BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres' announced their new team puppy for the 2023-24 season.
Her name is Blue, which was voted on by the fans. She's a 14-week-old St.Bernard/Mastiff mix.
Blue will be training with the WNY Heroes' Pawsitive for Heroes program to become a service dog for a local veteran in need.
Blue will have her own social media account.
This is the team's third dog they've helped train.
In 2022, Nikki, a golden retriever selected to be a service dog, was named after Nicholas Warden, a US Army Veteran from Depew who was killed in Syria in 2017.
The team's first dog, Rick, spent the 2021-22 season with the team training and is working as a service dog for U.S. Coast Guard veteran Chris Kankiewicz. Rick was named after Sabres Hall-of-fame play-by-play announcer Rick Jeanneret.
Pawsitive For Heroes has placed over 170 service dogs all across the country. To fully train a service dog, it costs about $5,000. Each dog is given free of charge to qualifying veterans.
Pawsitive For Heroes funds this program through the generosity of donors and through fundraisers. For more information on the program and how to donate, check out their website. https://wnyheroes.org/grants-programs/pawsitive-for-heroes/