The Buffalo Sabres are excited to welcome Audie as the official team dog for the 2024-25 season! The two-and-a-half-month Great Dane was named after the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, the Sabres’ original home from 1970 to 1996.

Audie is currently training to become a service dog for a Buffalo-area veteran as part of WNY Heroes Pawsitive for Heroes, a program launched in 2014 that pays for service dog training.

Audie and her owners go through various courses together that prepare Audie to serve her selected veteran. The Buffalo Sabres Foundation is sponsoring Audie’s training.

The Sabres and Pawsitive for Heroes are partnering for the fourth straight year. In 2021-22, the Sabres welcomed Rick, named for Hall-of-Fame play-by-play announcer Rick Jeanneret. In 2022-23, the team dog, Nikki, was donated to WNY Heroes by the Warden family and named after fallen soldier Nick Warden. Last season’s team dog, Blue, was named after the Sabres’ iconic primary color.

Fast forward to today, and all of these good boys and girls are currently in the service of veterans. Rick is with U.S. Coast Guard veteran Chris Kankiewicz, Nikki is in service of Air Force veteran Sondra Lee Ramos, and Blue is with U.S. Army veteran Kristofer Bystrak.

Audie will attend select home games and other events this season to greet fans and cheer on the Sabres. She will then be paired with a veteran of her own so the two can go through training together to build trust and bonds between the two.

Stay tuned on Sabres.com and the team’s official social media channels, including Audie’s account @SabresPup, for content with her throughout the season.