CAPTAIN
The Colorado Springs Switchbacks soccer team named and are following their second puppy, Captain VII. The Switchbacks are supporting Captain for 14 months on his journey to become a service dog. Captain, a black Labrador Retriever, attends games and team events to cheer on the Switchbacks during their season. The Switchbacks also followed puppy Striker in 2021-22.
GILL
Puppy Gill was named and is being followed by the San Jose Sharks professional hockey team! Gill is being raised and trained by a volunteer puppy raiser in San Jose, California. Following in Service Dog Finn's pawprints, Gill has already made a big splash in San Jose! He has met players, fans and staff, cheered on the team at games, attended events and more. Follow Gill's journey to service dog on Twitter and Instagram at @sharkspup.
BRUTUS
Canine Companions puppy Brutus can be seen every Friday morning on NBC4 WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio. Brutus’ name was chosen by viewers as a tribute to Ohio State Football and the one-and-only Brutus Buckeye. Like his namesake, Brutus is loved by Central Ohioans. His puppy raiser, Nicole, takes Brutus to the station for his weekly morning segment, during which he can typically be seen assisting Meteorologist McKenna King as she gives the weekend “Furrcast.” Brutus made his first big public appearance during DogFest North Central 2022, and wowed the crowd with his perfect eye contact and attentive personality. He’ll return to the Canine Companions North Central campus in August to begin his professional training on the path to becoming a service or facility dog. You can watch for updates by visiting @nbc4pups on Facebook and Instagram.
DONNY
The Pittsburgh community has watched Canine Companions puppy Donny grow up on KDKA TV’s Pittsburgh Today Live over the past year and a half. He has flourished under the guidance of his puppy raisers, the Sabo family. From celebrating his first birthday with a puppy paw-ty, to showing out in support during local fundraising events, Pittsburgh residents were there every step of the way. Earlier this year, community members watched with pride as Donny returned to the North Central Training Center to begin his time in professional training. Keep tabs as the station’s partnership with Canine Companions continues to grow by following @KDKApups on Facebook.
RANGER
Ranger is a black Labrador/Golden Retriever cross being sponsored by the Pensacola Ice Flyers. Ranger arrived in Pensacola and will be raised and socialized by long-time volunteer puppy raisers, Leanne Pickering and Weston Cramer. Ranger was already named when they were informed they would be receiving a new puppy to raise. It was a perfect name as Cramer is an Army Ranger who served from 2003 to 2008 with the 3rd Infantry Division and was deployed in 2005 for Operation Iraqi Freedom III with his operation being East Baghdad. “As a volunteer puppy raiser, it is a rewarding experience with selfless service to raise a Canine Companions dog that can help adults, children, and veterans with disabilities,” Cramer said. “The partnership with the Ice Flyers will bring a greater awareness of Canine Companions to the Pensacola area and surrounding communities.”
OCHO
Ocho arrived in Tampa Florida and has become a fan favorite at WFLA TV. Along his puppy raising journey viewers will watch him grow and learn each week right before their eyes. He come to the television station at least once a week to join the the morning newscasts and can be seen around the Tampa Bay area.
WATSON
PGA golfer Bubba Watson is an all-American superstar. He is also known as a true philanthropist and supports people in need. Bubba is the co-owner of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos baseball team and was honored with a future service dog sharing his name, Watson. Puppy Watson is sponsored by the Blue Wahoos and joins them at games to raise awareness of our mission. “It warms my heart that we can be part of Watson’s journey to become a service dog,” Bubba shares. We are grateful for the support of Bubba and the Blue Wahoos!
AMICUS
The University of San Diego (USD) School of Law community welcomed a new friend - puppy Amicus! Amicus will take part in different events and activities with the USD School of Law while also learning skills with his volunteer puppy raiser to prepare for his important future as a service dog. This partnership was made possible through Canine Companions National Board Member and three-time USD alumna Dr. Leslie A. Hennessy, M.B.A, Ph.D. Leadership, J.D.
LONESTAR
They say everything is bigger in Texas, and Canine Companions puppy Lonestar definitely has a big, bright future ahead! Lonestar was named and will be followed by CBS News Texas for the next two years as he is raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by longtime volunteer Larry Nelson. This Texas pup will make regular appearances on air as CBS News Texas documents what it takes to go from puppy to service dog, so be sure to tune in and see where his journey leads!
