Mother Theodore & Taillard

On today’s feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the great animal lover, many people around the world give a special blessing to their pets. You might not know that Mother Theodore herself had a pet, an extraordinary little dog named Taillard.

In a letter to Sister Mary Xavier in Vincennes on January 1, 1854, Mother Theodore writes, “My poor Taillard is dead. I am so sorry…”

In the Journals & Letters book, editor Sister Mary Theodosia Mug adds a note here:

“Taillard was a scrawny little yellow dog, greatly prized by the Sisters because one night he saved their home from burning by barking fiercely. The house had caught on fire from live coals dumped into an ash-barrel which stood against the frame building. In a few minutes the stairs leading to the dormitory would have been ablaze, and escape for the Sisters impossible.”

We don’t know much else about little Taillard, but he certainly served our Mother Theodore and the Sisters of Providence well!