BL: What can you tell me about Brooksy and why was he chosen to be the next team dog?
WP: We've been working with Coco's Heart for all of our dogs so they know the type of dog we're looking for. So every spring they'll say, 'We have a dog that might be a good fit.' They brought Brooksy out to a game late last year and he was perfect. Among his litter-mates, he was by far the most chill. We immediately fell in love with him and said, 'That's our dog.' It was pretty quick and easy. It was also nice because we had never had a black dog before. It was nice to have a black dog for the first time because there's a thing called 'Black Dog Syndrome' where they are often the last dogs picked. Sometimes they don't get picked. But Brooksy's been an awesome dog.
BL: What's his personality like?WP: He's got an old-soul. I've never, ever heard him bark at another dog. We'll be out for walks and other dogs will be going nuts and he will be looking at them and then just keep walking. He's a little skiddish around new people. It takes him a little while to warm up to people. I don't know where that comes from. Once you have earned his trust, he's an awesome dog. Initially, with new people, he's pretty skiddish, but he's gotten a lot better.
BL: How did you end up fostering him?
WP:So Matt Majka (Minnesota Wild President and Alternate Governor) fostered the first one (Breezer)... he and his wife, Kim. They loved dogs but it was really hard to say 'goodbye' and when they did, Matt said, 'Wayne, that was awesome but don't ever ask me to do that again.' And then Jeff Pellegrom (Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President) did it with the second dog, Hobey, and it was difficult for them, too. I thought, 'You know what? This was my idea so I might as well put my hand up. It's my turn to do it.' Obviously, I had to get buy-in from my wife, but Kelly said 'yes' and it's kind of like having a kid again. We're empty-nesters and [when we go do things], it's like, 'Well, what about Brooksy?' It's hard to find like a babysitter because Brooksy is wary of any stranger. It's not like he will just walk up to anybody.
BL: How did Brooksy get his name?
WP: We have a list of hockey-related, potential dog names and we usually let Craig Leipold (Minnesota Wild Team Owner/Governor) get last vote. He loved the name] Brooksy. He's very close with Dave Brooks, Herb's brother. We work very closely with the
[Herb Brooks Foundation
. We're very close with Herb's children, Kelly and Dan. They were all thrilled we were naming him 'Brooksy' in honor of their dad.
BL: Does he have any nicknames?
WP: Whenever he has to go to the bathroom or wants to go outside, he squeaks. He's got a very high-pitched squeak. So, we started calling him 'Squeaky McSqueakerson.'
BL: Do you have any favorite Brooksy moments?
WP: He loves playing with other dogs. He loves chasing rabbits. He loves, loves, loves the cold and the snow. I love playing frisbee with him. I'll chuck the frisbee down the street when it's very icy and he'll just put the brakes on and slide right by it and then gets it and brings it back. He loves jumping into snow banks. I'm not sure how many tennis balls are in our front yard [under the snow].
BL: Does he have a favorite toy?
WP: He loves that frisbee. We have a frisbee and a chew toy you can put food in it, make him work to get the food out. My oldest son adopted a rescue dog from Coco's Heart and so his dog, Rosy, came over and she left her ball by accident. Brooksy has now claimed her ball as his ball. He really likes that ball.
BL: Anything else about Brooksy?
WP: It's going to be tough to say 'goodbye.'