Previous Sponsored Puppies
FINN
Canine Companions Service Dog Finn was matched with Joan Ehrnstein. Joan, who lives in Idaho and is a big hockey fan, was thrilled to be matched with Finn. He helps her by turning on and off lights, opening and closing doors and drawers, and most importantly, by picking up dropped items. Finn is Joan’s fourth Canine Companions service dog. Joan shares, “I look forward to working with Finn for many years. He will enable me to be on my own.” She continues, “My life has been totally changed by a cold nose and a wagging tail who gives me freedom and independence.” Congratulations to Joan and Service Dog Finn and thank you all for following him on his journey to become a service dog! Many thanks to the San Jose Sharks for their support of our mission! We are excited to share some of the great work Finn is doing with Joan in the future. Good boy, Finn!
PLINY
Canine Companions supporters Russian River Brewing Company named puppy Pliny after their most famous beers. But they didn’t stop there - Pliny was raised by a Russian River Brewing Company employee in the offices of their Windsor, CA location! Over the past two years, Pliny has stolen hearts of beer lovers all over the country. We’re thrilled to share that Pliny was recently certified as a Canine Companions therapy dog! We can’t wait to see how Therapy Dog Pliny helps people in his community. Be sure to follow his adventures on Instagram @plinypup!
SCARLET "SCARLETTA"
Big news! Scarlet, officially known as Scarletta, has graduated! On January 31, Abby drove from Florence, Kentucky, nervous, but excited to begin Team Training at the North Central Training Center in New Albany, Ohio. She was being matched with her first Canine Companions service dog. While spending 11 days on campus, she not only was perfectly matched with Service Dog Scarletta, but she made life-long best friends with the other families graduating. Now back home together as a new team, Abby says Scarletta will help her retrieve dropped items, whether from the ground or from high up. “I was extremely excited to introduce her to my family and friends; so far everything has gone smoothly, and we continue short training sessions in the evenings. It’s been fun scheduling my new life with her by my side and she has molded into my family seamlessly,” Abby said. Congrats to Abby and Scarletta!
CHAPPIE
Canine Companions Service Dog Chappie was matched with Ellile, a young girl from Georgia. Chappie was named after Pensacola hero General Chappie James by WEAR TV viewers. They watched him learn, grow, head to professional training and were thrilled to learn when he was matched with his forever family. Chappie will help Ellie in many ways, by opening and closing drawers and doors, pulling off her socks, turning on lights and much more. His puppy raisers, Kathryn Daniel and Brion Crow say it’s a perfect match and they are thrilled and so proud.
AUDIO
We're proud to announce Service dog Audio graduated during ceremonies on Friday, February 10 in New York! Audio was raised by Ali Wolowitz, station Promotions Coordinator at 106.1 BLI Long Island. His radio-friendly name was chosen after a contest by station listeners. Audio was matched with successor graduate Jamie of Scranton, Pennsylvania, who says Audio will help him be more outgoing & confident in public. During his time at BLI, Audio got to meet two Long Island artists who were contestants on The Voice. Bella DiNapoli and Kaitlyn Velez visited the BLI studio and were charmed by Audio’s good behavior while they were being interviewed by Syke, the stations resident celebrity interviewer! Then Santa Audio attended BLI’s Syke on the Shelf event where BLI helped the John Theissen Children’s Foundation collect hundreds of toys for kids in need on Long Island. Congratulations Audio, Ali and 106.1 BLI!
BRISKET
Canine Companions Facility Dog Brisket was matched with Glendale Police Department Civilian Police Service Officer Amy. Brisket will assist Amy at community events, help support those in crisis and provide unconditional love and attention to those who need it most. Thank you to the Losa Angeles Chargers for their support of our mission! We are excited to share the great work that Brisket will do with the Glendale Police Department and the many lives he will impact. Go Brisket!
Audio
Meet the newest, and undoubtably most popular staff member at 106.9 BLI Long Island!
Future service dog Audio is being raised by station Promotions Coordinator Ali Wolowitz. His radio-friendly name was chosen after a contest by station listeners. One of Audio’s first public appearances was at DogFest Long Island, where he patiently greeted fans and posed for a ton of pictures! Ali says Audio is loving New York, and meeting fans along the way is a great way to prepare for life as a highly trained service dog. Follow Audio on Instagram at @blipuppy.
