These heartwarming photos tell the story of Koda, a pit bull mix who owes his life to a selfless young Florida couple and their wedding fund.
Melanie Cannon and Eddie Hanna rescued the dog at the end of last year from the Halifax Humane Society.
The newly engaged couple were eagerly planning for married life together but their big day had to take a back seat when they found out that Koda, the runt of his litter, was suffering serious health defects.
The young pup had the worst case of liver shunt their vet said he had ever seen and was facing a lifelong need for expensive treatment and medication.
Cannon and Hanna had already lost a pile of cash when their initial wedding plans had to be dropped owing to the death of Cannon's grandmother and when Koda's pet insurance refused to pay for his care they faced a difficult decision.
But rather than give up on the new addition to their family the couple pledged to once again forgo their upcoming nuptials and use the money to pay for his care.
'We just did what anybody would've done,' Hanna said. 'He deserves to be alive and to be loved.'
So the second fund was spent, not even covering the total bill for treatment and medication,
Now it is third time lucky for the couple as their community rallies round to make sure their dream wedding finally happens.
Led by the Halifax Humane Society, local vendors offered to donate their goods and services to see Cannon and Hanna tie the knot on Saturday.
'It really hit home with our entire staff,' said Miguel Abi-hassan, Halifax Humane Society's executive director. 'We felt we needed to be able to do something to turn that around.'
The exact cost of the wedding hasn't been disclosed but it is believed to be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
'We tried to meet dollar per dollar on what we believe their dream wedding would be and get them as close to that as possible,' Abi-hassan said.
Among the donors is Amber's Jewel Catering which will be throwing the after party at its Ormond Beach reception facility for the soon-to-be Mr and Mrs Hanna and their 75 guests.
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TXT 24
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