Photo: Samantha Okazaki
TheTodayShow got anadorable, fuzzy additionto their cast three weeks ago, but “Puppy with a Purpose” Charlie isn’t just there for fun and games.
“We have to remember, he’s not here as a prop for a television show, he’s here because this environment is good and he gets a lot of stimulants,” says anchorMatt Lauer, 58.
Charlie, who turns four months old on Sept. 26, is training forAmerica’s VetDogs, and after spending 16 months learning basic obedience skills and getting used to the fast pace of a daily news show, the black Labrador will be matched with a veteran. He’s theTodayShow’s second dog, aftergolden retriever Wrangler, who just graduated from hisGuiding Eyes for the Blindtraining and is now an active guide dog.
“He’s not just here to hang out, he’s in training,” adds cohost Carson Daly, 43. “But it’s amazing, it’s so great. It’s great for the show, it’s great for all of us, it’s a great cause. It’s such a nice addition to our family.”
TODAY Show: TODAY’s puppy with a purpose, Charlie, is training to be a guide dog with America’s VetDogs. — August 25, 2016 TODAY’s puppy with a purpose, Charlie
The pup was carefully selected at just three weeks old as the perfect dog for the job.
“We would go into the nursery for about an hour each day and spend time with the litter, and starting at three weeks, he was just the puppy that wanted to do everything first, and he was very social and confident, he loved people,” says his trainer, Olivia Poff, 27. “He just had the right personality to step into something of this magnitude.”
TODAY Show: TODAY’s puppy with a purpose, Charlie, and his four sisters are training to be guide dogs with America’s VetDogs. — August 24, 2016 TODAY’s puppy with a purpose, Charlie
Charlie and Poff’s day starts early, with a 3 a.m. wake up call to run around outside and eat breakfast before driving in from Long Island to theTodayShow set in Rockefeller Center. Once there, Poff runs him through drills and games, like sitting and retrieving items. And as Charlie grows, so will his skills, and the puppy will eventually learn to push buttons, open refrigerator doors and retrieve items.
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Right now though, he’s mostly enjoying being a pup, and his “morning meetings” with Lauer.
TODAY Show: TODAY’s puppy with a purpose, Charlie, is training to be a guide dog with America’s VetDogs. — August 30, 2016 TODAY’s puppy with a purpose, Charlie
“We just fight over him,” anchor Savannah Guthrie, 44, adds. “It’s so fun, I mean this is a place where we’re working, and sometimes it’s stressful, but we have a puppy!”
“He gets to be here and we see him everyday, and we get to watch him grow up, and he’s as cute as can possibly be, and just knowing that this is all for a good cause that we can be so excited about and play a little bit of a role – it’s just a win-win-win.”
To learn more about Charlie, Today’s “Puppy with a Purpose,” pick up this week’s copy of PEOPLE magazine, on newsstands now.
source: people.com
