Maid Of Honor Carries Bride’s Dying Dog Down The Aisle

Even if a bride or groom is distracted by 200 other people, a person’s wedding day just doesn’t feel right without all of their loved ones present.

That’s exactly why more and more people are involving their pets in their big day. Much like in this story about a couple who had their dog film their wedding, newlywed Kelly O’Connell of Colorado knew that if anyone was going to steal the spotlight away from her on her wedding day, it would have to be her longtime best friend Charlie Bear.

O’Connell adopted the black labrador about 15 years ago after finding him abandoned in a shopping cart outside of Buffalo, NY. “I was only 19 at the time and in veterinary technician school and wasn’t looking to be a pet owner,” she told People. “But when I saw him I knew he was my dog and we’d always be together.”

Over the course of the last decade and a half, the dog got her through everything from relationships to big moves.”He was my marathon training partner, he could run 20 miles with me, he absolutely loved it,” O’Connell said of the dog she ran with for many years. “We were on a run in April when he had his first seizure.”

“It broke my heart, he had five seizures the week before the wedding and we considered putting him down, but he seemed to get better, so we waited,” she told People. “And it was worth it to see the happiness on his face that day. He wanted to be there and I’m glad he was.”

Shortly before her wedding day, it was discovered that Charlie Bear was dying of a brain tumor. That’s when O’Connell, 33, knew she had to have her best friend “walk” down the aisle and enlisted her Maid of Honor to do the ultimate honor.

“I had just gotten married and everyone was congratulating us, but we ignored them and dropped to our knees and petted him and loved on him… I kept saying, ‘You made it buddy!'”, she told People.

Less than a week after O’Connell’s wedding day, Charlie Bear had to be put down.

“I’ll miss Charlie, he was my best friend. But he’ll never be forgotten. And we’ll always have the wedding photos to remember him by.”

Please SHARE this bride and her best friend’s story with other animal lovers on Facebook today.

[Featured Image: JEN DZ Photography]

Maid Of Honor Carries Bride’s Dying Dog Down The Aisle is an article from: LifeDaily