This past week, the NHL postponed all games heading into the holiday break as the omicron variant spread throughout rosters across the league. For those missing the Washington Capitals a little extra, we’ve got a furry friend that can help cheer you up. Take a walk down memory lane as you watch Biscuit, the Capitals service dog, enjoy his first few months with the team.
September
Do you know what you were doing on September 27, 2021? Personally, I was swooning over the Washington Capitals new service dog, Biscuit. It was just two and a half weeks before the Caps season opener, when the team announced there was a new pup in town. And just like that, the cutest chocolate lab the DMV has ever seen won over all of our hearts.
The announcement came just over three months after Captain, the team’s first service dog, was assigned to assist retired U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Mark Gwathmey.
The two month old pup wasted no time getting to know his new teammates and exploring MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
October
With the team welcoming back fans to Capital One Arena for the 2021-22 season opener against the New York Rangers, Biscuit didn’t fail to impress. Dressed in his tuxedo, the team’s rookie interacted with fans at the pre-game festivities before heading in the arena for his first contest. Clearly, Biscuit was the team’s good luck charm, as they etched a 5-1 against the Rangers.
During the rest of the month, while the team was dominating on the ice, Biscuit and his trainers were busy doing their own training. In October, the pooch went for his first swim, learned how to navigate open-backed stairs, and mastered traffic training.
November
While the saying goes, never meet your heroes, we are so glad these Caps Pups didn’t listen to that advice. The chocolate lab finally had a playdate with his predecessor, Captain. While the team lost to the Flyers 2-1, we were able to overlook the defeat thanks to these furry friends.
Putting in the work just before the holidays, Biscuit added some new skills to his repertoire, including practicing self control with dropped food and recall commands. At just four months old, his work on and off the ice clearly paid off, earning the title of Best NHL Team Dog from ESPN.
December
With a lack of hockey heading into Christmas, this pooch was able to focus fully on his first holiday season in DC. From visiting the National Menorah by the White House, to donating gifts for the team’s toy drive, this growing pup was definitely spreading holiday cheer.
Biscuit started the month off strong, learning how to push a door closed with his nose. According to the team, “With that skill, he will eventually learn more things, like nightmare interruption and to push many other things open or closed.” Heading into 2022, he is starting to learn the “rest” command, where he will learn to lay his head on his trainer’s lap for at least three minutes.
Now five months old, at this pace, Biscuit will become an all-star service dog in no time.
Feature image courtesy Washington Capitals
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