Sant ' Angelo di Roma Angelo , full name Sant ' Angelo di Roma , is Rinoa ' s pet dog in " Final Fantasy VIII " . Despite the masculine name , Angelo is female . Her design is based on a black - tricolor that one of Tetsuya Nomura ' s co - workers owned during the game ' s production . Though given the opportunity when meeting Rinoa with the Forest Owls , the player may change Angelo ' s name any time with the Pet ' s Nametag item . Story . Angelo ' s profile in " Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania " reveals her full name and date of birth , as well as how Rinoa came to own her : Rinoa found Angelo at the Timber Pet Shop when she was just a puppy . Without telling her father , Rinoa bought Angelo on impulse . Angelo is with Rinoa at the Forest Owls ' base when Squall , Zell and Selphie are hired by the group to kidnap Vinzer Deling , the president of Galbadia . When Squall is asked to fetch Rinoa from her room , she introduces Squall to Angelo , explaining how the latter helps her in battle . Rinoa asks Angelo to wait while they discuss strategy with the others , and Angelo whines , dissatisfied of being left out . Angelo accompanies Rinoa for most of her journey , helping her and the others in battle when the need arises . Rinoa can teach Angelo new tricks by reading the Pet Pals magazines . After Rinoa becomes comatose Squall takes her to Esthar to meet with Ellone whom he hopes could help her , but after discovering Ellone has gone to the Lunar Base , an Estharian space station , Squall and Rinoa are sent up there leaving Angelo behind . Zell ' s group finds her at the Lunar Gate where she howls in distress for having been separated from Rinoa . Angelo returns to Rinoa ' s side after she returns from space , now recovered from her coma . After Squall saves Rinoa from the Sorceress Memorial the group escapes to Edea ' s Orphanage where Angelo stays by Rinoa ' s side on the edge of the flower field . Angelo accompanies the party to the future where they fell the evil sorceress Ultimecia . They return to their own time and during the festivities at Balamb Garden Angelo roams about the party , perhaps looking for Rinoa who is sharing a moment with Squall on the balcony . Gameplay . Limit Break : Combine . Although Angelo appears in particular scenes as an NPC , she functions primarily as Rinoa ' s first Limit Break . When Rinoa ' s Limit activates , the player may select " Combine " to summon Angelo into battle . Angelo rushes to the battlefield , performs one from her pool of four aggressive tricks , then flees . The trick performed is dependent upon the party ' s current Crisis Level . Conversely , any of Angelo ' s four passive tricks may activate during battle without character input : one as a counterattack against an enemy that has inflicted direct damage to Rinoa ; two as recovery countermeasures of any party member in HP Critical or KO status if Rinoa is present ; and , one to search the battlefield for random items . The chance of the three tricks other than Angelo Rush occurring depends upon the unseen " Dead Time " variable , in conjunction with whether the player has yet acquired the Gilgamesh Guardian Force . Despite Angelo ' s capacity to learn eight tricks , Rinoa has initially taught her only one of each type : Angelo Rush and Angelo Cannon . To gain access to the remainder , the player must obtain six issues of Pet Pals magazine . Angelo is left on the planet ' s surface with Zell before Rinoa and company are blasted into orbit . The commandeering of the " Ragnarok " from its Propagator threat thus marks the only point in the game that Rinoa cannot Combine with Angelo . Pet Pals Magazine . " Pet Pals " is a dog magazine that informs Rinoa of new tricks to teach Angelo . Once the magazine has been read from the Item inventory , that issue ' s trick will be listed in Rinoa ' s Status screen and the player may select from the list of tricks for Angelo to learn by having Rinoa in the active party and walking on the field . A distinct chime indicates a trick ' s mastery . Triple Triad . Despite not being a Guardian Force , Angelo ' s Card has been categorized as a level 8 GF Card . Other appearances . " PocketStation Memorycard Icons " . An icon sprite of Angelo appears in the " PocketStation " memorycard file manager . " Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade " . Angelo ' s Combine moves appear as well as the Pet Pals magazines . " Final Fantasy All the Bravest " . Rinoa ' s attack is Angelo Cannon . Rinoa launches Angelo off her wrist and into the enemy when performing her attack . " Final Fantasy Record Keeper " . Angelo appears in Rinoa ' s default Soul Break , Angelo Cannon . Merchandise . An action figure of Angelo , manufactured by Bandai , was included in the Collectable Box Set of " Final Fantasy VIII " " Extra Soldiers " action figures released in 1999 . It was never sold separately . Etymology . Angelo ' s full name , Sant ' Angelo di Roma , means ' Saint Angel of Rome ' in Italian . Angels are a recurring motif in Rinoa ' s design ( eg . the wing pattern on her duster , the Shooting Star blaster edge , her second Limit Break Angel Wing ) . Names ending in - o carry masculine connotation in Romance languages and the feminine equivalent would be Angela . However , Japanese is not a language of Latin origin , so no such trend exists in its lexicon . In the German and French localizations , she is called Angel .