These Dogs Were Married at a Jewish Senior Center Under a Chup-Paw

Mazel tov, Simba and Shelby!

On Aug. 19, two residents of the Meer Residential Community, part of Jewish Senior Life of Metropolitan Detroit, were married in a small Jewish ceremony. The bride wore a crocheted dress with a tulle skirt, pearls and a leash and the groom just a tuxedo shirt, a kippah and also a leash.

Oh, did I forget to mention the besotted couple are dogs? Jewish Senior Life of Metropolitan Detroit held an adorable Jewish wedding for two adorable Jewish dogs, Simba and Shelby.

Photo by Jewish Senior Life of Metropolitan Detroit

Simba, an 8-year-old cockapoo, and Shelby, a 10-year-old poodle/shih tzu/Maltese mix, were initially introduced by their respective owners when they started going on dog walks together. As reported by People Magazine, Simba and Shelby quickly started seeking out each other’s company outside of walks and became close. Simba’s owner Jean Lutren and Shelby’s owner Audrey Demak devised the idea of a wedding as a way to show the dogs’ care for one another.

A Humble Request:
Hey Alma's content is free because we believe everybody deserves to be a part of our radically inclusive Jewish community. Reader donations help us do that. Will you give what you can to keep Hey Alma open to all? (It's a mitzvah, ya know.)

What resulted was an extremely joyful Jewish dog wedding. The ceremony, which was facilitated by administrators at the Meer Apartments, was attended by more than 75 residents and staff. The wedding party included bridesmaids, Lutren and Demak as flower girls and two helpers holding up a tallit as a chuppah. Or in this case, a chup-paw. Instead of the traditional sheva brachot, or seven blessings, said at a Jewish wedding, the dogs’ vows were written by the Meer Apartment’s creative writing class. At the conclusion of the vows, Lutren did the traditional breaking of the glass (or a material like glass) in her dog’s stead. As if the ceremony wasn’t cute enough, it was also imbued with tikkun olam. In lieu of wedding gifts, Simba and Shelby requested donations to Michigan Humane and $400 was donated in their honor.

Mazel tov, Simba and Shelby! May your lives continue to be filled with walks, treats and perhaps, in a few years time, a pair of bark mitzvahs.

You can watch the full wedding video here.

Evelyn Frick

Evelyn Frick (she/they) is a writer and associate editor at Hey Alma. She graduated from Vassar College in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. In her spare time, she's a comedian and contributor for Reductress and The Onion.

Read More

Is Elphaba in ‘Wicked’ Jewish?

Thanks to Cynthia Erivo, some claim the Wicked Witch of the West is Black-coded. Others say the role Idina Menzel originated reflects antisemitism. Let's discuss.