Dog At Wedding?

havingmyfirst

Hey everyone

My fiancee he has a boston terrier named Lump and he has been with my fiancee since his divorce to his ex wife. I love all dogs no matter what and I love Lump.
My fiancee wants to inculde Lump into our wedding which is fine with me, Lump is very protative of me especailly now that I am having a baby,

Does anyone have any ideas how to include lump into our wedding

Thanks

GoofyAssChick

Have one of the bridal party walk down the aisle with him and get a cute bowtie.I would love to have my dogs too, but mine are far away from calm.

mpickl

I second what Goofy said. Do you have any junior bridesmaids or older flower girls that could handle the responsibility of walking a dog down the aisle?

We included our dog in our e-pics since we knew he wouldn't behave for an entire wedding. I got him a cute bow tie collar on Etsy. It took forever to get a couple decent shots, and even then he looks possessed in most of them, lol.

mrskloop

Mpickl i love your dog! I have a lab that will be 2 by the time our wedding is he. But he would not be good at the wedding. If ur dog can handle it, I say go for it! I bought a bow tie in the mens section at Belks and just made it as small as it could get and it fit perfectly on my dog for our epics. I think having someone walk down the aisle with him is the best way to get him involved.

carolebot

havingmyfirst,  I have been lurking for a few months here.  I'm a MOB helping my daughter plan her wedding and I thought your post is interesting.

I will probably be the lone voice of dissent here and try to encourage you and your FI to give careful consideration to including Lump in your celebration.  I don't know anything about your specific plans (when, where, etc.) of your wedding but I know dogs.  I applaud your acceptance of Lump and your wanting to include him but there are a lot of practical reasons why IMO you shouldn't.

Your sidebar indicates you live in Central Florida.  I spend part of every year there so I know how oppressive the heat can be.  Brachycephalic (pushed in face) breeds suffer from heat stress and depending on what time of year you're being married Lump could become pretty uncomfortable if he's outside for an extended time.  You mention Lump is protective (territorial) is he likely to become upset or worse snap at someone because he's confused by all the strangers? Have you thought about where Lump will stay after his stroll down the aisle?   Most venues won't allow non-service dogs in their facilities.  Is it practical or reasonable to have someone miss the festivites if they have to drive Lump home?  If you're being married in your backyard all of the above are  non-issues and Lump can enjoy the comfort of his own home.  If not, separate from his care & feeding during your wedding, do you really want the possibility of Lump misbehaving as something people remember about your wedding?

On Monday night I was watching Westminster & the dog representing my breed did his last go round for the judge and we all cringed when this highly trained dog being shown by a professional handler squatted.  The camera cut away but we knew what he was doing.  That owner spent a couple of years and thousands of dollars campaigning that dog and some people will only remember that $hit happens.  It's a cute idea to include Lump but you really need to think through all the ramifications and the possibilities. They are members of our families but sometimes it doesn't make sense to force their inclusion.  He won't care- he's a dog who lives in the here and now, he'll have no clue it's your big day or what you think he is missing.

The best to you, your FI and of course Lump.  

havingmyfirst

Thank you everyone for their ideas.

carolebot I used to live in flordia with my ex-husband but now I live in new york (forgot to update my info) The wedding part will be in a church that doesn't mind if a god even if it isn't a serivce dog can be there. I forgot that we would have to find a way for Lump to return home. Maybe one of the grooms men wouldn't mind. Also we have some time in between the two events that maybe someone could take Lump home. Not to sure but thank you for your adivise