ST PAUL, Minn. — The puck has yet to drop on the 2023-24 season and the Minnesota Wild already have their first Hatty.
On Tuesday, the Wild announced Hatty will be their new team dog and will spend the next year training to become a service dog as part of their Adopt-A-Dog Program. Hatty is the Wild's fifth team dog adopted from Coco's Heart Dog Rescue.
While she won't be showing up on the stat sheet, the 4-month-old Golden Retriever mix rescue will have a major impact once her training is complete. She will then train with Soldier's 6, a local nonprofit that pairs pups with a veterans, police officers and firefighters.
Throughout her time with the team, Hatty will stay with the Wild's Senior Director of Community Relations and Hockey Partnerships Wayne Petersen and his wife Kelly McGrath, who is the Xcel Energy Center's executive director and general manager. Following her training, Hatty will be placed with a veteran with a post-traumatic stress disorder as a "Battle Buddy."
“My family and I are thrilled to be involved in the fifth season of the Adopt-A-Dog Program,” said Petersen in a press release. “These dogs have become a mainstay for both our fans and our employees each year. We’re excited for Hatty to not only touch the lives of those of us with the Wild, but to also make her impact with Soldier’s 6 and her Battle Buddy family upon graduation.”
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