Meet Benny, the clever rescue Labrador who loves ice skating thanks to his former professional figure skater owner.
Cheryl Delsangro, 60, was able to teach adorable Benny, nine, how to ice skate, even designing him his very own pair of skates.
Pictures taken by family friend Rick Vierkandt show the pooch having a whale of a time zipping around the rink.
It all started when Cheryl saw how much Benny loved running around on the ice.
She said: ‘We were asked to make a cheer video for the Vegas Golden Knights [a professional ice hockey team] when they made it to the Stanley Cup finals.
‘I took Benny on the ice on his paws, and he ran around chasing the puck and carrying the stick for the video – he had a blast.
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‘On the way home, I thought to myself that I could teach Benny how to ice skate.
‘I taught our daughter how to skate when she was 17 months old, and I knew Benny was more coordinated than a toddler, and he could also already skateboard.
‘It took two months for me to design and make his skates so that Benny could properly skate on the ice.
‘Benny goes skating about once every two weeks unless he has an event then he does it once a week. He has custom-made skates which I designed and a friend of ours fabricated them at no charge.’
Cheryl absolutely loves being able to have fun with Benny on the ice.
‘Seeing him so excited and having him skate with me is a dream come true,’ she said. ‘I always say my two passions are dogs and skating – now I have those combined.
‘It doesn’t get any better than that.
‘People are so excited to see Benny and his enthusiasm, it brings smiles to everyone, and he just makes people feel good.’
Poor Benny didn’t have an easy start in life as a rescue, but Cheryl hails him as a great example of how far these dogs can go if they’re just given a chance.
She said: ‘I just want to share Benny with the world as he is the poster pup for adopt, don’t shop. Benny was on his last day in a kill shelter when I saw him and had him pulled.
‘He is a perfect example of what is available in dog shelters and through rescue groups.’
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