Dogs are without a doubt the most trustworthy and generous animals that exist on our planet. It is difficult to put into words the connection that exists between a person and his or her companion animal that has four legs. And this heartwarming story is all about the love, respect, and the profound connection that can exist between a person and their dog.

Kelly O’Connell and her cherished dog, Charlie Bear, have known one other for the last 15 years. The young lady, who was 19 years old at the time, was giving her time as a volunteer at an animal shelter in the state of New York. After being discovered by a few strangers shivering in a shopping cart, Charlie was just 12 weeks old when he was brought to the animal shelter. When Kelly saw the puppy for the first time, she had no intention of adopting a dog at that time; nonetheless, she knew in an instant that it was destined to be hers. “When he walked in, all I could say was, ‘Yup. She recollects saying, “I’m bringing this puppy home.”

After a number of years, Kelly, who had by this point finished veterinary school, relocated to Colorado, where she ended up meeting James Garvin (also a veterinarian). It was love at first sight, and they made the decision to start a new life together not long after they had first met (and Charlie too, of course). It didn’t take Kelly and James very long to come to the conclusion that marriage was the right choice for them. It should come as no surprise that they also wanted Charlie to be present. However, it was discovered that the canine patient, who was 15 years old, suffered from a brain ailment. His health continued to deteriorate, and he was in a very fragile state.

His owners were concerned that he wouldn’t be able to attend their wedding, which was scheduled for a future date. Because he had five seizures, and we were just like, ‘this is too much, I don’t want to do this for him longer,'” Kelly said! “I had actually made an appointment for someone to come to the home and we were going to put him down a week before the wedding,” Kelly added!

In a surprising turn of events, Charlie began to feel better about a week before the wedding. The lady said that eventually, it seemed as though the male was saying something along the lines of “no, I want to see this.” “He became better. [He] seemed to be a whole different dog.”

Charlie did end up going to the wedding of one of his favorite groups of people, and the interactions he had there were quite moving. Jen Dziuvenis, who was the photographer for the wedding, managed to get some very priceless shots of the sweet moments that occurred.

Jen said that there was not enough mascara in the world to adequately cover these occasions. “This is what it is to love someone. Affection for one’s spouse and children, love for one’s pets… It was the most heartfelt demonstration of that kind of thing that I’ve ever seen.

One week later, Charlie was euthanized, and he passed away calmly as he was surrounded by his devoted family. Kelly and Jason will remember him for the rest of their lives. “These last 15 years have been absolutely incredible. “There’s no doubt about that,” Kelly said.