Goalie, an eight-week old yellow Labrador/Golden Retriever puppy, is the newest edition to the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC roster.
Over the next year and a half, the Switchbacks will support and follow Goalie’s journey to become a service dog. Goalie will be raised by his volunteer puppy raiser who will socialize him and teach him around 30 commands to prepare him for life as a service dog. He will be taking part in different community events, activities, and games with the Switchbacks. After that, Goalie will move on to professional training for the next 6-9 months where he will learn more advanced commands to become an expertly trained service dog. When he graduates professional training, he will be matched with an adult, child or veteran with a disability and help provide his partner with a life full of increased independence and loving companionship.
This is the third Canine Companions future service dog the Switchbacks have followed. Captain, who was with the team last season, is currently in professional training, where he is learning advanced skills like turning on and off light switches, opening doors and picking up dropped items from the ground. He is getting closer to wrapping up his training and finding his forever match. Striker, who the team followed in 2021-22, is currently living his best life in Denver, CO.
