Photo: Megan Seling



The 2018-19 hockey season is the Year of the Dog, apparently. Pups are popping up all over the place. Both the New York Islanders and the St. Louis Blues recently adopted service-dogs-in-training (the Blues pup, Barclay, sometimes hangs out at practice). And while the Preds have supported the Nashville Humane Association for years by partnering up for the Preds and Puppies calendar, the franchise has taken their puppy love even further in 2019 — new in the Preds Pro Shop this year are plush versions of Ryan Johansen's wrinkled bulldogs Doug and Dozer, complete with adorable underbites. (The pups also make an appearance on this limited-edition Johansen bobblehead.)

To take the pup appreciation even further, last weekend Preds defensemen Yannick Weber and his partner Kayla Price — who own two gorgeous huskies — announced their new dog-focused charity. Weber's Woof Pack is a Preds fan club for your pets. The $30 fee benefits the Nashville Humane Association and membership includes a collar, leash, dog tag and food bowl as well as opportunities to win Preds-related prizes and attend exclusive local-dog-park meetups.

Maybe it's because teams knew they needed something furry and cute to compete with Gritty's popularity? Whatever the reason for all the good doggos, I am loving it. Sure, it can be fun to follow your favorite players on social media (P.K. Subban's Instagram is always good for a laugh), but let's face it, dogs > humans. So if you want more hockey dogs in your life, below are some more Preds pups Instagram accounts, because 2019 is the year you should stop hate-following that idiot you went to college with and start filling your feeds with sweet fuzzy faces.

Tula

Pawrents: Craig and Aleah Smith





June and Willow

Pawrents: Yannick Weber and Kayla Price





Doug and Dozer

Pawrents: Ryan Johansen and Madison Bell





Riley and Lena

Pawrents: Ryan Hartman and Lauren Storhoff





Kingsley and Bella

Pawrents: Roman Josi and Ellie Ottaway

View this post on Instagram How much longer til Santa gets here❓ A post shared by Kingsley & Bella❣️ (@kingstagram_bella) on Dec 22, 2018 at 7:16am PST









