Terminally Ill Dog Carried Down The Aisle To Be By His Human On Her Wedding Day

Jul 26, 2019 by apost team

Kelly O’Connell knew that she had to have her best friend walk down the aisle with her when she got married.

No, not her human best friend-her beloved black Labrador retriever named Charlie. Even though Charlie was sick at the time, he was still able to make it to the wedding in time to participate.

According to the Huffington Post, O’Connell, a veterinarian, was ready to get married to the love of her life. But she knew that it would not be the same if her wonderful Charlies wasn’t there with her. James Garvin, her husband-to-be, is also a veterinarian. He was happy to go along with her plans. Charlies was 15-years-old at the time of the wedding. He had been suffering from a brain tumor for many months up until the day of the wedding. He was pretty weak when the big day arrived, but he was still able to make it with the assistance of his loving family.

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The amazing dog was able to walk on his own down the aisle with Katie Lloyd, O’Connell’s maid of honor and sister. However, he couldn’t make it the whole way. That is when Lloyd bent over and carried all 80-pounds of the Lab down to lie next to his beloved human at the altar. 

The bride told ABC News that they both knelt down next to the pup and started to cry. She knew that Charlie was on his way out, and it hurt to see him this way. She went on to say how sweet and loving Charlie was with everyone, but he definitely loved her more than anything.

“He was a very sweet dog. He loved everybody, but I was definitely his person," She told the publication.

A few days after the big wedding day, Charlie passed away. O’Connell is grateful to have some amazing pictures of Charlie during her wedding, shot by Jen Dziuvenis. She is grateful that he was there to share in her joy and happiness. 

Dziuvenis took to Facebook to share the pictures. There wasn’t a dry eye in the whole wedding when the maid of honor scooped up the poor dog. Now that is true love for sure, from both the sister and the sweet dog. We are so happy that O’Connell got to share her wedding day with one of her best friends before he passed on.

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