GLENS FALLS – The Adirondack Thunder, proud ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils and Utica Comets, have announced that the club has partnered with Firefly Meadow Service Dogs Inc. to adopt and assist in training, Stormy, to become a psychiatric service dog.
Stormy, named after the Thunder, is a 14-week-old labrador retriever that will attend home games and select team community events to interact with fans, while training to become a psychiatric service dog. Stormy will be a specially trained dog that assists individuals with psychiatric or mental health disabilities. These dogs are trained to perform tasks that help mitigate symptoms of conditions like PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Tasks may include alerting panic attacks, providing deep pressure therapy during episodes of anxiety, guiding individuals to safety, or interrupting harmful behaviors. Psychiatric service dogs are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and are allowed to accompany their handlers in public spaces.
"We are thrilled to partner with the Adirondack Thunder to introduce our service dog in training, Stormy, to the team,” said Chelsea Patenaude, Founder, Firefly Meadow Service Dogs Inc. “This collaboration not only highlights the incredible bond between animals and people but also demonstrates the team's commitment to community and support. We look forward to seeing Stormy grow alongside the Thunder and are excited to work together in raising awareness for the importance of service dogs."
The dogs that we train at Firefly Meadow can be trained for a myriad of things such as medical alert, mobility, psychiatric, veterans, and autism to name a few. We train from birth to around a year old where they learn around 100 commands and receive public access. Once they reach that point, they graduate from us and move on to bigger organizations that can work on each dog’s specialized training and placement.
The Thunder return home January 25 and 26 against the Norfolk Admirals for Affiliate Weekend! Come meet New Jersey Devils’ mascot, NJ Devil on January 25 and enjoy $4 Michelob Ultra. Also, special New Jersey Devils themed jerseys all weekend and NHL ticket giveaways all game long on Sunday.
Great ticket packages are still available! For more information, call the front office at 518-480-3355 or visit www.echlthunder.com/tickets. For all the latest Adirondack Thunder news, follow the team on all social media (ECHLThunder).
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