COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — NBC4 will soon be welcoming another furry new friend. The station is partnering with Canine Companions for Independence to host a third Puppy with a Purpose.

One of the puppies pictured below will be the station’s next Puppy with a Purpose. NBC4 is currently looking for name suggestions that start with “B.” Weigh in with which “B” name you like by going to our Facebook page and leaving your ideas in the comments.

The puppy will be trained to help people with disabilities, and you will be able to follow his journey to becoming an assistance dog. 

NBC 4’s first Puppy with a Purpose, Buckeye, graduated as a full-fledged service dog in September 2020.

Buckeye was paired with 11-year-old Kian Steele.

“It’s nice to have Buckeye who can help him do those little things that you and I take for granted every day,” said Alicia Steele, Kian’s mother, after the two were paired. “So it’s nice that he has someone who can just help him with those things and he’s not asking me all the time, which is hard for an 11-year-old kid to have to go to mom all the time.”

The station’s second Puppy with a Purpose, Scarlet, joined us via puppy cam and shared her experiences through photographs due to the pandemic. She headed off to professional training in August 2021.

“Each dog is different, just like every individual is different, has a different personality, so are each of our dogs and we can’t wait to get to know more about Scarlet,” Megan Koester, Canine Companions for Independence said at the time Scarlet left NBC4.

“So, we’ll know Scarlet’s personality, we’ll learn a little bit about Scarlet’s work ethic, we will see all of the great work Paula has done with training on those commands,” Koester said when Scarlet left for training.

“But we’re going to add 10 more commands. So, at the end of that six to nine months, Scarlet will know over 40 commands that can help individuals with disabilities.”