Meet the Service Dogs Cheering on Their Athletes at the 2026 Paralympics

The Winter Olympics might be over, but the sporting fun continues with the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, which kick off today. Last month, the Olympic cross-country skiing event accidentally featured a dog (that was a fun surprise!). But pups are actually a guarantee for the Paralympic Games, where these very good dogs have accompanied their accomplished athletes to Italy.

Their humans have trained hard for this — and so have the dogs, who are ready to help their Paralympian companions go for the gold. The dogs come from all over the world and are helping a whole range of Paralympians in different events.

Let’s meet six of the pups who will be at the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games. 

Pickle 

Pickle will be assisting Hester Poole from Great Britain. This is Poole (and Pickle’s!) first Olympics. She’ll be competing in the Para Alpine skiing events. Poole was born with a congenital condition that affects her retina development. Four years ago, when Poole was 14, she applied to have a guide dog, and Pickle entered her life. 

“Pickle has given me my stride back and brought me back to myself, speeding me up, giving me more confidence and more energy,” Poole wrote in Womanthology in 2023. “Without her, I’d be using my eyes all the time for everything, which wasn’t sustainable, but now she just helps me not have to focus on using my eyes to get from point A to point B, so I can use my energy for my A-Levels, which are hard enough.”

Riley

Riley accompanies Austrian cross-country skier and biathlete Carina Edlinger. She is visually impaired and began competing in the Paralympics in 2018 at the age of 19. She won her first bronze medal that year. When she won her first gold in the 2022 Winter Paralympics, a journalist asked her how important the medal felt. 

“My dog is worth more than any medal,” Edlinger wrote in a blog post on Glorious Sport. “Sport is great, but it’s even more important to remind yourself that life is way more than that.” 

Surprisingly, Edlinger says she was not a huge dog person until she met Riley. But he quickly took on a very important role in her life. “I’m convinced that in one way he has saved me,” she said in the same blog post. “Back in 2019 when I got him as a guide dog, my life took on a different purpose. I had someone to care about and I got to feel the love regardless of my inner anguish. My only wish was that I wanted to have a black dog so that one day I might see him in the white snow.”

Odell

Odell is the service dog of Indigenous Australian Amanda Reid. Reid, who has cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities, is notable for not only competing in snowboarding at the Winter Paralympics, but also holding medals in cycling and swimming in the Summer Paralympic Games. She’s been competing in the Paralympics since 2012, when she was part of the Australian Women’s Swimming Team. Odell previously supported Reid during the Paris Summer games.

“I’m blessed to have a beautiful assistance dog called Odell she has changed my life so much and I’m so thankful for her,” Reid wrote on her Instagram in 2021. 

Gigi 

Gigi will be helping Australia’s Taryn Dickson. Originally a cyclist, Dickson picked up biathlon and cross country after being diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease. A naval officer, Dickson currently works in an administrative role in Canberra, Australia. She was assigned her guide dog, Gigi, through the Defence Community Dogs project, an independent program that provides service dogs to serving and ex-serving Australian military. 

“We’ve been paired up for five years now, which I’m very proud to say, and I hope that the Navy is proud that Gigi has been part of my life for more than half my serving time,” Dickens said to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Willow

Willow is the loyal service dog of Australian Matt Brumby, who will be competing in biathlon and cross-country skiing events. Like fellow Australian paralympic Taryn Dickson, Brumby served in the Australian Naval Forces. He was discharged after a spinal injury in 2001. After some time traveling, Brumby started training for Ironman competitions. 

Brumby and Willow have been together since 2018, when they first teamed up at the Invictus Games, an international multi-sport event held for wounded, injured, and sick military personnel. Willow is a regular feature on Brumby’s Instagram page. Check it out to follow their adventures and training. 

Suki  

Suki accompanies Australian Dave Miln, who like fellow Australian paralympics (and fellow Australian Naval Force members) Dickson and Brumby, will be competing in biathlon and cross country. A ski accident in December 2022, in which Miln saved his daughters from an oncoming motorized snow blower, left Miln a double amputee. Suki came into his life shortly after that. She doesn’t just assist Miln with his physical disability, though. The whole Miln family suffers from some form of PTSD following the accident, so Suki actually is a great help for all of them.

“She’s amazing,” Miln said about Suki on Australia’s Channel 9. “Normally, the dogs are trained to focus on one person. But she’s been put in an environment where she’s got four people with complex PTSD around her all the time. So she will divide her time and try to assist all of us. She’s just amazing.”