Rescue dog steals the show at her owners’ wedding

A RESCUE dog who was put on a diet as she needed to lose almost half her weight, has stolen the show at her Lymm owners’ wedding. 
Labrador Poppy weighed in at 40kg, almost double her ideal weight and needing to lose the equivalent of four Yorkshire Terriers.
While she waited at Dogs Trust Manchester for her new forever home, the 11-year-old was given a tailored exercise regime by the team at the rehoming centre along with a doggy diet.
She had started her weight loss journey when Scott Smith and his fiancé Hannah Wright from Lymm visited and fell in love with her.
Scott said: “She stole our hearts straight away! We just looked into her eyes and saw her wagging tail and that was it! We were committed to helping her lose weight and as we were already planning the wedding we knew she’d have a big role in the day so rather than watching our waistlines we were watching hers!”
Poppy was ‘Dog of Honour’, accompanying Scott to the wedding at Dunham Massey venue and helping calm his nerves as he waited for Hannah to arrive.
“There was never a doubt that she would be with us at our wedding and she really helped keep me calm. It was lovely having her by my side whilst I watched Hannah walk down the aisle.”
Poppy found herself without a home last year after a change in her family’s circumstances meant she could no longer stay with them. She had been at the centre for over a month before she headed off with Scott and Hannah to their home in Lymm.
Scott added: “She completes our family and we can’t imagine life without her. She is simply the best dog! We would have loved her to have reached her weight loss target by the wedding but it has been so hot this summer that we’ve had to be very careful exercising her.
“We are still aiming to reach her goal of 25kg. She is much happier and healthier having lost weight so we’re going to keep on going so she can get the most fun out of life possible!”
Assistant Manager at Dogs Trust Manchester, Carol Margieson, said: “Poppy was a very portly pooch when she arrived with us and it’s brilliant that Scott and Hannah have carried on making sure she loses weight. She looked great on the wedding day and it’s wonderful that she is at the heart of such a loving family.”
To find out about all the dogs currently waiting for their special someone at Dogs Trust Manchester,go to www.dogstrust.org.uk