Minnesota Wild Welcomes Rescue Dog Winnie, a Future Service Dog for a Veteran
Winnie has a new team, and the assignment is bigger than hockey. In an announcement released Nov. 7, the Minnesota Wild said the 6-month-old Golden Retriever rescue has joined the organization on a one-year training contract, with a future role as a service dog.
The dog comes from Coco’s Heart Dog Rescue and enters the Wild’s Adopt-A-Dog Program, presented by CUB. The program is built around a simple idea: giving a local hero a hero of their own.
For now, Winnie will be part of the Wild organization while learning the basics. Partnership Fulfillment Coordinator Brooklyn Godes will foster the dog and help with obedience training. Fans who like following team pups can keep up with Winnie on Instagram, X and the club’s online Adopt-A-Dog page.
This is the eighth season the Wild has brought in a dog through Coco’s Heart. The earlier team dogs were Breezer in 2019-20, Hobey in 2020-21, Celly in 2021-22, Brooksy in 2022-23, Hatty and Dino in 2023-24, and Rookie in 2024-25.
What Winnie is training for
The real payoff comes after Winnie’s year with the Wild. The dog is expected to continue training with Soldier’s 6, a Minnesota nonprofit that provides specially trained K-9s to honorably discharged veterans, police officers and firefighters.
According to the announcement, Winnie’s path is aimed at a permanent placement with a veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder. In that role, Winnie would become a "Battle Buddy," helping that person through difficult days.
Coco’s Heart, the rescue that placed Winnie with the Wild, says it takes in dogs from a wide range of situations, including overcrowded shelters, rural stray populations, injury cases and puppy mills. The organization operates through foster homes and says it has roughly 200 to 300 dogs in rescue at any given time, with an emphasis on veterinary care and support for dogs that need extra attention.
So yes, Winnie is now the Wild’s newest pup. But the bigger change starts now too: one rescue dog has entered training for a job that is meant to matter deeply to one future partner.
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