Wanted: photogenic pooch to take over as top dog
IN a midtown Manhattan, New York, hotel, a very special bride-to-be named Lucky, decked out in a frilly pink dress, recently celebrated her impending nuptials with friends over champagne, sandwiches, cupcakes and tea.
Like many brides, Lucky is in a rush to walk down the aisle but she is no ordinary spouse-in-waiting and her shower was anything but typical. Lucky, like many of her 32 guests, is a dog – the mostphotographed dog in the world with celebrities.
But there’s more, a lot more.
She and her ‘‘parent’’, Wendy Diamond, have dedicated their lives to help the plight of rescue animals, yet that will soon end. The energetic but aging Maltese was diagnosed with spleen cancer in February and given three months to a year to live.
‘‘Lucky’s entire life has been about bringing awareness to rescue,’’ said Diamond, who has made Lucky an ambassador for shelter dogs. ‘‘We’re looking for someone to take over.’’
Diamond has plans for an elaborate July 12 wedding at the Jumeirah Essex House hotel in Manhattan. The author and animal rescue advocate is looking to pair Lucky with a spouse that will carry on her legacy of supporting animal welfare and rescue.
Diamond said that when she adopted Lucky in 1999, the Maltese suffered from separation anxiety, forcing her to carry the 8lbs (3.6kg) pooch to all the dates on her social calendar – dinner parties, TV show tapings and charity events. One night, she was a guest at a dinner party attended by Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant, and an idea struck her.
‘‘I said, ‘Hey Hugh, my dog is your biggest fan, would you mind taking a picture with her?’,’’ Diamond said. ‘‘That’s how it all started.’’
Since then, Lucky has posed with hundreds of stars including Kristen Stewart, President Bill Clinton, billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson and of course, Snoop Dogg. She will appear in the 2013 Guinness World Records as the mostphotographed animal with celebrities.
The ideal partner for Lucky should be friendly and not camera shy but Diamond is otherwise keeping an open mind.
Diamond will select Lucky’s spouse on June 28, two weeks before the wedding.