This dog lived just long enough to see his owner get married

We must warn you that these photos taken at the wedding ceremony are guaranteed to make anyone with a heart sob uncontrollably.

This dog with a brain tumour survived just long enough to see his owners get married.

Charlie Bear was a beautiful black lab mix who lived for 15 years, and spent all but his first twelve weeks with Kelly O'Connell, who married fellow veterinarian James Garvin on 1 September.

When they first met, O'Connell was 19 and working at an animal shelter, to which Charlie was brought as a puppy. The two have been together ever since, including during a relocation across the country from New York to Colorado.

Images of O'Connell and Garvin's wedding captured by Jennifer Dziuvenis, of JenDZ photography have gone viral, in part because of the touching scenes of affection they show between pet and person.

Speaking to Buzzfeed UK, O'Connell explained that in the week running up the wedding, Charlie suffered five seizures. According to Dziuvenis, Charlie was unable to make it up the aisle, so the maid of honour carried him. The sight of the 5'3" Katie Lloyd carrying the 80 lb dog is truly something to behold.

Charlie was diagnosed with a brain tumour in early 2016, and his health had been deteriorating since. Yet, even with his seizures in the week before the wedding O'Connell told the Washington Post that he seemed to be willing himself to make it to their wedding day.

When Charlie made it to the top of the aisle, O'Connell and Garvin reportedly dropped to their knees to fuss the dog.

According to the Washington Post, O'Connell said:

I just kept saying, 'you made it buddy, you made it'...He just had a giant grin on his face...He may not have been able to do what he wanted to do, and his body was definitely failing him...But he was happy to be there.

Charlie had been her marathon training dog, so when he was unable to make it up the aisle, O'Connell said it was 'kind of a sucker-punch to the gut'. Speaking to her fears that involving him in the wedding may have been too much for Charlie, O'Connell said she could see from the wedding photos that he seemed happy.

I just think to myself, despite that feeling of 'did I push it too far', or 'did I force him to stay around for this wedding', looking at those makes me think, he just wanted to see that, us come together, and I guess his mom be taken care of.

O'Connell and Garvin's five other dogs, who also took part in the wedding ceremony in Colorado.

The Washington Post reports that Charlie was put to sleep, peacefully at home. He died while lying in front of the fire place, a few days after the couple tied the knot on 9 September 2016.

RIP Charlie Bear.

HT Washington Post