Don Bosco's angel dog: Grigio

Summary:

One evening in November 1854, Don Bosco was late returning to Casa Pinardi, the youth centre he had set up in Turin and which had made him many enemies. Once a force of nature, capable of getting the upper hand in a fight, the priest had never recovered from the pneumonia that almost killed him in 1846 and left him weakened. Some people in town, who were annoyed by him, had put a price on his head. Don Bosco knew it. Moreover, they had already tried to kill him... Being a prudent man, he avoided wandering the streets alone at night, but on that night he had lost track of time and, as he walked exhausted in the rain and fog towards his house, he sensed danger. And although he had just spotted some menacing figures who seemed to be waiting for him, there was nowhere to take refuge in case of need! Resigned, Don Bosco continued on his way when, out of nowhere, the biggest dog he had ever seen appeared. It was an exceptionally large, dark grey-haired hound, and Don Bosco was scared when he first saw it, but his fear was quickly put to rest, because this monster was not aggressive. On the contrary! The animal lay at his feet as if it were his master, its eyes brimming with affection, and would lick his fingers. Then, trotting along beside him, heled him back to his home, where he seemed to know the address and the way.

Reassured by his presence, Don Bosco resumed his nocturnal errands. One evening, unfortunately, Grigio, who usually warned his friend not to go out when there was danger, was not there, and Don Bosco went out. When he returned, it was night and the streets were deserted. Two men were in ambush. Distraught, Don Bosco headed back towards the town centre in search of a lighted house, when he heard the two killers closing in on him. They grabbed him, threw a cloak over his head and thrust a handkerchief into his mouth. Don Bosco struggled, but he was no match for them! Suddenly, he heard a large animal coming, barking like mad and hurling its ninety kilos of muscle at the assailants, who fled in terror. Don Bosco then saw Grigio, now as gentle as a lamb, rushing over to lick his face...

For a year, Grigio shared Don Bosco's daily life, and his presence finally discouraged the priest's enemies who had felt his teeth. When the danger disappeared, so did Grigio. A pragmatist, despite the bizarre nature of the case, Don Bosco resigned himself to the loss of his dog, which he thought was dead. He was mistaken...

In 1864, more than ten years after Grigio's last visit, Don Bosco, who was then old and blind, got lost on his way to a friend's house one evening in a district he knew little about. He had been walking in circles for a long time when he felt a wet nose against his palm: Grigio had returned! And, as if he knew where his master was going, he led him to his friends' door, then disappeared again. Ten years is a long time in the life of a dog, especially a stray, abandoned and neglected one. Don Bosco began to admit that he was disconcerted.

In 1883, nineteen years after their last reunion, old Don Bosco once again got lost in the Bordighera district. And Grigio, who, unlike his master, had not turned a hair white and was still as frisky as a young dog, grabbed him by the flap of his cassock and led him, with his infallible flair, to his destination.

At the end of his life, St John Bosco would confide his perplexity to friends and family, who had all known Grigio and wondered what this creature really was: "To say that he was an angel would certainly be laughed at, but one cannot say that he was just an ordinary dog..."

Going further:

The Life Of Saint John Bosco: Biographical memoirs and Legacy of saint John Bosco by Cole M. Gabriel, Independently published (January 30, 2024)

More information:

• St. John Bosco and His Big Gray Dog by Hayley Medeiros (Author, Illustrator), Caritas Press (April 14, 2015)

• Forty Dreams Of St. John Bosco: From St. John Bosco's Biographical Memoirs by John Bosco, TAN Books; Revised ed. edition (February 1, 1997)

• Roadmap to Heaven by St. John Bosco, American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family & Property, The (T F P) (February 7, 2023)

• The life of St John Bosco by Ronald Jason,  Independently published (December 7, 2023)