Saint John Bosco Medal Necklace - The Priest and His Mysterious Dog Grigio

About Saint John Bosco and Grigio

In 1854, a large grey dog began appearing beside John Bosco on his night walks through the dangerous streets of Turin. He stepped between Bosco and attackers on at least two documented occasions, then vanished once the danger passed. Bosco called him Grigio, and the dog reappeared intermittently for the next thirty years, long past any dog's natural lifespan. Bosco believed God had sent him. He spent his life building schools and shelters for the street boys of Turin that society had given up on. At its peak, his oratory housed 800 of them.

A Gift For...

• A dog lover who has never heard a saint story quite like this one
• Someone memorializing a beloved dog they have lost, especially a protector or guardian
• A teacher, youth worker, or anyone devoted to kids society overlooks
• A student receiving a First Communion or confirmation gift, especially one who's chosen Bosco as a confirmation name
• Anyone who needs "Do your best" on something they wear every day
• A Saint John Bosco's Day gift on January 31, for the dog-and-dad type in your life

A Confirmation Gift

A student or young person entering exactly the stage of life Bosco built his whole ministry around finds in him a natural confirmation patron. Most engrave a name and confirmation date, or his own line, "Do your best."

The Saint John Bosco Medal

This medal depicts John Bosco in his clerical dress, haloed, with Grigio lying at his feet in a protective posture, alert and facing outward. The natural gold or silver of the metal forms the illustration itself. Black ink is applied to the pendant surface and the metal shows through as the image. A shatterproof liquid glass coating seals the surface. There is no other John Bosco medal on the market that depicts Grigio. If you know the story, you'll recognize immediately why he belongs here.

Personalization and Engraving

The optional engraving on the reverse is rendered in Tangerine cursive. Two lines, up to 20 characters each. Popular engravings include a name, a date, or Bosco's own line, "Do your best." For a gift to a student, most people engrave their name and the year.

Saint John Bosco's feast day is January 31. He died that morning in 1888, telling the boys at his bedside he'd be waiting for them in heaven. Grigio hadn't been seen in years by then. He wasn't needed anymore.