Ecgberht, King of Wessex (802-839)
Aethelwulf - Æthelwulf, King of Wessex (839-858) (hard to argue that’s not a close 2nd to Wuffa)
