Pets Take a Walk Down the Isle

People spend thousands of dollars on their weddings to make sure it’s juuuust right. And now, Fido may have his chance to get involved, too. In a study conducted in 2011, Brides magazine found that 10% of weddings included pets at the ceremony and/or reception, about half of which were in the actual wedding party.

Perhaps the most famous canine to appear was Ace, singer Carrie Underwood’s rat terrier, who made his appearance walking down the aisle in a Swarovski-crystal-studded tux. Many people who include pets in the special day credit it to the simple fact that their pet is part of the family. Whether it’s a pig, goat, chicken, or dog - for many, they all deserve their place in the family photo.

But of course, with this new trend come the obvious “accidents” and mishaps that should be accounted for when planning the big day. Pets are never entirely predictable, and just because it’s your big day, it doesn’t mean Fido has prepared accordingly. So maybe you can’t guarantee perfect behavior for your guests, but who doesn’t love a puppy in a tux?

PET POLITICS

Pet politicking is all the rage. And it seems to be working. President Obama’s campaign has mastered a new target audience – pet owners – to help spread their love of animals – and the president.  “Pet Lovers For Obama” is a facebook page for pet owners to post pictures of their pets dressed in political garb and exchange comments to one another. The page was created by Tina Gangidine – and of course guest hosted by Bo Obama, who is pictured across the cover page with his loving owner.

The site has already garnered over 35,000 “likes.” Gangidine says this is more attention than any of her other campaigns have ever seen. With cute cats in flashy Obama collars and dogs in tiny Obama tees, how could it not? And in case of pet-envy, there is even an accompanying page where pet owners can buy merchandise for their own furry friends, including “I meow for Michelle” cat collars and “I bark for Barack” car magnets.

Mitt Romney’s campaign doesn’t have a similar website (at least not yet anyway), but rather criticizes Obama for diverting attention away from the bigger issues. Yet, with so many loving pet owners out there, appealing to this sentiment really only seems like some good ol’ fashioned politicking.