Furever after: dog wedding raises money for charity

LAKEVILLE – No one got cold paws at the altar on Sunday, Oct.1 as Benji and Freckles tied leashes, said their “bow-vows,” and became husband and wife.

The two rescue dogs’ parents are Nancy Richmond and Paula Houle, who met through Lakeville’s Council on Aging. “We took them for walks on the trails and things like that,” Richmond explained. “They learned to socialize by being around each other, so it's been a real positive for both of them.”

Richmond said that the road to marriage for the two dogs wasn’t easy. 

"There were some hurdles," she said. "Freckles wanted to protect her assets in case the marriage fails, so she insisted on a pre-pup."

"She also wanted Benji to join her in going to a marriage preparation course, so he eventually agreed to go to pre-canine,” Richmond added.

The wedding helped raise money for two groups: the Friends of the Lakeville Council on Aging, and the Lakeville Animal Shelter. Before and after the wedding, there was a series of activities for dogs and humans, including a dog training demonstration, a dog costume parade, and a craft table for children.

The night before the wedding, Richmond said, Benji had gone to a “Snoop Dog” concert to have his “bachelor event.” Freckles, on the other hand, “is kind of shy and she likes to keep to herself” so “she probably wanted to get her beauty sleep.”

The next day, the two dogs said their “bow-vows”. In her “bow-vows”, Freckles said she “vowed to share [her] favorite toy, lambchop,” while Beji said “today I chews you, Freckles.” Both dogs promised to protect each other “when [they] escape from [their] harnesses.”

Freckles had taught Benji how to escape from his harness, Richmond explained. “I literally saw Freckles get out of her harness,” Richmond said. “It was amazing that I got to see that.”

“And then we went for ice cream, and I had Benji’s leash attached to the chair I was sitting on. And then all of the sudden I see him up at the ice cream counter, naked. He had escaped from his harness. So I think Freckles taught him how to do that.”

“She was a bad influence,” Richmond added.

At the wedding, Benji and Freckles exchanged gifts. Richmond said that Freckles had given Benji a football helmet, while Benji gave Freckles a tandem leash.

The couple also enjoyed “pup-cakes,” which are cupcakes that are made from ingredients that dogs enjoy eating.

The couple is now headed to “Hound-a-Lulu” for their honeymoon. And Richmond says she has already started thinking about the couple's seventh anniversary (one human year is equivalent to seven dog years).

“This is the real thing,” Richmond said. “They're very committed to each other.”