Bolt
Canine Companions puppy Bolt quickly captured the hearts of Los Angeles Chargers fans and beyond when he was introduced in July 2020. This sweet pup grew to have more than 12,000 followers on Instagram and is regularly featured on the Chargers’ page with more than 849,000 followers. Bolt even got his very own commercial that played throughout the 2020-2021 season on CBS Los Angeles, and a feature on Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl. You can say that he has had quite the adventure during his first year and a half of life. Bolt will now be entering professional training, so stay tuned for more from Bolt and the Chargers!
Chappie
Chappie has graduated! Canine Companions Service Dog Chappie was matched with a young girl to provide enhanced independence and joy. Congratulations!
Dak
Canine Companions “puppy” Dak, named by the Dallas Cowboys in collaboration with Baylor Scott & White Health, may not be a puppy anymore… but there are Dak puppies in the future! We are excited to share that Dak has been selected for the Canine Companions breeding program. In this important role, Dak will have the chance to impact countless lives, producing many future service dog puppies who will go on to change the lives of children, adults and veterans with disabilities.
Max
Max, the WFLA TV Tampa puppy has returned to Canine Companions’ Southeast Region Training Center in Orlando, Florida to begin professional training where he will learn the skills and tasks he needs to become a Canine Companions service dog.
Maverick
“It means everything. You can’t put a price on independence,” says US Air Force veteran Joshua, who was matched with service dog Maverick earlier this year. Maverick was raised by Andrea McCarren, Vice-president and Chief Content Officer for PenFed Credit Union, a Canine Companions national corporate partner.
Maverick is one of five Canine Companions future service dogs raised by PenFed employees to date. “We are SO, SO happy with Mav’s placement!” says Andrea. Fellow PenFed employees were kept up to date on Maverick’s progress throughout his professional training, and there was much rejoicing at their Tysons, Virginia headquarters on graduation day. “Health and independence is definitely everything,” says Joshua. Especially when you have it, and it’s taken away from you. Maverick is helping me bring that independence back.” Thank you, Andrea, and PenFed!”
Ocho
The newest sponsored puppy, Ocho, arrived in Tampa, Florida to his volunteer puppy raisers. He will appear every Friday on his sponsor news station WFLA TV. We look forward to Ocho’s journey!
Pliny
Canine Companions supporters Russian River Brewing Company named puppy Pliny after their most famous beers. But they didn’t stop there - Pliny was raised by a Russian River Brewing Company employee in the offices of their Windsor, CA location! Over the past year and a half, Pliny has stolen hearts of beer lovers all over the country. Join us in wishing him good luck as he enters professional training at our Jean and Charles Schulz Campus in Santa Rosa, CA.
Scarlet
In April of 2020, volunteer puppy raiser Paula Barrett started raising Canine Companions puppy (Scarletta) Scarlet, who was featured by NBC4 in Columbus, Ohio. Every Friday, Scarlet was live-streamed on NBC4 from Paula’s home. “Raising Scarlet during a pandemic was anything but typical. With a lot of patience and determination, Scarlet and I had to be creative working on her commands at home and in the yard. My home became an obstacle course – creating training opportunities in every room and on all different types of surfaces,” Paula said. Paula also worked hard with Scarlet in online puppy classes created by Canine Companions staff. “As restrictions lifted, Scarlet and I began exploring, she needed exposure to people, places and things. We went into stores, parks, restaurants, outdoor concerts, farms. We went to the beach, we boated and begin to attend volunteer events,” Paula said. Scarlet officially began professional training at the North Central Training Region in August.
Striker
Canine Companions puppy Striker’s journey to become a service dog is being followed by the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. He is growing fast and starting to attend more events where he can work on socialization skills and focus. Striker even has his very own trading cards that were a huge hit when Canine Companions was the featured nonprofit of the night at the Switchbacks’ home game on September 8. We’re excited to continue to watch Striker grow and learn over the next year!
Watson
PGA golfer Bubba Watson is an all-American superstar. He is also known as a true philanthropist and supports people in need. Bubba is the co-owner of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos baseball team and was honored with a future service dog sharing his name, Watson. Puppy Watson is sponsored by the Blue Wahoos and joins them at games to raise awareness of our mission. “It warms my heart that we can be part of Watson’s journey to become a service dog,” Bubba shares. We are grateful for the support of Bubba and the Blue Wahoos!