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Though the Ottawa Senators have gone to the dogs many times this season, Monday was the first time they seemed happy about it.

About 10 members of the NHL team and their spouses were the star attractions at a $350-a-ticket night to raise money for Freedom Dog Rescue, a local charity that fostered and adopted out 240 dogs in 2018.

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Dinner guests were greeted with frisky puppies as they entered Whalesbone on Elgin Street, some wearing Sens gear, all looking for new homes.

Hosts for the evening were Hayley Thompson, 22, the partner of Sens forward Mark Stone, and Mathilde Boedker, 29, wife of Danish winger Mikkel Boedker.

Thompson and Boedker, both dog lovers since childhood, were at a Senators home game in October against the Dallas Stars that was billed as a Furry Fans Night when pet rescue organizations are given display space in the concourse.

They both went to have a look. A black Lab puppy fell asleep in Thompson’s arms. “I sent a picture to Mark while he was playing and said, ‘We’re getting this dog’.” It did not seem to matter they already had two golden retrievers at home, Olive and Lu, both three years old.