Service dogs Storm and Tucker were united in holy matrimony during a ceremony on Friday, Sept. 19, at Smithtown Landing. The wedding of the year was hosted by two Long Island-based nonprofit organizations, Operation VEST (Veterans Ending Suicide Together) and Paws of War. The celebration raised awareness about veteran suicide and served as a commemoration of the positive impact service dogs have on their owners, plus the shared connection between the two organizations.

Founders of Operation VEST, Jenny Mortenson Hespeler and Stefan Hespeler, adopted Tucker, a mini Australian shepherd, from Paws of War in September 2023. Paws of War typically only allows someone to adopt their dogs if they are a veteran, on active duty, a first responder or a Gold Star family. While Stefan and Jenny are both civilians, they were permitted to adopt Tucker and guide him through the service dog training program so they could better explain the Paws of War service dog adoption and training process to veterans they come across.    

Tucker and Storm—along with their owners—met during Paws of War training classes.

“During training classes, Jenny and Stefan fell in love with my dog, Storm, and it has taken off to become such a great relationship,” shared Storm’s handler Michael Sweeney, who is the outreach representative for Paws of War and a Desert Storm Navy veteran. “They are like family.” 

The idea to host a wedding fundraiser started off as a joke, but soon turned into much more. When Jenny began to plan the event, it got bigger and bigger, until it felt like planning a human wedding. Over 100 people and dozens of furry friends attended the wedding on the 19th. The wedding was complete with dogs in tuxedos and dresses parading around the gorgeous venue, donated by Smithtown Landing. Guests enjoyed a human cake donated by Benkert’s Bakery, doggy cake donated by Barkfield Road, and food donated by Heroes for our Heroes, another Long Island-based nonprofit that aids veterans.

“The premise of this dog wedding—because I think a lot of people would think we are just crazy and think our dogs are actually in love—through the almost two years that Stefan and I have been in the training program, we have really bonded with these people,” said Jenny. “They brought us in and treated us as if we did serve the country. It has become a second family to us, and we wanted to really celebrate that.”

The wedding was not only a celebration of the unity of the two organizations, but a celebration of the service dogs themselves.

“Storm has been fantastic for me, helping me with my everyday issues,” noted Sweeney. “There are days when I sit on the couch and just stare into space. She knows that daddy is not right, and she comes up and just licks me, puts her paws on me and I snap right out of it. Paws of War themselves, I could never repay them back. They practically saved my life.”

No wedding would be complete without a registry, and the canine wedding was no different. Two registries through Chewy and Amazon feature a plethora of supplies that help the Paws of War kennel and training room function on a daily basis. Each item purchased is delivered directly to Paws of War. To purchase a registry gift, visit the Chewy registry at www.chewy.com/g/paws-of-war-inc_b109914199 or the Amazon registry at www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2UKPME9WK99IZ?ref_=wl_share. 

Through the union of their two dogs, the mutual respect for each other’s organization was very apparent.

“There is something really special that happens in that [Paws of War] training program,” Jenny said of Paws of War. “A veteran or a first responder who retires and no longer has that kind of brotherhood and camaraderie can substitute that in the training room and readjust back to being a civilian.”

“They are spreading awareness about suicide in our veterans; it is 22 a day who commit or attempt suicide. Just one is too many,” Sweeney said of Operation VEST. “Jenny and Stefan, neither one of them are first responders or veterans; they do this because they care.”

Suicide is a heavy subject, but it is reality and needs to be spoken about. Through light-hearted events like the wedding, Operation VEST and Paws of War are able to call attention to the stigma around veterans’ mental health and create open dialogue in an engaging—and possibly the most heart-warming, ever—manner.

To learn more about the organizations or to donate, visit www.pawsofwar.org and www.operationvest.org.