For their wedding photos, bride-to-be Kathryn Dombrowski and her fiancé Brad Ziemer took “puppy love” to another level. As avid animal lovers, the happy couple decided to forego flowers for something a bit more cute and cuddly: a litter of rescue puppies.
Dombrowski volunteers at Secondhand Hounds, an animal rescue based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Like any shelter, Secondhand Hounds is dedicated to the “adopt, don’t shop” campaign—a movement that seeks to speak out against pet shops and breeders and bring attention to the ample animals available in refuges. In order to spread “adopt, don’t shop” awareness, Secondhand Hounds has created puppy parties, a too-good-to-be-true program that brings adoptable and adorable dogs straight to your home—or even your wedding.
On their big day, Dombrowski and Ziemer surprised their families and unsuspecting wedding party with a litter of 13 five-week-old pit bull puppies. “They all thought we were heading outside to take pictures and to their surprise and delight, there were pit bull puppies!” Dombrowski told Huffington Post. “They couldn’t believe it. The wedding party was so excited that the photographers had a hard time lining everyone up for pictures because of their awe and excitement.” The extra-special puppy party was both organized and photographed by Alycia Faye Petrie, the program’s coordinator who also happens to be a professional photographer.
Born to a Secondhand Hounds rescue dog named Pikachu, each tiny puppy was adorably named after a Pokémon. Dombrowski hopes that each little poké-dog will remind the puppy-loving public that animal refuges are full of loving animals looking for foster parents and forever homes. “There is no reason for pet stores to be around with all of the great dogs and cats in animal rescues looking for homes,” she told Huffington Post. “Many people don’t want to buy animals from an animal rescue because they think they’ll be only older dogs or unruly dogs. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Secondhand Hounds has every age of dog from puppies to 17 years old, many different breeds and with a variety of temperaments.” In addition to the super cute shoot, the happy couple also decided to donate to Secondhand Hounds and Bringing Hope Home in lieu of favors. Overall, the day was a shelter success!
To find your next furry friend, check out Petfinder where you can search for an animal shelter near you.
Dog lovers turned their wedding shoot into something special with a liter of “second hand hounds.”
Secondhand Hounds: Website | Facebook | Instagram
via [Huffington Post]
All images via Alycia Faye Photography.