#22 – Find a girlfriend 

Mister Molson has been a bachelor all his life.  He’s never worried about his appearance, sleeps whenever and wherever he wants, doesn’t bother with household chores, can’t fix broken things, he poops in the yard, he sometimes sticks his nose in other people’s “business”, and likes hanging out in the garage drinking beer.  But, he does love a relaxing night in, he’s a good listener, he will let you pick out his clothes, he won’t mind if you have friends over, he’ll always eat left overs, he doesn’t own much stuff, he’s always down for some physical attention, loves adventures, and will do anything for his family.  So, his chances of finding a girlfriend were up in the air.

Like most good relationships, Mister Molson was introduced to Josie through friends.  She is a black lab with a heart of gold.  She is very mild mannered and kind.  She dislikes conflict and will speak up when she believes someone is being mistreated.  She is open to making new friends and will hang out as long as you feel like petting her.  So, her mom, Leslie, knew they would be a good match.

In the nature of Mister Molson’s bucket list, we found a way to take it to the next level.  Mister Molson would not just find a girlfriend for a few dates, he would be married.  Arranged marriages are common in some cultures, but frowned upon in others.  However, time was of the essence so our families agreed to go for it.  The two new partners quickly hit it off with some sniffing and ear licking.  They hung out together as they scanned the area around the tables while we set up the dog treats and cake for the ceremony.  The wind was on their side, blowing the occasional slice of cake or dog bone off the picnic table.

Two and Four-legged friends started arriving to witness their union.  Dogs and their families came from all over to witness what has been called the “Wedding of the Century.”  A beautiful ceremony, in a beautiful location, on a beautiful day was going to happen.  Dogs and their humans began to gather  on each side of the aisle.

Mister Molson let me have the honor of being his best man and Elliot got to be the ring, I mean bone, bearer.  We walked Molson down the aisle and awaited the bride.

Chloe led the bride as the flower girl dropping rose petals along the way.

Jaws dropped as Josie emerged in her white dress.  She walked up to greet us in style and with grace.

Long time friend Nicole, who is actually ordained, made this official as she read the nuptials.

“Thank you all for coming to take part in witnessing the marriage of Mr. Molson and Josie. A dog’s love is immeasurable, they are kind and forgiving, they are loyal and patient, and they are by far one of the greatest blessings in our lives.

“Love makes messes.  Love leaves you little surprises here and there.  Love needs lots of cleaning up after.  Sometimes you just want to get love fixed.  Sometimes you want to roll up a piece of newspaper and swat love on the nose, not so much to cause pain, just to let love know: Don’t you ever do that again! …But love makes you meet people wherever you go, people who have nothing in common but love.  Throw things away and love will bring them back, again, and again, and again.  But most of all, love needs love, lots of it.  And in return, love loves you and never stops.”

“Today we join these two beautiful beings together as one. By eating half of this whole treat Mr. Molson vows to share his love, respect and honor with Josie.  By eating half of this whole treat Josie vows to share her love, respect and honor with Mr. Molson.

“Before we conclude this ceremony I am drawn to share a quote by George Bird Evans, “I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we were not certain we knew better.  They fight for honor at the first challenge, make love with no moral restraint, and they do not for all their marvelous instincts appear to know about death.  Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to do their worrying.”  What an honor we are given to worry about these beings and to be rewarded for that by their unconditional love.  What an honor we have been given to witness love like this and to be influenced by it to be better to one another.  It gives me great joy to present to you, the united pair in dog love and matrimony: Mr. Molson and Mrs. Josie!” – Nicole Montanarelli

Thank you Nicole.  Your words certainly resonate with every pet owner and challenge us to honor them by bearing these responsibilities while seeking to be as mindful as our canine friends.

Elliot, Chloe, and I then each gave a speech to share how we feel about this memorable day.  Elliot’s speech got several laughs as he highlighted some of the funny things pets bring to our lives.

