After training dogs to be ring bearers in mock weddings, Dog Training Elite hosted its own wedding for the first time at its Utah training headquarters—but instead of tying the knot for customers, it was two new franchisees who said “I do.”
Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Valerie Mosier and Steve Thompson signed for three territories in the state’s Lowcountry region. Wedding planning fell by the wayside when the couple traveled to Utah in May for a month of training, so they decided to simply find an officiant to marry them over a Zoom call after class one night.
But Robin Mestas, business partner and wife of Dog Training Elite Founder John Mestas, said “no, that’s not the way it’s going to be,” Mosier recalled.
On May 19, Mosier and Thompson came back to headquarters to find the training room decorated and set up for them to exchange vows.
“We had both of our dogs in the wedding,” Thompson chimed in. “Hank was the ‘best dog’ and Rusty was ‘dog of honor’. They even had two cakes because Valerie is gluten intolerant.”
Valerie Mosier and Steve Thompson adopted Hank last October, a mixed breed dog who served as the “Best Dog” in their wedding hosted at Dog Training Elite’s corporate training center.
When Mosier asked CEO Kelley Rosequist how much they owed the franchisor for the ceremony and celebration, the answer was nothing. “She was like, ‘you’re family, like of course we’re going to throw you a wedding,’” Mosier said.