Monte Officiates 2023 Pucks N Pups Game

Another day at the paw-ffice.
With future guide dog Monte at the tail end of his basic training, the Islanders Puppy with a Purpose was the referee for the next generation of guide dogs at the 2023 Pups N Pucks Game.
Two groups of four puppies - an orange team and a blue team to represent Isles colors - from the Guide Dog Foundation faced off at Northwell Health Ice Center, where Monte made sure play didn't get too ruff.

These aren't just any puppies - the competing pups are hoping to become future guide dogs, early on their journeys to improve the lives of the blind or those who are visibly impaired. Lorin Bruzzese, Puppy Program Manager for the Guide Dog Foundation and America's VetDogs, explained how the scrimmage was helpful for the puppies' development.
"We're really excited to be here and to be doing it again," Bruzzese said of the two-year tradition with the Islanders. "The puppies also had a wonderful time socializing with new people and getting to be exposed to different sights, sounds and objects, which is always very beneficial for their foundational training."

The Islanders partnered with the Guide Dog Foundation in 2018. Since then, three dogs have been selected and named with the help of Isles fans. Radar and Tori were named in honor of Islanders Head Coach Al Arbour and General Manager Bill Torrey, while Monte was named in allusion to the Islanders state-of-the-art new home, UBS Arena, in Belmont Park.
"Our relationship with the Islanders has just been a wonderful experience for all of us," Bruzzese said. "It helps us spread our mission, spread awareness and have people connect with our purpose as much as possible."
Lisa Rossano, Monte's puppy handler, has been with the Guide Dog Foundation for 17 years and trained the third Islanders pup since his debut in 2021, ahead of the grand opening of UBS Arena.
"The Islanders organization and the fans have been spectacular," Rossano said. "Absolutely spectacular. I can't say enough about the people who work there, from the food vendors, to the to the staff that sit with me at the [Community Relations table] … everybody has been so great for the organization and for the dogs."
It costs over $50,000 to breed, raise and train an assistance dog, but the Guide Dog Foundation provides guide dogs to blind or visually impaired individuals free of charge. Rossano is always moved by how these dogs greatly improve the capabilities of their owners.
"One of my puppies went with a blind man that had to live with his mom because he had seizures," Rossano said of the man's quality of life before receiving the help of a guide dog. "Now, one of my dogs is living in the city with him. He's married, he has kids... he's living life again."

Rossano is constantly asked about the difficulty of parting ways with the dogs, after spending so much time training them.
"My reward is getting to meet the person that they're going to, and it brings it full circle," Rossano said. "That's how I give them up. I remember what it's like in that moment. To have somebody else say, 'you changed my life.'"
Monte is on the path to make a similar impact after his basic and formal training. The Islanders special doggo spent the last 16 months socializing with Islanders staff, the fans and the public, gearing him up to be a confident and calm future guide dog. On Feb. 21, Monte will return to the Guide Dog Foundation campus in Smithtown to begin formal training before he's matched to an individual who is blind or visually impaired.
"The last part of his training will be to pair him with somebody," Rossano said. "If that person lives in the city for example, the final part of his training will be [getting] him used to all the different sights and sounds."
Although Monte hasn't met his forever person yet, he already made an impact. The future guide dog brightened the lives of Islanders fans and the Long Island community throughout his time in public. With every trot around the concourse at UBS Arena, photo shoot, and community event appearance, Monte inherently spread awareness about the Guide Dog Foundation and its purpose.
"He's already changed people's lives," Rossano said, who was with Monte every step of the way. "Because he already brought joy to my family, to all the fans in the UBS Arena... he's already done that."