Wedding Vows & Ceremony Discussions

Having your dog as the ring bearer...?

My Fiance' and I just got engaged on Thanksgiving...YAY!  Laughing

Well, we'd like to get married indoors and have our obedient Alaskan Malamute to be in the ceremony, keep in  mind he has his K-9 good citizen certification and is also a hospital trained and certified therapy dog.  Does anymore know of any locations in the metro detroit area that allows pets? 

Thanks a bunch! :)  

Re: Having your dog as the ring bearer...?

  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_having-your-dog-as-the-ring-bearer?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:10Discussion:ad359c67-109e-4c32-a323-028301821117Post:a4635f12-5364-46d0-8297-eb7d234e3be4">Having your dog as the ring bearer...?</a>:
    [QUOTE]My Fiance' and I just got engaged on Thanksgiving...YAY!   Well, we'd like to get married indoors and have our obedient Alaskan Malamute to be in the ceremony, keep in  mind he has his K-9 good citizen certification and is also a hospital trained and certified therapy dog.  Does anymore know of any locations in the metro detroit area that allows pets?  Thanks a bunch! :)  
    Posted by jenniferpaxton[/QUOTE]

    Are any of your guests allergic to or scared of dogs? Who is going to take care of the dog while you're busy with the wedding and reception?
  • My cousins' well-behaved dog peed on the aisle as well as her dress just before he nipped the flower girl drawing blood and needing stitches.  The best man, father of the flower girl, had to leave the ceremony to take his daughter to the emergency room.  Dogs, no matter how "well behaved" they are, are still animals that don't always do as you expect.  My cousin's dog never had a problem before.  In fact, he was a licensed therapy dog.  After he bit the flower girl, not so much.

    After he bit, my cousin asked her MOH to take the dog back the house.  Typically a 30 minute drive, the MOH agreed.  On her way back, she got stuck in a huge traffic jam and missed most of the reception.  No dinner, no dancing, no anything.  And the dog pooed in her back seat.

    At the end of the day, there was pee on a wedding dress, blood on a flower girl and a frustrated MOH.  Did I mention that the hospital bill for stitches was over $1000?

    If you want to incorporate your dog, take pics and use them as your table numbers. 
    ROCK IS KING!!
  • It can be cute, but as PPs have mentioned, even well-trained therapy dogs are not predictable at weddings, and if anyone at the wedding is allergic to dogs, then there shouldn't be any dogs there.  And even non-allergic guests sometimes just have trouble dealing with dogs, especially if they're not used to them.  I'm like that myself-I had an allergic mother and have lived most of my life in situations where I wasn't able to own or be around a dog, so I never really had the chance to learn how to relax and be among them.  It may be just me, but I think dogs can sense when they're in the presence of people who don't feel comfortable and relaxed with dogs, and they in turn feel uncomfortable and behave accordingly.

    That said, my cousin and his wife own a dog, and while the dog was not at their wedding, they "included" him by reading a piece about him.  It was sweet.  Maybe you could "include" your dog in this way?
  • Please do a search on this topic. There are too many things that could go wrong for this to be a good idea.
     
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  • QueerFemmeQueerFemme member
    First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its First Comment
    edited November 2012
    I really wanted to have our dogs in our ceremony in some way, or bring them after the ceremony to take photos with us, but in the end, we just decided the chaos of walking down an aisle in between 130 people would just be too much. Our dogs are VERY well behaved, and we never have any problems with them, but that is a lot of people, you won't be there to correct any behavior issues (you'll be getting ready to walk down the aisle yourself!). 

    Overall, it's just a bad idea.  I would recommend doing some engagement photos with the pups though!  Or, as PP suggested, do cute table numbers with a picture of the pup.   Hang the numbers around his neck, and take a photo, and then put the photo in a cute frame.
  • We attached a picture of our dog to our favors. It's just too many moving parts, IMO, to bring your dog to your wedding. Think about just taking your dog to any party with that many people. My dog is well behaved, but that is asking a LOT of any dog.
  • mmmmm Idk.... It's a cute idea, but because the dog is large, I think you may want to pass. Can you hire someone to bring the dog for some photos during the cocktail hour? It would be adorable to have some photos as your pup as the RB (especially with all that fur poking out of a vest lol!), but I don't think it will work in reality.... Who was responsible for bringing the dog home during the reception? Can you hire a neighbor or co-worker, or Young Adult child of one who has a car? (17-20's ish- they're always looking for money)- They can meet you somewhere with the dog after the ceremony or as it is getting out, take photos, then bring puppy home for the reception. It will prevent too much of a liability (biting and pooping and what not) while still giving you super cute photos!
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  • I am not a fan of pets at weddings. As mentioned above, they are too unpredictable, and you never know how it could affect your guests OR your pooch!
    What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14
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  • edited November 2012
    Try asking around your local canine clubs and other local dog fancier organizations.
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  • I agree with PPs. I am not a dog person at all - actually, I am afraid of them, even small ones - which I swear the dogs can sense and then they end up jumping on me. If I were a guest at your wedding, I would be very uncomfortable. In addition to the suggestions above for working your dog into the wedding, you can also work him into the cake topper. That's what friends of ours did. They love their dog dearly - they call him their "son" and he even has his own facebook page - but he was nowhere to be seen on their wedding day (except on the cake!)
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_having-your-dog-as-the-ring-bearer?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:10Discussion:ad359c67-109e-4c32-a323-028301821117Post:a4635f12-5364-46d0-8297-eb7d234e3be4">Having your dog as the ring bearer...?</a>:
    [QUOTE]My Fiance' and I just got engaged on Thanksgiving...YAY!   Well, we'd like to get married indoors and have our obedient Alaskan Malamute to be in the ceremony, keep in  mind he has his K-9 good citizen certification and is also a hospital trained and certified therapy dog.  Does anymore know of any locations in the metro detroit area that allows pets?  Thanks a bunch! :)  
    Posted by jenniferpaxton[/QUOTE]

    <div>If you have your heart set on having Fido in the ceremony, you'll probably want to consider an outdoor venue. As has been said, there are just too many things that can go wrong, even if you do have a petsitter.</div><div>
    </div><div>Just think about how it will be for your dog: tons of strangers, weird smells, guests who may be allergic. Unless you're absolutely certain your pup should be there, consider getting a cute nephew to carry the ring instead.</div>
    Bronson Tyler Marketing Assistant www.thanksgivingpoint.org Be weird. Be different. Be something.
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