I lost my dog 2 days before my wedding

About this video

Clark Kegley recounts losing his three-legged German Shepherd, Hondo, two days before his wedding. As a child he longed for a dog and was crushed by a family prank that put a Furby in a dog crate; as an adult, he and his then-girlfriend Danny adopted Hondo from an overflowing shelter during COVID. Hondo arrived reactive, with a bite record, and required two training boot camps and years of work by the couple, transforming by age seven into a gentle dog ready for a second German Shepherd. The couple chose a desert Airbnb wedding venue specifically so their dogs could attend. Two days before the wedding, Danny noticed Hondo’s white gums and cold paws. Vets found blood around his heart and diagnosed hemangiosarcoma, a cancer common in German Shepherds; despite Kegley authorising about $8,000 in tests and repeated draining, they signed do-not-resuscitate forms and said goodbye. He reflects that Hondo helped the couple grow through seven years together, and that on the wedding day he gave himself permission to feel whatever he felt, without expectations. He closes with the lesson that grief is the price of love, that we do not keep the things we love forever, and to spend extra minutes with loved ones now.

Key takeaways

• Hondo, a reactive three-legged German Shepherd with a bite record, was transformed over six years of training into a gentle dog able to live with a second dog.
• Two days before the wedding, Hondo was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma after blood filled the sac around his heart, and he could not be saved despite extensive treatment.
• The couple had chosen their wedding venue specifically so their dogs could be part of the ceremony and stay with them.
• Kegley’s wedding-day approach was to drop all expectations and give himself permission to feel sad or happy as emotions came.
• His closing lesson: grief is the price of love, we only get to love people and animals while they are here, so spend the extra five minutes with them.

Episode details: published May 26, 2026 · 9:48 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Clark Kegley’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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