"I just thought, 'this is a really sweet photo of a girl and her dog,'" Maddie said. "That was about all that crossed my mind."But the sweet moment carried even more meaning than she realized. Bella knew that the stress of the wedding was taking a toll on Valerie.
"Like maybe three minutes before the photo was taken, she alerted to my high anxiety, and she was trying to get me to refocus on the day and how to enjoy it," says Valerie.[rsnippet id="2"] After the wedding, Maddie did what just about every wedding photographer does. She shared a few pictures from the wedding online as a preview. To her complete surprise, the one of Bella soothing Valerie went viral overnight on the popular site, Reddit!
"In the photo it really just shows the bond of a service dog and her handler and how much you have to be attuned to each other, and really thrive and make things work," Valerie said. "It's hard to really explain and put into words just how important she is to me, and I think what's cool about that photo is that it kind of does that."So, while the beautiful photo is garnering it's share of "awwws," it's also raising awareness about the very important role service animals play. They are a true blessing to the humans they aid, and Valerie describes Bella as "an extended part of me."