To Bark or Not to Bark

To Bark or Not to Bark

December 29th, 2010 @ 9:45 am by Mrs. French Toast
Share

That is the question for Mokka.

When we started to plan the wedding, there was no doubt that Mokka was going to be a part of the big day. He is one of the reasons that Mr. French Toast and I realized we were ready to take the next step in life together. Because if we can raise a puppy together, heck, we can tackle anything! Right…?

After all, we’re talking about the dog who humped his way through the proposal…

To Bark or Not to Bark : wedding pets pleasanton Img 123

…during the engagement/save-the-date photo shoot…

…and in Mokka’s perfect world, he’ll be humping his way down the aisle as well.

But his humping is not what bothers us the most. It’s his barking. His 14-pound self is completly harmless and has never bitten anyone before, but he has a strong, strong bark. The type of bark that scares the postman away.

We’ve tried tirelessly to train him to stop barking on command, but nothing has worked. He can do a mean roll-over, beg, crawl, dance, sit, and even play dead, but cannot for the life of him stop barking when a stranger approaches him or when someone rings the doorbell.

That’s why Mr. French Toast and I are completely torn on whether or not to have Mokka walk down the aisle. Our plans are to have a familiar face such as my brother walk Mokka on a short leash, but I’m worried that the guests will want to pet him or stick their hands out to let him sniff, and he’ll just bark and make a scene. This little guy is not one to sit still, either. We have a hunch that he’ll cry and whine during the ceremony for Mr. French Toast to hold him. I guess you can say he has a small attachment problem.

But we can’t imagine not having Mokka at the ceremony and wearing a little tuxedo. Did I forget to mention he loves to play dress up? He’s a little fashionista, if I may say so myself…

To Bark or Not to Bark : wedding pets pleasanton 37410 1

To Bark or Not to Bark : wedding pets pleasanton N775200

To Bark or Not to Bark : wedding pets pleasanton N77520001

*all personal photos

And now the question is…to bring or not to bring our beloved Mokka to the ceremony? Hive—what are your thoughts? How will your pet play a role in your day?

Tags: pets, pleasanton |

Share |

Latest Gallery Pics

Hot Pink and White with Zebra 36" Lighted Spandex Ostrich Feather Centerpiece

15 Responses to “To Bark or Not to Bark”

Member

Cotton (message) 367 posts, Helper bee

I have a cat and a dog. I would love both to be involved but sadly I know it can’t happen. My cat will be 10 years old when we get married and he’s just a grumper and he hates being social. My dog will be 2 and she’s not a barker but I worry about her ability to perform in a social situation.
I also have seen my sister-in-law bring her dog to her ceremony thinking he would be involved and he got so scared and skittish that he had to be left in an enclosure all day. Super sad.
I have decided that what I will do is have both my cat and dog involved in the engagement pictures and some of the pre-wedding preparation pictures. This way they are involved without the stress.

12/29/10 @ 9:52 am (reply)

Member

CapeBride917 (message) 94 posts, Worker bee

Aw he is super cute! I love my baby dog too, but I know it would be too stressful for her to be at the ceremony (and she would definitely bark/try to get me to hold her).

Maybe hire someone to watch him in a nearby area (just out of view) so you can take some pictures with him before/after the ceremony?

12/29/10 @ 10:13 am (reply)

Member

Pomapoo (message) 1,162 posts, Bumble bee

Your dog is so cute! What breed is he?
My little dogs are definitely too manic to be in my wedding, but I think if you can get your dog to wear little outfits you can probably get him to wear a tux in the wedding. I mean, how cute would that be? Think about whether he barks a lot in public or if it’s just territorial behavior when he is home. If he’s quiet in public and you can put a tux on him I say go for it!

12/29/10 @ 10:18 am (reply)

Guest

Missy

Oh my goodness, he is so cute! What breed is he? I want one!