“I am happy that we found someone to marry Molson because, look at that lumpy face.  But, he still is handsome.  He has been by my side from hard to easy times.  I hope they are happy together and happy everyone came.  We had some issues in planning this out but it came out well.  And today is his special day and I am happy I can be here and I wish Molson a good wedding with Josie and he might be sad because he did not get a bachelor’s party.  He has built a blog website with my dad.  If you have not heard of it, it is mistermolson.wordpress.com.  Once he passes I will remember those pig ear crunchies all over the place.  I wish Molson a good rest of his life with Josie and I hope you like the rest of the wedding.  Thank you and good night.” – Elliot Griffin

Chloe followed that up with another funny and emotional speech.

“From the farthest that I can remember, Molson has been by my side, through thick and thin.  Even before I was born he was laying by me.  I am glad to be by his side on his special day.  He deserves all the love he can get, despite the times I’ve seen him wipe his butt across the carpet or smell his own poop.  He deserves it.  Mr. Molson has a heart bigger than his head.  I would never have known the real feeling of love without him.  He taught me many of other disturbing things like how to eat food without our hands, stick my foot in my mouth, lick my own nose… We could go on forever.  I hope that Josie loves this crazy dog as much as I do.  Thank you for coming and have a good evening.” – Chloe Griffin

It was a tall order to follow up those two adorable speeches, but I did my best.  I’ll admit that I did get a bit choked up delivering these words because Mister Molson means so much to me and our family.

“Mister Molson has always been there for me.  When I need a hug or a reminder to appreciate the simple things in life…through marriage, kids, divorce, college, and all the other ups and downs of being an adult.  Molson is a great companion.  He has been great to grow older with and if they weren’t already old, I’d say he and Josie will be happy growing old together.  We’ve had a lot of fun working through his bucket list together.  One item was to find a girlfriend.  After meeting Josie, I don’t think we could find a better one.  May they each enjoy each other’s new companionship as much as we have enjoyed theirs.  May our hearts always be as open as Mr. and Mrs. Molson’s.”

“This wedding symbolizes the love we have for our pets and that we would do anything for them.  While their presence brings us countless smiles, their absence will likely bring as many tears.  If anyone can teach us something about love, it’s these dogs.”

“May we always be bold enough to chase that elusive squirrel, or other personal goal.  May we always be willing to quickly forgive someone who steps on our tail or otherwise wrongs us.  May we always be willing to speak up if someone looks shady.  May we always be open to learning new tricks no matter how old we get.  May we always be curious and willing to explore new territory even if we’ve been sprayed by a skunk before.  And may we always have room in our hearts for new friends.”

“Many friends have come together to recognize this union between our two family’s best friends.  It means a lot to me.  Mister Molson is probably just tired of getting his picture taken.  People often call old age the golden years.  But with Molson, they have all been golden years.  Like a nursing home romance, Mr. Molson and Mrs. Josie have finally found each other.  May their remaining days be as full of joy as days passed.  And while it’s too late to give me grandpups, I doubt anyone would be mad if you try to consummate this marriage.  I love you Mister Molson.” – Tim Griffin

Our friends all gathered together for a crazy picture that suited this crazy occasion.

The newlyweds climbed into Josie’s sweet convertible for the ceremonial drive into their new life as husband and wife.

A delicious cake and cupcakes were provided by Dani Sanders of Red Brick Bakery.

Leslie made a dog bone cake for the four-legged guests.

Other friends brought ice cream, guest books, decorations, gifts, and many other things to make this ceremony perfect.  I apologize to everyone who had to see me emotionally struggle through my speech and to everyone who had to tell people at work that they were leaving early for a dog wedding.  I’m sure that was tough to explain.  Thanks to everyone for taking and sharing pictures.  Thanks to Ali Bradley of Fox43 for helping this story reach other families.

This day showed me how many people love their pets so much that a dog wedding doesn’t sound ridiculous.  Through all those that attended and those who showed support even though they couldn’t be there, I have seen the impact that Mister Molson has made on our lives.  I am so grateful to everyone who has supported us and especially to Leslie and Mrs. Josie who made this bucket list item epic.  It is my hope that everyone who attended and everyone who reads this gives their fur-legged friends a little more attention tonight, a few more minutes of petting, a can of wet food, a night sleeping in the human bed, an extra long walk, or some other action just to let them know how much you care before it’s too late.  Every day matters.