Sometime around the first weekend of October, something sweet happens outside a lot of churches. Dogs in bandanas, cats in carriers and a good number of very confused rabbits line up to be blessed.

It is a real tradition with a real calendar date behind it, and this year the date, October 4, lands on a Sunday.

A feast day for a saint who loved animals

October 4 is the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, honored by the Catholic Church, Evangelical Lutheran churches, the Anglican Communion, including the Episcopal Church in the United States, and Old Catholic churches. Francis is said to have preached to animals, and he is remembered as a patron saint of ecology and animals. He died on October 3, 1226, and the day after became his feast.

On that day, according to Wikipedia's entry on the feast, it is a popular practice for people to bring their pets and other animals to church to be blessed.

Some churches make it a big event. New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine holds an annual Feast of St. Francis with a Procession of Animals that its own calendar page calls a long beloved part of its tradition, followed by an afternoon fair and pet blessings.

A second holiday, born in Berlin

The same date is also World Animal Day, and its story is a good one. It was started by Heinrich Zimmermann, a Warsaw born journalist and activist working in Berlin. He held the first World Animal Day on March 24, 1925, at Berlin's Sports Palace, and more than 5,000 people came.

Zimmermann had wanted October 4 from the beginning, to honor Saint Francis, but he could not get a venue for that date, which is why the first event landed in March. The date he wanted was first observed in 1929, and in May 1931 an international animal protection congress in Florence formally ratified October 4.

Today the day is overseen by the Naturewatch Foundation, a UK organization, with more than 90 ambassadors in over 70 countries running education programs, awareness campaigns, adoptions and spay and neuter drives.

How to mark it, with or without a church

• Ask around locally. Some churches hold a blessing on or near the date, but not every parish does, so check a nearby church's calendar before you load anyone into a car.
• Look at your local shelter or rescue. Many run events around World Animal Day, and it is a natural moment to ask what they need most.
• Keep it simple at home. A longer walk, a new toy, an extra cuddle. Nobody in your household will complain.

Every month, Bark & Beyond gives 5 percent of its revenue to Best Friends Animal Society, which is one small way we mark days like this all year.

However you do it, it is a good excuse to say thank you to the animal who has probably done more for your mood than you have ever admitted out loud.

Sources: 100 Years of World Animal Day, worldanimalday.org; Feast of Saints Francis and Catherine, Wikipedia; Feast of St. Francis, Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Photograph by Fluke on Unsplash.