I can't imagine life without my dog - his sincere and goofy ways bring abundant love and laughter into my home, along with dirt, dead leaves, and seemingly endless training challenges. I wouldn't have it any other way, and since a whopping 65% of American households include pets, obviously neither would many others. The celebration of The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4, which coincides with World Pet Day, is a great reason to honor the pets in your life with a blessing or something more. Many local Catholic churches offer in-person blessings for pets by a bona-fide priest; Google your local area to find out where and when. Or try one of our ideas for honoring your pet:

Adopt a cat, dog, horse, rat, or bird. Right now, more than 300,000 adoptable pets are available nationwide on Pet Finder. Find your soulmate and save a life. If you can't adopt, consider fostering an animal through a local animal rescue organization.

Found My Animal offers some of the most stylish dog collars and leashes around, while giving you the opportunity to advertise your "adopt" values and donating to worthwhile causes. Each leash or collar comes with an individually-numbered, stamped tags to serve as a reminder of the uniqueness of your animal.

Dog for Dog has a simple mission: to feed as many shelter pets as possible. By purchasing your dog's food from Dog for Dog, you are feeding two for the price of one!

Shop for your pet essentials at sites that give back to causes that serve pets. We like Doggy Loot because it donates 1 lb of dog food with every order, and offers this Indestructaball, made of eco-friendly mango wood.

West Paw Design offers up the best pet beds around: smush-resistant and made in the U.S. of materials made from recycled plastic bottles. Even better, West Paw is a certified B-Corp, a business that holds an above-and-beyond commitment to healthier employees, sustainable practices, transparency and accountability.

Indoor cats are safe cats, and keeping cats indoors protects birds and wildlife. Keep your cat cozy indoors with a handmade felted cat cocoon available from Vaiva Nat on Etsy. She'll be so contented in her fuzzy pod that she won't want to go out, anyway.

Make your shopping count. Look for business that give back to causes that support animals. One such example is Fetch Eyewear, an online (and brick-and-mortar) retailer of affordable designer eyewear that donates all profits to animal welfare.