The Chargers welcomed a new friend earlier in the week.
The newest dog of the Chargers Pup program was officially unveiled in El Segundo, as the team officially announced 'Blitz' as the new name.
Blitz was welcomed to The Bolt by a number of Chargers players such as wide receiver Tre' Harris, outside linebacker Akheem Mesidor and safety Genesis Smith.
In partnership with Easterseals and Paws For Life K9 Rescue, the long running program kicked off for another year.
"The Chargers Pup program is something we've had now for six years," Chargers Director of Community Relations Cheyanne Warren-Diaz said. "We brought our Chargers Pup here to officially announce his name, as voted on by our fans.
"We're really excited to have had Paws 4 Life and Easterseals here to help us welcome him to the Chargers Pup family," Warren-Diaz added.
The newest Chargers Pup was named with the help of the Bolt Fam with a majority percentage of 49 percent.
Fans will get to follow the journey of a dog preparing to become a life-changing companion for a person with disabilities and highlights the major role of service animals.
And this year the impact will be in a different way, as Blitz was trained for someone with autism that utilizes Easterseals disability services.
"I think the partnership with the Chargers is so impactful, especially them sponsoring the dog with us," Paws for Life K9 Rescue CEO and Founder Alex Tonner said. "We're able to get another dog out there to someone who truly needs it. Without this partnership, we wouldn't be able to do that.
"It's always exciting for us, we love bringing the dog here, we love seeing everyone training," Tonner added. "But mainly, we love the graduation, gifting the dog is an amazing thing that we're able to do with the support for the Chargers and the Charger Pup."
Warren-Diaz added: "Our service dogs in the past have been raised for military veterans, so this is our first time training a dog for a person with autism so we're really excited to talk about the importance of these animals and service for people."
Fans can follow along with Blitz and the journey on @chargerspup on Instagram, as he will be busy in the coming months on his way to making a massive impact on the community.
"We're excited to have worked with Easterseals and Paws For Life to have Blitz be training to be a service animal for a person with autism," Warren-Diaz said. "It will be a different service dog than our traditional.
She later added: "Working with Easterseals, who is an incredible provider for children and families that need those services. To see Blitz training for a life of service for an Easterseals family is going to be really exciting."
