Bride’s Dying Dog Was Carried Down The Aisle, And There Wasn’t A Dry Eye

The bond between a pet and its master is usually exceptionally strong. For the dog lovers out there, a pet dog is nothing less than a dear family member. And, like our real family members, we would love to have them with us during our best moments in life. This story is a shining example of such a connection.

However, the lifespan of dogs and humans is greatly different. As a result, most of the time we are the ones who have to say farewell first. Kelly O’ Connell faced the heartbreaking situation of having to say goodbye to her lifelong pet dog, Charlie Bear. But she was also getting married around the same time.

So Kelly’s maid of honor, her sister Katie Lloyd, stepped in to make sure the pair got to be together for the special moment.

The Bride And The Dog

Charlie Bear was a Labrador retriever mix breed who was 15 years old and weighed 80 pounds. Kelly had adopted Charlie from a dog shelter in 2002. Charlie had ended up in the shelter after someone else had abandoned the dog inside a grocery store’s shopping cart.

Kelly aspired to be a veterinarian at the time. She lived in New York at the time and was only 19 years old. So she viewed Charlie as her soul dog. Ever since then, the two have been together. In 2016, Katie was 33 years old. So the pair had been together for nearly half of Katie’s life. The bond was special, to say the least.[2]

However, in April 2016, doctors diagnosed Charlie with a brain tumor. It was incurable, and the doctors gave the dog only a few more months to live. Katie, who had successfully become a vet, was devastated by the news. But her wedding was coming up in September, and she prayed with all her heart that Charlie would be there at the ceremony.

Charlie, on his part, appeared to know of his master’s wishes. Almost miraculously, as the wedding date approached, his health became stable enough. But there was still a problem.