Capitals service dog Captain placed with local veteran originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Captain, the beloved service dog with the Washington Capitals over the past year and a half, is in training no longer.
Now, the onetime star of the Capitals' Rock The Red Carpet event has a new home after being placed with a local veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps.
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Master Sgt. Mark Gwathmey, a Maryland resident will receive assistance from Captain to "help mitigate his veteran's disability, including retrieving dropped items, counterbalance, summoning assistance, seizure response, positional cues to extend personal space, and PTSD cues such as rest, nightmare interruption and shake," according to an announcement released by the Capitals.
The Caps were partnering with America's VetDogs to raise and train Captain beginning in October 2019. He began as a 10-week old puppy and helped learn basic training and social skills with the entire Capitals organization. In the process, he learned to "be a confident and calm service dog," at which point he returned to New York to begin formal service dog training, which he has undergone since February.
Gwathmey medically retired 10 years ago, but he continues to serve his country as a civil service employee with the U.S. Navy as a disaster preparedness specialist.
Captain won over the hearts of Capitals fans everywhere when they were introduced to him in 2019. Now, he'll take what he's learned and do even more good for a local veteran.
