Guide dogs have a very important job — helping their handlers through obstacles and alerting them when danger is present. But just as a person who works all day enjoys their time off, the same goes for service dogs.
"They know when they're working and they have their vest on that it’s time to work and they’re serious," said Bethani Shilladay of Punta Gorda. "Then they know when it's off that it's time to play."
For Charlie and his canine friends, playtime is the best at Florida Everblades games.
"Charlie started coming last year as a 12-week-old puppy," added Shilladay. "And Swampee, he just thought he was a giant chew toy. It's just been a love affair that has grown over the year."
The feeling is mutual for the big green gator. Charlie is a one-year-old golden retriever training to be a diabetic alert dog for Shilladay, his owner. Shilladay is a Florida Everblades season ticket holder and used to bring her former service dog, Billy, to games before he passed in 2024. Now, Charlie is carrying on Billy's legacy and he enjoys being in the crowd and sharing his fandom with Bruce and Pascal, two 12-week-old puppies who are training to be seeing eye dogs through the Guide Dog Foundation in Smithtown, New York.
"We love coming," said Shilladay. "It's a great exposure for them."
Even though the pups are technically off the clock, they still learn a lot inside Hertz Arena that will help them be better guide dogs.
"We want our dogs to be able to think for themselves and not just be obedient, but we want them to use the intelligence that they have," she said. "It's very important that they're exposed to anything that a blind person might come in contact with out in the public once they become fully trained guide dogs. So even from the time that they're born in the breeding station, the breeding staff come in and do costumes and things so that way our dogs aren't surprised when they see different things out in public."
They practice going through the metal detectors, walking through the crowded concourses and they meet a lot of new people.
"Charlie’s goal in life is to make everybody his friend," Shilladay said.
That's pretty easy to do when you're the cutest hockey fan of all time, and when you're such a good luck charm for the Blades.
"They’ve won a Kelly Cup every time our dogs have been here," Shilladay said.