A RESCUE dog from Southampton has gone from homeless hound to father-of-the-bride.

Bingo was whisked away from a city animal shelter to a life of luxury and has become such a big part of his new family’s life that he had a very special role to play at a wedding.

And to say thank you to the Southampton shelter for bringing the pooch into their lives, instead of requesting wedding presents, the couple asked guests to donate to the Blue Cross, raising an incredible £10,000.

The English springer spaniel cross was stranded at the Blue Cross shelter when Katia Gershun and her fiancé John Downer found him.

It was love at first sight for the couple, who had just moved to Southampton and now they have given Bingo a star appearance at their wedding.

Daily Echo:

Bingo ‘gave away’ Katia at their wedding in Monaco, where she and her husband now live.

Katia was so moved by the work at the Blue Cross shelter when she found Bingo two years ago that she was determined to give something back and sacrificed wedding gifts for donations.

Daily Echo:

Katia said: “Bingo has become such an important part of our lives that there was never any doubt he would have to come to our wedding.

“He helped to make our big day even more special and he looked very handsome in his bow-tie.

“We’re so happy to have Bingo in our lives that we asked our guests to make a donation to Blue Cross instead of giving us gifts – it was lovely to be able to say thank you to them for helping us find Bingo and to make a difference for more pets like him.”

Daily Echo:

Lara Alford, from Southampton Blue Cross, based in Bubb Lane, said: “We always love hearing about the pets we’ve cared for in their new homes and I think Bingo is definitely one of the furthest away.

“We’re really grateful to Katia and John for giving Bingo such a lovely new life and for the wonderful, generous gift they and their friends have given to Blue Cross.

“We couldn’t carry on our work without the help of supporters like them and their donation will make an enormous difference to the pets in our care.”