14 DAY TRIAL // A 47-year-old British woman has married her loyal pet terrier. Disappointed by the men she had encountered throughout her life, Amanda Rodgers decided to marry her dog Sheba.
The marriage between Amanda and Sheba reportedly took place in August 2012 during a ceremony that involved 200 people in Split, Croatia.
“Sheba had been in my life for years, making me laugh and comforting me when I was feeling low. I couldn't think of anything more I'd need from a life partner,” the woman said, according to Metro.
Amanda has been married to a real man 20 years ago, but the relationship turned out to be a failure after a few months. Since then she gave up on men and the bond between her and Sheba grew stronger, so she decided to make things official.
The woman wanted everything to be perfect this time, so she even proposed to her non-human friend.
“I got down on one knee and proposed. I could tell by her tail wagging that she said ‘yes,’” the divorcee mentioned.
“I’d dreamed of a perfect wedding dress since I was small, I made it myself for the ceremony. The day was wonderful, more fun than the marriage. I gave her a kiss to seal the deal and then everyone threw confetti. It was a wonderful moment,” she added.
Although their marriage is not a legally accepted union, Amanda says she is happy she could show to the world how much she loves Sheba.
“I know the wedding to Sheba wasn't real in the legal sense. But it was a nice way to mark what Sheba means to me. Sheba's never unkind to me and she's always happy,” she said.
Human–animal marriage was not recognized by law in any country until recently, although such unions have been happening for decades.
However, three months ago, California allowed first-ever state recognized human-animal marriage, when 35-year-old Paul Horner has legally married his dog, Mac. The wedding ceremony took place in San Francisco and was conducted by father McHale.
“This is the definition of true love my friends. There is nothing more sacred than the bond between a man and his faithful dog,” McHale said at the moment.
Other strange cases of human-animal unions happened in the past. For instance, in December 2005, a 41-year-old British millionaire married a dolphin named Cindy at an Israeli resort, while in 2010, a 20-year-old Australian man called Joseph Guiso married his best friend, a five-year-old Labrador.