Grab your tissues: This couple’s wedding day was all about their ailing dog

Need a big, heaping dose of feels this Monday? Grab a box of tissues, because this one’s a doozy.

Cassidy Williams, 29, was set to marry her fiancé, 33-year-old Mattijs, on August 7th. The plan was to hold a beautiful wedding on the coast of Oregon, and Dood, Cassidy’s beloved 5-year-old golden retriever, would stay home in Utah for the big day. But when Cassidy received some devastating news about Dood, she decided to completely change things around.

Cassidy adopted Dood when he was just a puppy, and as she told CNN, “he was always a happy, sweet, healthy dog.” So when Dood was suddenly diagnosed with terminal cancer, she decided to make her best friend a huge part of their wedding by taking him to Oregon and making him the ring-bearer.

Cassidy’s dad canceled his flight, and he drove Dood the 800 miles (over 13 hours!) from their home to the wedding venue. In his five years, Dood had never had the opportunity to see the ocean — so the couple made sure to plan some special time for him to splash around in the waves for the first and last time. “He wasn’t quite sure what to do at first,” Cassidy told CNN, but soon, he was having a total blast.

The couple also made sure to give their wedding photographer, Natalya Jenney, special instructions about their wedding photographs. “[Williams] emphasized that because his time was short, I should focus my lens time especially on him,” Natalya told The Dodo.

And so she did. Dood had an amazing time, soaking up the sun and romping around the beach. “He was energetic, loving, and simply happy looking,” Natalya told The Dodo. “He was running around, giving kisses to everyone, and just enjoying the amount of people all together ready to give him a petting.” 

Dood had the time of his life at the wedding and was able to spend this special day helping to celebrate two humans he loves. The couple was also thrilled they were able to spend these last precious moments with Dood. “Dood brought a great energy to the wedding,” Natalya told The Dodo. “He filled that space with love and comfort.”

The story of Dood has traveled the world, as evidenced by the tweet below.

“He was so happy, he had so much energy,” Cassidy told CNN. “He did a fantastic job as the ring bearer.”

According to CNN, the family lost Dood last month. What a bittersweet and beautiful celebration of all kinds of love.

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[Images via Twitter, Instagram]