NEED TO KNOW
A couple honored their 19-year-old dog, Jack, at their wedding ceremony just before having to put him down
In a now-viral video shared by their wedding videographer, bride Libbee Dyer said, “He’s going to go to heaven on Monday”
The video also shows groom Ryan Dyer saying through tears at the altar, “Our trio is about to become a duo”
Ryan and Libbee Dyer’s emotional wedding day was a celebration of love — and the many beautiful years they spent with their dog, Jack.
As they prepared to tie the knot, the couple was also facing the heartbreaking reality of having to put down their beloved 19-year-old pet.
“He’s going to go to heaven on Monday,” Libbee, wearing her wedding dress, said in a now-viral video shared on Instagram by their wedding videographer, Jamie Ross.
Ryan and Libbee decided to honor Jack on their special day, with all their friends and family surrounding them.
“This weekend, as much as it’s our celebration, it’s a celebration for Jack as well, just so everyone we love can say goodbye to him because we do everything with him,” the bride explained in the clip, which shows the dog — who’s dressed in a tiny black-and-white tuxedo — lying in a wagon decorated with ribbon as guests approached to pet him.
The video also features various photos and clips of the couple’s travel and adventures with Jack, including a ride on Australia’s Puffing Billy, the world’s oldest steam locomotive. Jack can be seen resting his head on the sill of an open window, catching a breeze during the ride.
“I feel like he’s touched a part of everyone’s lives in his 19 years,” Libbee noted of Jack’s legacy.
Ross’ video, which has received more than 3 million views, also captures the couple standing at the altar, as Ryan said through tears to Libbee, “And even though our trio is about to become a duo, I know it won’t be long before we are filling the back seat again.”
In a lengthy caption, Ross shared how the Dyers’ story, and love for Jack, moved him.
“I don’t usually get emotional at weddings these days — I stay pretty focused on filming, but this story got me. When I arrived on the wedding day, it was immediately clear how much Jack meant to his Ryan & Lib, and I knew I had to capture whatever I could,” he wrote.
Jamie Ross Weddings
Libbee and Ryan Dyer, with dog Jack, on their wedding day
“Although it’s not the kind of storyline that would fit into a wedding film, I knew I wanted to put something together as a keepsake,” he added. “At the heart of it, my work is about preserving a snapshot in time — something real to return to as the years pass.”
Ryan and Libbee told Today.com that they made the difficult decision to put Jack down two weeks before their wedding, and vowed to make the most of the time they had left with their pet.
On their wedding day, he was the guest of honor.
“I had his bed behind us at the wedding for the dinner, so he had a bit of the entrée, a bit of dessert, a bit of the main [course],” Ryan told the outlet.
Jamie Ross Weddings
Ryan and Libbee Dyer with their dog Jack
“Everyone got to go up to him and say their goodbyes, or give him a pat, give him a treat. He got all the attention during the cocktail hour, which he loved,” he added.
Jack has been Ryan’s faithful companion since he was a child. When he was 12, his parents surprised him and his sister with two puppies, and Ryan got Jack, then just 8 weeks old.
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“I still remember they drove up into the driveway, and Jack’s head was above the car window,” Ryan told Today.com.
Eventually, Libbee came into the duo’s lives, and they became a family of three.
The couple said it’s been heartwarming to see how Jack’s story has touched so many people, who flooded the video’s comments section with messages of sympathy.
“Jake was the center of our universe, and it felt really fitting that now almost 4 million people have seen how special he was,” Libbee told Today.com.
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Ross is happy that he was able to preserve these precious memories of Jack’s final moments for the Dyers.
“Hearing the story directly from Libbee gave it an extra layer of intimacy. It made it like a time capsule for how she felt in that exact moment,” the videographer told the outlet.
Read the original article on People
