LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Benny, the rescue dog who became famous in Las Vegas and around the country for his ice-skating skills, has died.
“From the day we got him,” Cheryl DelSangro said of Benny. “He was perfect.”
DelSangro, who rescued Benny ten years ago from a kill shelter in Utah, shared how he was beautiful, talented, and always ready to make anyone smile.
“That’s how he was,” she said. “He was like a person.”
The Labrador Retriever made a name for himself when the Vegas Golden Knights went to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their inaugural 2018 season.
DelSangro, who is a talented skater, taught Benny how to move on ice; soon he became a household name in Southern Nevada and all over the country.
“The first time we went on the ice he could actually skate,” DelSangro recalled. “It wasn’t like I had to teach him.”
Now, five years after this wonder dog rose to fame, Benny died suddenly at 12 years old, leaving Cheryl and her family devastated.
“He was like my best friend,” she said. “I feel like I lost like my arm or something.”
However, with that sadness also comes so much pride and happy memories here locally and on trips to rinks around the United States.
“We skated in Central Park,” Cheryl recalled. “In Rockefeller Center, Detroit, everywhere.”
She told 8 News Now it’s hard to breathe without Benny, but she hopes his legacy will always live on.
“He changed so many lives and besides the impact of just being a dog,” DelSangro said. “He’s also a rescue dog.”
She wants his story to encourage others to take a chance at adoption and know the absolute best can happen.
“Check your local shelters or dog rescues,” she said. “And see what’s out there, because you can get a Benny.”
“He was really an incredible dog,” she concluded.
Benny was honored with the American Kennel Club’s Canine Excellence Award in 2021. For more, click here.
Benny was also featured on 8 News Now multiple times throughout his skating career, along with several viral sites like The Dodo. For more, click here.
