In human years, Luna the black lab-Great Dane mix is about three years old. And, like many preschoolers, she’s drawn to dessert and doesn’t understand the idea of look, but don’t touch.
This led to a bit of a problem at Jennie Perry and Jesse Keltz’s wedding Saturday at June Farms in West Sand Lake.
As the staff was setting up for the venue’s first wedding since the pandemic dogged the industry last spring, Josh Vics — the farm’s manager — helped unwrap and arrange chairs. Vics’ 6-month-old dog, Luna, played nearby.
The dog was frolicking and being her usual playful self, Vics said.
Then the cake came out. Luna eyed the towering treat on the table, ran over and took a bite.
The horrified caterers looked on, unable to reach the multi-layer creation before the hungry hound chomped.
“When I saw it, all the blood drained out of my face,” said Vics, who instantly pulled the leash out of his pocket, clipped it on Luna’s collar and took her home. “I thought ‘Oh no. I am going to have to run away to California, change my name, find a new job.'”
Luna knew she’d made a mistake, Vics said. The dog looked sheepish while licking vanilla frosting off of her chops.
The farmhand stresses he would’ve taken Luna from the tent during set-up if he saw the cake was coming out. She’s sweet and gentle — she curiously watches the chickens and ducks on the property and wags her tail when she sees people or other dogs — but she is still a puppy.
Vics apologized to the Mazzone Hospitality team repeatedly and asked what he could do. They assured him it was fine, and they could fix the damage. Which they did with the help of some frosting and a few fresh flowers. The catering team also turned the cake so the section Luna sampled was on the back.
The couple, fortunately, was unfazed.
“We thought the dog eating the cake was hilarious,” wrote Perry and Keltz in an email. “We keep saying one day we will tell our children about it and they won’t believe it.”
Keltz’s childhood dog, Apollo, passed away recently, and he was notorious for stealing snacks. The couple decided the uninvited canine must have been Apollo letting them know he was at wedding. Farm fans were also amused. Matt Baumgartner, who owns June Farms, talked about the incident on social media earlier this week. His tweet generated more than 200 reactions.
Mazzone Hospitality contacted a local bakery and had fresh cakes in the same flavor with the same frosting ready in the back for the reception. The original cake was used for photos and the formal cutting, but guests feasted on pieces cut from the sheet cakes in the back.
Perry and Keltz said they were amazed at how well the catering team did putting the cake back together, adding no one had any idea what happened.
“When we told (guests) the story, they thought it was so funny,” Perry said. “Out of everything that could have gone wrong, that will definitely just end up being a highlight and funny story to always tell. “
Vics, meanwhile, says it may be time to get Luna some formal training — or purchase a couple books on obedience.
“I thought she was done eating off the counters,” Vics said. “But apparently the allure of a (wedding) cake was too strong to resist.”
