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THOM proudly walked owner Julie Brammer down the aisle to give her away to be married to Paul Hargreaves
THOM proudly walked owner Julie Brammer down the aisle to give her away to be married to Paul Hargreaves
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Bride is given away by her sheepdog

Pete Bainbridge
29/ 8/2007

IT MAY sound like a shaggy dog story, but one beautiful bride was walked down the aisle by her beloved Old English Sheepdog at her Rushton Spencer wedding.

Staffordshire Police dog handler Julie Hargreaves (nee Brammer), 38, chose her proud pooch, Thom, 13, to give her away, in place of her late father.

The handsome hound made no bones about the ceremony, held at the wedding barn at Heaton House Farm, and was the only collar there...as a registrar rather than a vicar tied the knot.

Trusty Thom bequeathed his adored owner to her beloved, fellow cop Paul Hargreaves, 28, in holy matrimony.

But when it came to that vital "paws" in the proceedings when the customary silence falls, Thom couldn't hush (puppy).

Julie, said: "When the registrar asked the congregation if there was anyone present who had any objections to the marriage, Thom sneezed really loudly. It really broke the ice though. He couldn't have timed it better!

"My dad died two-and-a-half years ago and nobody could ever replace dad, so Thom was the obvious choice, and besides, he's been in the family so long he needed to be there."

Thom's speech duties for the day were thankfully taken care of by the bride - but he certainly looked the part with his new haircut which cost £200.

The couple, from Trent Lakes in North Staffordshire, and their 180 guests then enjoyed a barbecue and hog roast which of course, Thom tucked into with great relish as a reward for a great job done.

There was also a bouncy castle, with live music from swing band Mills and Croon, and some of the dog-tired punters even stayed over in tents on the farmland.

As for Thom, after performing his duties he accompanied the newlyweds to the "honeymoon suite" at the B&B and curled up in his basket at the bottom of their bed.

Mick Heath, proprietor of the wedding barn, said: "We have had some strange instances in the past, but nothing like this. This is certainly the most unusual wedding!"


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Most recent 2 of 2 user comments

   Bow Wow!Give the Bride a Bone!
midway, West Germany
4/10/2007 at 17:18
   A shaggy-dog story is an extremely long-winded tale featuring extensive narration of typically irrelevant incidents, usually resulting in a pointless or absurd punchline. A rather strange way to describe one of your own stories. Or was the inaccurate use of the phrase just another example of lazy, dated and clichéd writing at the Express?
Charles Davies, Sutton
1/09/2007 at 10:42
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