Ring-Bearer Dog ‘Pretty Bummed’ After Losing Rings At Wedding

Tucker is good boy — and there’s nothing he could do that’d change that.

After a recent mishap, however, the well-meaning pup apparently needed some convincing.

Last weekend, Tucker was on hand to see the sister of his owner, Jeff Brines, get married to her fiancé, but he was far from some random guest. The future husband and wife had actually chosen the dog to be their ring bearer at the ceremony, delivering their wedding bands down the aisle tied to his collar with twine.

"They both just recognize Tucker as a really special animal," Brines told The Dodo.

But things didn't go quite as planned.

Moments before the ceremony was set to start, Brines briefly lost track of Tucker. It's unclear exactly what he was up to — it was an outdoor wedding with lots of things to explore — but Tucker evidently lost some precious cargo along the way. The rings were suddenly gone.

"When he came back ringless after disappearing for two minutes, I was shocked, to say the least," Brines said. "All I can think is a rose bush grabbed the twine and undid the knot."

A hurried search for the rings proved fruitless.

Observing the resulting commotion, Tucker seemed to understand that he'd screwed up.

"He was pretty bummed," Brines said. "He's really sensitive to people's emotions. If they are sad, he'll do what he can to lift you up. If people are anxious he'll do what he can to fix the problem. So he could tell something was up and got a bit bummed because he didn't understand."

Fortunately, after the initial surprise of hearing the news about the rings, the soon-to-be newlyweds took it all in stride.
 

A pair of stand-in rings were lent to them by guests, and the wedding proceeded as normal. 

"The ring was really a non-issue to the bride and groom. Kind of beautiful in that way," Brines said. "They have each other, and that's what they cared about most. [At the] end of the day, everyone wants a memorable wedding. Though perhaps a ring is a price too high to pay, we got something memorable and the couple was tested in a really cool way."

It was a test that they passed with flying colors.

Seeing how everything worked out after all, Tucker eventually cheered back up. Still, the reviews of his role in the wedding weren't so great. 

"My dad said he got a D-," Brines said. "But we still love him."

Even the bride couldn't hold the mishap against him.

Thankfully, the rings (which still haven't been found) were insured, so it's no huge loss. Brines, to his credit, seems to take some of the blame for Tucker's failed duty — offering this advice to anyone else thinking of having a canine ring bearer:

"Keep your dog close by and tended by a responsible adult holding a leash."