The sweet black Labrador named Charlie was able to walk his human down the aisle on her special day but sadly passed away shortly thereafter.
Even though Charlie had been fighting a brain tumor for several months and his health had greatly deteriorated, the 15-year-old couldn’t bear to miss his mom’s wedding day, as it meant everything to her to have him by her side.
Kelly O’Connell, a veterinarian from Denver, Colorado, tied the knot with her fiance, James Garvin, and having her beloved pup Charlie by her side was everything to her. Despite Charlie’s poor health, he shared the special moment with his human momma, who also happens to be a veterinarian like her soon-to-be husband.
Even though Charlie tried to walk down the aisle with her sister, who was also the maid of honor, the distance proved to be too much for the weak and ailing 80-pound pup. Katie, who was just 5’3″ tall, lifted Charlie and carried him all the way to the altar, placing him right beside Kelly on her special day.
Both of us just dropped to our knees and started crying,” the bride told ABC News. “To see him be carried a few feet, it kind of solidified for me that it’s not the Charlie he liked to be. He was aging, and it hit me knowing that he lost a lot.
“He was a very sweet dog. He loved everybody, but I was definitely his person,” she told in the story. O’Connell’s special day was probably their last memory together. Charlie lost his battle a few days later and breathed his last.
Jen Dziuvenis, the bride’s friend and photographer said on Facebook, “When your beloved dog who is at the end of his life can’t make it back up the aisle and your sister scoops him up and carries him …. THAT is love,”. “There isn’t enough mascara in the world for these moments. Dog people are the best people.”