Wild welcomes rescue dog Celly to the team

ST. PAUL --The National Hockey League's (NHL) Minnesota Wild today announced it has adopted Celly, a five-month-old Shepherd/Catahoula/Labrador mix rescue dog from
Coco's Heart Dog Rescue
, on a one-year training contract. Celly will be raised to become a future service dog and joins the Wild as part of the team's Adopt-A-Dog Program, presented by PetSmart. The program's mission is to give a local hero a hero of their own.

This marks the third time the Wild has adopted a dog from Coco's Heart Dog Rescue. Breezer, a Labrador Retriever, was the first team dog adopted during the 2019-20 season and Hobey, a Golden Retriever, was adopted for the 2020-21 season. After their year-long training with the Wild organization, the dogs are then trained with
Soldier's 6
, a 501(c)3 non-profit based in Minnesota that provides honorably discharged veterans, police officers, and fire fighters with specially trained K-9s.
"We're excited to extend our Adopt-A-Dog Program into its third season and help another rescue dog become a service dog," said Wayne Petersen, Minnesota Wild Director of Community Relations and Hockey Partnerships. "To see the impact these dogs have had not only on our fans and employees during their time with the Wild, but their graduation to Soldier's 6 and their Battle Buddy families has been the most rewarding for all of us."
Minnesota Wild's Vice President of People Strategy and Experience, Leah Pitzenberger and her husband, Jeff, will foster Celly and help facilitate basic obedience training until the summer of 2022. Following his tenure with the Wild, Celly will pursue a career training with Soldier's 6. At the conclusion of his specialized training, Celly will be permanently placed with a veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a "Battle Buddy" and will help guide them through the difficult days in life.
Fans can follow Celly's journey with the Wild on
Instagram
and

and at
wild.com/Celly
.
Coco's Heart Dog Rescue is a primarily volunteer-driven organization that welcomes dogs to rescue from unfortunate situations and houses them in volunteer foster homes while preparing them for adoption placement. Coco's Heart Dog Rescue focuses on evaluating each dog's needs, provide high quality veterinary care, and work towards finding them a lifelong match with an adoption placement. Additionally, Coco's Heart Dog Rescue strives to educate its community on the importance of rescue, our specific rescue efforts, responsible pet ownership, and the difference each person can make on the lives of dogs in need. For more information about Coco's Heart Dog Rescue, visit
www.cocosheartdogrescue.org
and follow them on
Facebook
and
Instagram
.
Soldier's 6's mission is to provide honorably discharged veterans, police officers, and fire fighters with specially trained K-9's. These special dogs will become their Battle Buddy and help guide them through the difficult days in life. The name Soldier's 6 was chosen because that is what a service dog has, its Battle Buddy's 6 (or back). For more information about Soldier's 6, visit
www.soldiers6.com
and follow them on
Facebook
and
Instagram
.