More than 50 couples in Ecuador have chosen to include their dogs and cats as symbolic witnesses at their civil wedding ceremonies following the introduction of “pet-friendly” weddings.
The initiative, introduced in May by Ecuador’s Civil Registry, allows pets to leave a paw print on a symbolic marriage certificate alongside the signatures of the couple and their human witnesses. The paw print has no legal standing but serves as a sentimental keepsake.
For newlyweds Diana Tupiza and Andres Alquinga, their Pekingese dog, Luna, played that special role during their civil wedding in Quito, France 24 and Times of India report on Sunday.
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“That she (Luna) is here is really spectacular,” Tupiza said after the ceremony.
Luna, dressed in a pink tulle gown, marked the symbolic certificate with her paw print.
Alquinga said including their pet reflected the important place animals hold in many families.
“Animals may not be able to speak to us, or give us advice, but they are there to give us all the love that they have,” he said.
The idea initially surprised Tupiza’s mother, Luz Lima, who eventually embraced it after making Luna’s wedding dress herself.
“It’s better to choose someone…who knows what they’re signing,” Lima recalled telling the couple.
She later added, “These are modern times.”
According to Otton Rivadeneira, director of Ecuador’s Civil Registry, the initiative reflects changing family dynamics.
“We’re definitely adapting to these current, modern needs,” he said.
Ecuador’s latest census found that nearly 7.6 million of the country’s 19 million residents own dogs or cats, almost twice the number of children aged 12 and under.
After the ceremony, Luna placed her paw print on a document labelled “Symbolic marriage certificate,” which includes a designated space for the “paw print of your furry friend.”
Tupiza, who owns three dogs and a cat, said she wished all of her pets could have attended.
“For me, it would have been great if they all could have been here, but she (Luna) I think represents both the (pets) who are here on earth as well as those in heaven.”
