One of the most significant days of your life is your wedding, and you want to spend it with the people you love, which for many couples includes their pets. Numerous tales about couples engaging their pets in wedding preparations, including making them the “best man,” have been told to us. The story of a cancer-stricken dog who survived long enough to walk his owners down the aisle, however, will touch your heart more than any other.
When Kelly O’Connell, a veterinarian, was 19 years old, Charlie, a black Lab mix, came into her life. The puppy was found abandoned in a shopping cart in the thick of winter. Kelly thought it was love at first sight even though she had no plans to get a dog at the time. “I’m not sure what it was. I just said, ‘Yeah, this is my dog. She said to the Denver Channel, “I’m taking him home.
Charlie changed Kelly’s life, and they quickly became friends. The owner’s highly active and energetic dog served as inspiration for him to begin running. Since Charlie was so important to her, one of her biggest worries when she first met her future husband, veterinarian James Garvin, was whether he and his kids would get along with Charlie. Thankfully, they did.
Charlie doesn’t get along with anyone, but Kelly remarked, “He fell in love with them immediately away. He developed a fondness for him that was equal to mine, she said CNN. “[Charlie] was a representation of the family uniting,” Charlie, though, started to slow down after 15 years of dating. He wasn’t as active as usual, and after having a seizure, a brain tumor was discovered.
At the same time, the couple was getting ready for their wedding. The week before the wedding, Charlie experienced five seizures, which, as Kelly admitted to People, “broke my heart.” “We thought about killing him, but we waited because he looked to be getting better.”
Charlie appeared to be hanging on just long enough to witness his owners’ nuptials, ensuring that he was present on the momentous day.
Despite being frail from cancer and on the approach of death, Charlie mustered the will to accompany Kelly and James down the aisle for their vows.
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Everyone was moved by the situation, and Kelly couldn’t help but reflect on how proud she was of her pet dog on her wedding day. ” We largely disregarded everyone. We simply knelt down and continued repeating, “You did it, buddy.” You succeeded. You are here.
“Everyone was crying,” It ended up being one of their last memories together because Charlie passed away just nine days after the ceremony. Kelly was saddened by the loss of her best friend, but she was happy that Charlie could attend and that their wedding photographer Jen Dziuvenis had recorded the tender moments.
The memories are those. I was simply grateful for him, his presence, and the years we shared, she said. “And in the pictures, he’s grinning. There is no way to dispute it. He is beaming. She reportedly said, “I’ll miss Charlie, he was my greatest friend,” according to People. But he will always be remembered. And his wedding images will serve as a constant reminder of him.