While dogs may be man’s best friend, hearing impaired Wayne Wicklund never realized the extent of the valuable assistance provided by his service dog, Snow Prince, until the white German Shepherd passed away in September.

Snow and Wicklund were constant companions for 12 1/2 years and a familiar sight around town. Snow’s death was “very hard on us,” said Wayne and his wife, Anne.

Wayne now is training a puppy, Snow Shadow, to replace his first service dog.

Service dogs assist their owners by notifying them of situations that they may not be able to detect on their own.

“If I didn’t take this dog, I could have waited up to a year,” said Wayne.

“They evaluated this dog and he is going to be awesome,” added Anne.

Snow Shadow comes from a litter of 11 pups born at Reeves Royal Acres in Valparaiso, Ind. He was selected to become a service dog because of his temperament and bloodlines.

“They’re looking for confidence. He’s not afraid of anything. A service dog has to be confident but very kind,” commented Anne.

Already 25 pounds, the Wicklunds estimate that, when fully grown, Snow Shadow will weigh between 110 and 120 pounds.

Snow Shadow is nearly house-broken and has begun obedience training with basic commands of sit and stay. Wayne has him climbing up and down three flights of stairs, “taking one step at a time.”

Wayne is teaching him American sign language, verbal and hand gesture commands.

The Wicklunds acquired Snow after Wayne began losing his hearing in 2001 and developed lung disease. Snow would “herd him away” from offending allergic triggers that “shut down his lungs,” she said.

“He did so many things that we never imagined for Wayne,” said Anne.

“For us, as a business and a couple, he took care of us. Every physical disability that came our way, he (Snow) was right there.”

“Snow knew when I was off….and already after only a couple weeks, he’s picking up on it,” said Wayne, gesturing to the new puppy. “He comes over and hangs with me.”

Snow Shadow already understands that he is different from most dogs. He accompanies the Wicklunds to restaurants and on a three and a half hour flight in the main airplane cabin to his new home.