Here comes the pooch? Pets are part of family, wedding

Kaycee English considers her dog Bowser part of the family, so including him in her wedding was an obvious choice.

com, wishing she could adopt a dog? Hadn’t her husband, John, taken the lead on talking their landlord into allowing a pet?

"I really wanted everyone that I loved there that day,” said English, who lives in Freehold, N.J., and dressed Bowser in a tuxedo T-shirt for ringbearer duty.

The idea of dogs walking down the aisle or sitting for wedding photos may be strange — even repulsive — to some, but a little planning can make things run smoothly and bring families closer together.

Stephanie Baker of Bowling Green, Ky., said she and her husband, Steven, adopted their blind dog, Tucker, when his story on Petfinder "tugged at our heartstrings.” They rarely leave home without him and felt strongly about including him in their wedding.

She made one wedding photo a tribute to her mother, who has cancer. Baker posed in the same position with Tucker as Mom did with her own dog at her wedding 35 years ago.

"If it’s something that’s important to you, do it,” Baker said. "If you have strong feelings about wanting to include someone, you’ll regret not doing it.”

Finding a venue that allows dogs may not be as big a deal as you might expect. Jessica Sempek of Skokie, Ill.

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