12/29/10 @ 11:34 am (reply)

Member

tetorger (message) 138 posts, Blushing bee

I debated having my babies at the wedding too, but after we included them in the engagement photos it will be just waaaay to stressful on the big day. My pups are small as well and generally well behaved, however a small dog at a wedding with all that excitement etc., could turn into a disaster. I decided a way to include to pups will be to have them with me the morning of while getting ready. That way they can still be in some cute photos, but once it is time to leave for the venue, they will be taken to the kennel.

12/29/10 @ 11:59 am (reply)

Bee

Miss Jam (message) 309 posts, Helper bee

I WISH we could have our Millie (a lab mix who slays us with constant cuteness) at the ceremony, if only for the fact that we think she would look seriously presh wearing a collar made of flowers.

But having lots of people in one place is both her favorite thing and a definite weakness. Cue hyper dog plus decorations and a cake and a white dress…yikes. It ain’t pretty!

12/29/10 @ 12:01 pm (reply)

Member

MissCasey (message) 214 posts, Helper bee

I was having issues with my dog barking ALL THE TIME. After some research, I found a bark collar… no, not the kind that shocks him, but it just sprays a lemon/citrus scent that dogs don’t like. And believe it or not, it actually works! He’s now trained with it so I don’t even have to turn it on (I just put it on him, and he quits barking). It’s not too big and bulky, so he could probably wear it along with the tux.

Mine was $75 from PetCo. Might be worth looking into if you really want him there!

And have you though about having a long-lasting, super yummy treat for him during the ceremony (after he walks down the aisle)?

12/29/10 @ 12:01 pm (reply)

Member

Kinsey123 (message) 69 posts, Worker bee

I want to have our dog, Jack, in the wedding, but I’m afraid it just wouldn’t work out. He’s around 17 pounds and well behaved in crowds, but I feel bad asking someone to watch him because I think it would distract them from the ceremony and I don’t know what he would do after his initial (although super cute!) walk down the aisle. After having him in our engagement pictures this spring, we’ll see how it goes and if it could even be possible.

12/29/10 @ 12:08 pm (reply)

Member

NauticalBride2011 (message) 878 posts, Busy bee

We are so so so in love with our dog. But he is a total ADD dog and would never sit still for any ceremony of any sorts, plus he would want to say hi to EVERYONE. As much as it pains me, we’re not having him be a part of the ceremony.

12/29/10 @ 12:48 pm (reply)

10.

Bee

Mrs. Glasses (message) 2,741 posts, Sugar bee

He is such a cutie! I loooooove when doggies are in the ceremony. I say, DO IT!

12/29/10 @ 12:54 pm (reply)

11.

Member

bluestuff (message) 254 posts, Helper bee

Mokka looks like a sweetheart! We wanted to include our Silky in the ceremony, too, but for the same reasons you listed, we didn’t. We compromised, though, and had someone from his daycare/overnight place bring him before the ceremony so that he could be part of our portraits. Then he went back to the daycare place. So, we got to include him, but we weren’t overwhelmed with having to be responsible for him during the most important part of the day.

12/29/10 @ 3:07 pm (reply)

12.

Member

Megrit (message) 478 posts, Helper bee

We can’t bring our furbaby. If you aren’t able to bring him, what about pictures of him incorporated somehow?

12/29/10 @ 4:10 pm (reply)

13.

Member

Lexsy (message) 537 posts, Busy bee

He’s your baby, but he’s still a dog… If you are not certain he will behave properly, you shouldn’t bring him. You’d simply worry about it and it might be too much to handle! But I like the above ideas to get someone to watch him and bring him over at the ceremony for some pictures only!

12/29/10 @ 6:00 pm (reply)

14.

Bee

Mrs. Jellyfish (message) 1,450 posts, Bumble bee

I say bring him! Our pup was in our wedding and it was wonderful. Then again, our pup isn’t much of a barker…

12/30/10 @ 12:45 am (reply)

15.

Bee

Mrs. Barrettes (message) 883 posts, Busy bee

We intended to have our pup in the ceremony and I even practiced with him in a tux, but on the big day there was so much else going on that his entrance became a bit of an afterthought and it was easier to leave him out. He wasn’t mad though– he still loves us He did make a cameo at the reception so we still have photos with him on our wedding day!