Minnesota Wild Welcomes Rescue Dog Brooksy to the Team

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - The National Hockey League's (NHL) Minnesota Wild today announced it has adopted Brooksy, a five-month-old Labrador Retriever mix rescue dog from
Coco's Heart Dog Rescue
, on a one-year training contract. Brooksy 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 and Canidae. The program's mission is to give a local hero a hero of their own.
This marks the fourth 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, Hobey, a Golden Retriever, was adopted for the 2020-21 season and Celly, a Shepherd/Catahoula/Labrador mix was adopted for the 2021-22 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.

Minnesota Wild's Director of Community Relations and Hockey Partnerships, Wayne Petersen, and his wife, Xcel Energy Center's Director of Sales and Marketing, Kelly McGrath, will foster Brooksy and help facilitate basic obedience training until the summer of 2023. Following his tenure with the Wild, Brooksy will pursue a career training with Soldier's 6. At the conclusion of his specialized training, Brooksy 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.
"We're excited to extend our Adopt-A-Dog Program into its fourth season and my family and I are thrilled to be a part of the training this year," said Petersen. "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."
Fans can follow Brooksy's journey with the Wild on
Instagram
and

and at
wild.com/brooksy
.
Coco's Heart Dog Rescue is a non-profit organization grounded in love, dedication, and determination. Coco's Heart is dedicated to serving a variety of dogs needing rescue from a broad spectrum of unfortunate situations. Whether they are stuck in overcrowded shelters, strays from rural areas with little resources, injured with no place to turn, or trapped in puppy mills facing lives of misery. Coco's Heart is determined to help and provide quality veterinary care to every dog welcomed. As a foster-based organization there are anywhere from 200-300 dogs in rescue at any given time. Coco's Heart strives to provide all dogs with the love, veterinary care, and treatment that they deserve. Coco's Heart is known for their dedication to the dogs needing a little extra care, often welcoming dogs who need extensive and specialized veterinary care. 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-9s. 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
.