Sabres’ team dog Blue graduates from Pawsitive for Heroes program

Kristofer Bystrak was overcome with emotions as he exited the Niagara County Correctional Facility last Tuesday after his new service dog Blue, the Sabres’ team dog for the 2023-24 season, graduated from Pawsitive for Heroes, a national program led by WNY Heroes which provides service dogs to veterans across the nation who have a military service-related disability.

The emotional ceremony capped off Blue’s 10 months of service dog training in the jail and marked the beginning of a new way of life for Bystrak, who returned from his deployment in Afghanistan in 2012 with post-traumatic stress disorder, which he felt was impacting his relationship with his wife and kids and preventing him from living a fulfilling life.

It was a quick internet search that led Bystrak to WNY Heroes, an organization whose mission is to provide veterans, members of the armed forces, and families of deceased veterans with access to essential services, financial assistance, and other resources to help support them. There, Bystrak learned of the Pawsitive for Heroes program created by WNY Heroes co-founder Chris Kreiger.

After going through the application process and being paired with Blue, Bystrak had the chance to bring her home to see how well she acclimated to his family and lifestyle. He said he was blown away by Blue’s energy and how well trained she was.

“She fit right in, just like she was living there her whole life,” Bystrak shared.

Now, with Blue around full-time following her graduation, Bystrak has already noticed the positive impact the one-year-old St. Bernard/Mastiff mix has had on his day-to-day life.

“I’m able to get out with my family and just, like, finally be the dad that I want to be and be the husband that I want to be and be able to experience stuff with my family that I wouldn’t be able to experience without her,” Bystrak said.

“I am able to go places that I normally couldn’t because of my PTSD. I am able to go out with my family again and enjoy myself and not have to be stressed out and kind of isolate myself in my home. She definitely gave me a second chance with my family, and I am just extremely grateful for that.”

Kreiger created WNY Heroes in 2007 after coming home from Iraq in 2004 and dealing with several service-related injuries and illnesses of his own. After being sent to a polytrauma brain center in Richmond, Virginia, Kreiger had drained his bank accounts and lost his home. Despite his struggles, he was determined to prevent the same thing from happening to other veterans.

Kreiger received his own service dog in 2012 and noticed the difference it made in his life. He started the Pawsitive for Heroes program in 2013 in hopes of making that difference in others’ lives.

With the support of sponsors, including the Buffalo Sabres Foundation, which sponsored Blue’s training this season, the program has taken off and helped veterans across the country.

“Without the community support, the sponsors, the donors, we wouldn’t be able to do what we’re doing today,” Kreiger said. “The partnership with the Buffalo Sabres I think has been tremendous for us with the support back and forth. The awareness it creates for not only the program but for the need of service dogs for veterans. When the fans are showing up at the arena, you can see the excitement and the amount of questions we get asked constantly from the fans about the program, and how does it work, and how can they get involved. So, the partnership between WNY Heroes and the Buffalo Sabres, it’s a huge steppingstone, backbone, to the success of the program.”

Pawsitive for Heroes partners with both county and state correctional facilities in New York, where the dogs reside with veteran inmates for 10 months as part of their training. Kreiger built the partnerships with the main goal of providing veterans who are incarcerated a second chance, giving them the opportunity to learn a new skill and have something to lean on when they are released.

The dogs are then paired with a veteran and complete their training with WNY Heroes as the veteran and dog work on hand signals, voice commands, restaurant etiquette, and more.

Blue had the unique opportunity to complete part of her service dog training by attending home games and interacting with Sabres players and fans throughout the season before being paired with Bystrak, who Kreiger considers Blue’s perfect match.

“If you’ve ever seen them out together, they’re an amazing team,” Kreiger said. “They’re perfect for one another. Just to watch the way they work together, that in itself brings a lot of joy.”

While Kreiger and his team will continue to train and match dogs for veterans in need, Bystrak will forever feel the impact of the organization and the Sabres.

“It’s incredible,” Bystrak said. “The thing that I’m blown away by with Pawsitive for Heroes is they don’t just give you the dog and kick you out the door. Once you get a dog, you’re part of the Pawsitive for Heroes family, and they keep up with you. They support you with any issues that you have. They keep up with your training if you’re having any problems. And it’s just great to have that support network. I am forever grateful for WNY Heroes and the Buffalo Sabres for making this all possible.”

To learn more about WNY Heroes and the Pawsitive for Heroes program and how you can get involved, visit https://wnyheroes.org/.