Puppy with ‘open-mouth smile’ steals the show at mountaintop proposal, NC rescue says
A North Carolina animal rescue received an email asking for help — but not the kind it’s typically used to.
Instead of the normal request to help rescue an animal in the area, someone was asking the organization for help in a “perfect marriage proposal”, according to an Oct. 17 Facebook post from Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in Asheville. A man named Kolton, with some support from one of the rescue’s puppies, popped the question to his girlfriend in a picturesque outdoor proposal.
The planning process went on for months, according to the rescue. Kolton wanted to include Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in the big moment in part because animal rescue is “so meaningful to the couple,” the post says.
“My girlfriend’s two passions in life are mountains and dogs,” Kolton said in the Facebook post. “When the time was right, I set up everything I could to give Ashley her dream proposal, but I still needed a bit of help to make her day absolutely perfect.”
The big moment came during the couple’s hike at Roan Mountain in Tennessee, where he set up an intimate spot in a vista to ask if Ashley would marry him.
“Tears of joy fell as Ashley soaked up the romantic scene and Kolton dropped to one knee,” the rescue said on Facebook.
But the cheery memories wouldn’t end there. A furry white puppy named Highland — named after a local brewery — came “barreling happily toward the newly engaged couple with a big, open-mouth smile on his face.” The puppy had been waiting with a Brother Wolf staff member for his cue, which he acted on “just as planned,” the rescue said.
“Animal rescue is challenging and, as you know, this summer has been full of struggles with so many animals needing Brother Wolf’s help,” the rescue said on Facebook. “It’s lovely when we get the chance to be a part of something that is full of pure joy and celebration and we wanted to share this happy moment with you too!”
Many in the comments were elated by the story, one Facebook user calling it “a story of love and kindness for all.”
But others had one main question: Did the future husband and wife adopt Highland?
The rescue wrote in the comments that Kolton and Ashley did not adopt Highland because they already have three rescue dogs at home, but that he held a “special place in their hearts as the puppy who was at the start of their happily-ever-after.”
Highland was later adopted by “another loving family,” the rescue said in another Facebook comment.
This story was originally published October 18, 2023 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Puppy with ‘open-mouth smile’ steals the show at mountaintop proposal, NC rescue says."
