Dog Names Meaning Blessed

The knight felt horrible for killing his faithful friend, so he dropped the dog's body down a well, sealed the well, and planted trees around the perimeter in memory of the dog's faithfulness. As the years passed, the local townspeople started to consider Guinefort a saint who protected infants. Locals would often leave their sick babies beside the dog's grave in the hopes that the canine would heal the infants. 

Unfortunately, as often happened in the dark ages, the superstitions and flawed beliefs frequently resulted in death. Many mothers would leave their sick infants by the grave surrounded by candles but the candles would often catch the babies on fire, and they would burn to death. Despite the often horrific results of leaving babies beside the dog's grave, the practice persisted into the 1930s. 

Although never officially declared a saint by the Catholic Church,  Guinefortd does have the feast day of August 22. Many in the Church believed that the story of Guinefortd was just a ruse used to cover up the site of ancient pagan healing well. In 1262, Inquisitor Etienne de Bourbon ordered that the remains of Guinefortd be dug up from the well and burned. He then demanded that the shrine to the canine and all of the surrounding trees that the knight had planted be destroyed. The Church also stated that anyone found at the former memorial would instantly have their possessions seized and sold off. Even with such a strict law in effect about the shrine, many brave individuals continued to visit the site for hundreds of years. 

Many believers still consider Guinefortd a saint and a blessing, but the Church loudly proclaimed that considering any canine a saint was heresy.