Cat Kukla and her dog Bear have been best friends since she adopted him as a child. Now 17, Bear has been by her side through everything, and Kukla always dreamed he’d be part of her wedding, riding in a little red wagon.
When Bear’s health declined a week before the wedding, Kukla and her fiancé Jimmy decided to get married at the vet clinic so Bear could be there. The staff at VCA Veterinary Emergency Service helped make it happen.
During the ceremony, Bear sat in his wagon, alert and present. Miraculously, after the wedding, he even walked outside for the first time in days.
“Thinking about the year and a half of stress and wedding planning, it was so wonderful to know that nothing else mattered except for Jimmy and I getting married with Bear,” Kukla said.
Though the couple held a second wedding later, the intimate ceremony at the vet with Bear will always be their most meaningful. Bear’s health has since declined again, but his family continues to fight for him — and would do it all over again if needed.
“Nothing else mattered,” Kukla said, “except marrying Jimmy with Bear by my side.”