Coyotes’ Service Dog Luna Leads the Pack
When the Coyotes took in Luna as the first service dog for this NHL team, little did they know she would become a face of the franchise and modify the arena’s atmosphere to feel more like home.
In partnership with the nonprofit organization, National Assistance Dogs Inc. (N.A.D.I.), the Coyotes adopted Luna, a black Labrador Retriever, to train her into a service dog for a veteran in the community.
Although Luna’s stay with the Coyotes is temporary, she is making history. Luna’s journey will set in stone a path for future service dogs who join this team.
Luna has grown with her Coyote pack and is “truly a member of the family,” Arena Host Kristen Keogh said.
“ Luna definitely makes the arena feel more like home. She is a really special dog and her loving personality makes Gila River Arena feel extra special.”
To the Coyotes, Luna has reflected the “ embodiment of our desire to give back to the Arizona community as much as we can where and when we can,” the Social Media Specialist for the Coyotes, Stephen Ontiveros said.
Hockey is the game, but the Coyotes main priority is finding ways to make an impact in their community. Adding a service dog to the team’s roster was its next move to bring smiles to the atmosphere.
“Luna makes every day better! I love seeing her at the arena. She is instant happiness. I am also able to create very special content about her role in the community and it makes my job even more fulfilling,” Keogh said.
Keogh is lucky enough to be a small portion of sharing Luna’s story. Luna’s publicity has been “shedding light on the importance of service dogs for those who benefit from these special companions via videos, interviews and podcasts,” Keogh said.
Not only did Luna bring the team together, but brought the Senior Director of Business Strategy and Analytics for the Coyotes,Cole Cook’s home a warm welcome.
“ It is kind of a funny story,”Cook said.“My girlfriend and I have been talking about getting a dog for quite some time.”
The Coyotes’ foundation director mentioned looking into getting a service dog, because a lot of other teams have one.
“Cole’s been trying to get a dog for a while,” said one of Cook’s close colleagues in the office. The idea was taken into consideration after that moment.
A couple weeks later the team met with the nonprofit where Luna came from, “Here we are, 7–8 months later and we are enjoying it a lot,” Cook said.
She is the first dog to be on the ice with the Coyotes during their 2020 season.
“When she was really young, one of the biggest challenges was getting her used to the noises,” Cook said. A hockey rink is pretty loud and the pucks hitting the glass took time to become natural sounds to Luna.
“There was some basic obedience training that we did with her to get her used to not being scared of those loud scenarios. She is a pretty friendly dog so she adjusted very well to the different environments,” Cook said.
The dog friendly policy in the Coyotes’ office has been in place for a long time. The policy gives their workers who are dog lovers an opportunity to feel comfortable at work with their pets’ companionship.
Ontiveros has a love for dogs, and bringing them to work is a bonus.
“I think the idea behind it was to boost morale and keep employees from having to spend loads of money on doggy day care. The best part about where I sit in the office is that whenever someone brings their dog in, they’ll always go by where I sit, so I get to see a lot of pups,” Ontiveros said.
“Luna has been an amazing addition to the office. I think it’s really brought us closer together as an organization, because people that we may not work with closely on a day-to-day basis will come over to see her and we all get to know each other better because of that,” Ontiveros said.
Luna’s first trip to the arena’s office at two months old, she was still a little timid.
“You could tell being around that many people was a new concept to her. But she quickly shed whatever shyness she may have had and became really playful and friendly,” Onviveros said.
Ontiveros has a special seat in the office, “She’ll walk up to my desk and sit at my feet until I can have a little break to play fetch with her, she’s really become a social dog,” Ontiveros said.
Cook mentioned the “dog friendly workplace,” but not everyone brings their dogs in, so when Luna enters the building it is a special treat.
“She brings a new energy to the office,” Cook said.
“So having her there everyday is great. We do an afternoon fetch which is fun. She runs up and down the halls at the office with a tennis ball and everybody kinda steps outside of their office and plays with her. And then the players, they love puppies right. Any time that they are around her they love having her in the locker room and on the ice.”
According to both sources, everyone in the office has become a lot closer because of Luna.
“We’re interacting with people that we would not really work with normally because of different departments,” Ontiveros said.
Luna has shaped a new mold for the atmosphere of the Coyotes.
“She’s reminded me of the positive mental impact pets can have on us. I’m from California and my dog is back there with my parents, so it’s been really nice to have a dog as part of my regular schedule again,” Ontiveros said.
Cook has made his efforts to bring Luna to practices to interact with her new team.
“A couple players really latched onto her. She recognizes them when she is around, but we should do a better job at getting her down there more, but it is hard with the players schedules,” Cook said.
Luna’s first game was the Coyote’s Home Opener against the Boston Bruins. Through her eyes, it was filled with nap time, but “she is very well behaved and we are very lucky for that,” Cook said. Luna also walked alongside the players on the red carpet, before the game started.
In the social media realm, dogs sell in sports.
“Our posts about Luna are some of our top performing posts, which obviously makes sense. I think the best part about all this is we are giving more attention to NADI. which is such a great organization that helps a lot of veterans in need,” Ontiveros said.
Luna plays a big role in connecting the fans with the players on a personal level. People love dogs and Luna being around the players connects them to their fans. It shows that athletes are human and love animals too.
“ I think Luna has really brought the Coyotes community together. One of our main goals as a social team is to show off the players personalities off the ice when we can, and by showing that these are just big dudes who love dogs as much of the rest of us, it brings them back down to a level where fans can relate to them,” Ontiveros said.
The social media interactions give a great name and promotion towards the nonprofit.
“In my role with social media, I get to help spread the message and give attention to NADI’s cause, which is really great,” Ontiveros said.
Luna will be with the Coyotes between twelve to twenty-four months, according to Cook.
Every person behind the scenes and players for the Coyotes are going to cherish their time with Luna, “We are going to miss her so much when she is placed in her permanent home, but she is the perfect companion and I’m so happy for whoever will get to love her forever,” Keogh said.
For the next dog in the future, “We will start the process over again and maybe not this upcoming season, but the following season. This is an initiative and it has definitely taken off and I would hope that the Coyotes would want to continue with it and we will see where things go from here,” Cook said.
As for now, having Luna as the leader of the pack for future service dogs to come for the Coyotes, “It is just a fun element of everything from social media to in-game experience. Dogs make everything more fun,” Keogh said.
Luna has done so much in representing the Coyotes’ care and compassion for the community by uniting everyone together.
“She is instant happiness. I am also able to create very special content about her role in the community and it makes my job even more fulfilling,” Keogh said.
