St. Francis of Assisi is known for his love of animals and nature, on or around the date of his feast day (Oct. 4th) churches plan a worship service called the Blessing of the Animals. Sample Order of Worship:

• Blessing of the Animals by Rev. Robert Morrison and Rev. Richard J. Fairchild
• A variation of the blessing above from The Episcopal Church

In doing research for this post, I found a delightful cartoon entitled "A Day in the Life of St. Francis.

Read more about St. Francis:

• American Catholic article  Who Was St. Francis of Assisi? by Leonard Foley, O.F.M.
• bio St. Francis of Assisi Biography A&E Networks
• Wikipedia

Other links of interest:

• Yappy Hour by Barbara Dunlap-Berg
• Hearts and Paws Ministry at Christ United Methodist Church in Bethel Park, PA (video)
• St. Francis in the Desert by Giovanni Bellini (The Frick Collection, full description)