Litter of guide dog hopefuls named after Team USA Olympic winter athletes

AOL.com Editors
Updated ·2 min read

The Winter Olympics may be over, but that doesn't mean we have to stop showing our patriotism and support for these incredible American athletes.

Guiding Eyes for the Blind, one of the world's leading guide dog schools, is continuing the 2018 Olympic legacy by naming one of their most recent litters after Team USA Gold Medalists.

See the adorable puppies:

The "Olympic Litter" is composed of five adorable Labrador Retriever puppies named:

  • Anderson: Named for Jamie Anderson, whose slopestyle win made her the first female snowboarder to win more than one Olympic gold. Much like Jamie, Anderson comes from a very big family and loves the snow.

  • Jessie: Together with her sister Kikkan, Jessie is part of the puppy pair named for the winners of the women's cross-country skiing gold. She was thrilled to learn that her namesake, Jessie Diggins, was named flagbearer for the Closing Ceremony.

  • Kikkan: The other half of the cross-country ski team duo, Kikkan is named for Kikkan Randall, who helped bring home the United States' first gold in the sport at the PyeongChang games.

  • Kim: Named in honor of Chloe Kim, the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding medal, puppy Kim is similarly interested in her snacking schedule and is working on building up her social media pawprint to make her namesake proud.

  • Mikaela: Finally, puppy Mikaela is proud to represent renowned alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin in honor of her Olympic gold in women's giant slalom. Much like her human counterpart, puppy Mikaela loves naps.

View this post on Instagram

Ready for your daily dose of cuteness? 5 puppies from @guidingeyes were named after #TEAMUSA’s gold medalists. Scroll through to meet Anderson, Jessie, Kim, Kikkan and Mikaela from the Olympic Litter. Link in bio. 📷: Geoff Tischman for Guiding Eyes for the Blind #pyeongchang2018

A post shared by In The Know Finds (@watchintheknowfinds) on Feb 26, 2018 at 11:35am PST

"Each of these athletes showed their dedication, drive and talent at the 2018 Winter Games, and we hope each of these puppies will grow into guide dogs that will make them proud," said Thomas Panek, President & CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

"Just like Team USA inspired all of us watching at home, our guide dogs inspire us every day by giving people with vision loss greater independence and freedom."

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