Those shopping for wedding dresses often bring some of the people closest to them—moms, sisters, friends—but one woman’s unexpected guest has melted hearts.
Katie Phillips couldn’t imagine the “special day” without her bestie, her 6-year-old yellow Labrador named Koa. The two have been together since the dog was only 8 weeks old, through all of life’s chapters.
“She is truly my soul dog and best friend,” Phillips told Newsweek via TikTok, “the kind of dog who follows you from room to room, always wants to be involved, and has the happiest and silliest personality.”
But, back in February, Phillips received heartbreaking news: Koa had oral melanoma. The Labrador quickly underwent surgery and received a vaccine to prevent the cancer from spreading, but, two weeks after Phillips got engaged in June, she learned the cancer had spread to Koa’s lungs.
With limited treatment options, Phillips and her fiance are holding onto hope for a miracle. And, without knowing how much time Koa has left, Phillips takes her by her side in everything she does, including the wedding-planning process.
Phillips found a wedding-dress shop in Charleston, South Carolina, that allows dogs in by request. She instantly knew Koa needed to join her. Phillips reached out to the owner and was granted the green light to bring her pet.
Phillips posted a July 8 TikTok video to the account @phillipske, sharing how that “special day” of wedding dress shopping with Koa turned out. It was nothing but smiles all around. Koa had a field day, living her best life during the appointment. She looked at Phillips with admiration.
“She was going in and out of the dressing room with me, tail wagging nonstop,” Phillips said. “Her eyes were brighter than ever that day. It felt like she knew I am getting married, and she was there in a maid-of-honor role.”
TikTok users instantly became obsessed with this idea, calling Koa a “girl’s girl,” and, as of Thursday, the video has reached over 46,700 views and more than 7,124 likes.
“She’s so proud to be there!” commented a viewer, while a second added: “She’s just one of the girls. Literally one of the most precious things I’ve ever seen.”
A third person wrote: “They deserve to be there for all the important moments!”
Someone suggested: “Please get her own dress. She looks so happy to see her mom in one.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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