Meet Stormy, Adirondack Thunder's service dog in training

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Adirondack Thunder has added a new member to the team: Stormy! The club, in partnership with Firefly Meadow Service Dogs Inc., adopted the 14-week-old labrador retriever to train her to become a psychiatric service dog.

Stormy has already met the Thunder team — which you can watch in the video player above — and she will attend home games and select community events to interact with fans. Her main goal with the club, however, is to become specially trained to assist individuals with psychiatric or mental health disabilities.

Psychiatric service dogs are trained to perform specific tasks that help mitigate symptoms of conditions like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia and more. This may include alerting panic attacks, providing deep pressure therapy or interrupting harmful behaviors. Psychiatric service dogs are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act and are allowed to accompany their handlers in public spaces.

“This collaboration not only highlights the incredible bond between animals and people but also demonstrates the team’s commitment to community and support,” said Chelsea Patenaude, founder of Firefly Meadow Service Dogs Inc. “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.”

Firefly Meadow Service Dogs Inc. is a non-profit organization located in Argyle dedicated to breeding golden retrievers, labrador retrievers and German shepherd dogs to become service animals. The center trains each dog to learn around 100 commands and become exposed to public spaces before they graduate and move on to other organizations for more specialized training and placement.

The Adirondack Thunder will return home this Saturday and Sunday to play against the Norfolk Admirals. Tickets can be purchased on the ECHL website.