Washington Capitals puppy will soon get his shot as a service dog

Washington — Captain the puppy is a new mainstay with the Washington Capitals. But he isn’t the team mascot. 

He’s training to become a service dog, eventually to be paired with a veteran or first responder. Having him spend time with a hockey team isn’t a gimmick. If a dog can handle being around loud arenas, he can handle anything.

Trainer Deana Stone said nothing affects him.

“I’ve had several startles myself with things ricocheting off the glass and he’s like trotting along like no big deal,” Stone said.

The Capitals are one of at least eight NHL teams that have adopted service dogs in training and sometimes they’re more popular than the players. Captain even has 62,000 Instagram fans.

Stone said he’s actually going to “change a life,” and pretty soon Captain will get his shot.