Touching photo captures bond between bride and her service dog

A touching photo of a bride and her service dog has captured the heart of many people on social media.  

In a photo, taken by photographer Maddie Peschong on Jan. 9, Valerie Parrot, kneels in her wedding dress and cradles her service dog's head. Parrott was married in Sioux Falls, S.D., and couldn't celebrate her big day without the help of Bella.

Parrott said she believes the photo resonates with people because it shows how much she and Bella rely on each other, even at her wedding.

"I think it's had such a positive effect because it captures such an amazing bond between a service dog and her handler," Parrott said. "Without Bella, my life wouldn't be the same, so it just made sense that she would be a part of mine and my husband's big day."

Peschong said she posted a few of the wedding images on Sunday, and by Thursday morning she had messages from people saying the photo was on the front page of Reddit. By Thursday evening, the photo had been viewed over 1.5 million times on Imgur and had been upvoted more than 5,600 times on Reddit.

Nothing could have prepared the part-time photographer for the public response to the photo of the bride and tutu-clad dog.

Peschong said it's a new experience to have masses of people view her work online.

"Suddenly, you're thrust into the spotlight and you didn't ask for it," she said. "It's just crazy."

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