December 16, 2019

The Medical Center campus patients and employees will no longer think of the solar system when they hear someone say Pluto. That’s the name of the newest animal-assisted therapy dog.

The two-year-old Golden Retriever joins Golden Retrievers Elsa, Bailey and Pinto, who also serve patients at Texas Children’s in the Texas Medical Center, and Golden doodle/Golden Retriever mix, Cohen, who serves patients at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands campus.

All five dogs are part of hospital’s Pawsitive Play Program, which is designed to enhance to enhance the emotional well-being of pediatric patients by reducing their anxiety, perception of pain and fear of hospitalization. Pluto will provide goal-oriented, therapeutic interventions to those in clinics in Mark A. Wallace Tower. He is generously supported by a gift from the Barnhart family and spends his days with animal-assisted therapy coordinator, Hanna Kuhn.

“As a dog handler, even walking down the hall can brighten a patient or staff members day so I love that we get to bring smiles to everyone we encounter,” Kuhn said. “I think patients automatically feel calmer when they are able to pet the dog during preparations and procedures, so I am looking forward to bringing Pluto into the outpatient environment and supporting patient’s positive coping during procedures by utilizing Pluto’s presence as a coping tool and distraction option.”

During his hospital debut and first day on the job, Pluto visited patients in Mark A. Wallace Tower so that he and Kuhn could get acquainted with them and their families.

“When we were here a few months ago for surgery, we met Pinto and my daughter was so excited,” Kristin Moreno, mother of patient Claire Moreno said. “The dogs are a great way to motivate her now that we have to come back for therapy.”

Just like any other employee, Pluto has an official hospital badge. He spends time without his vest playing with his toys and to ensure he always looks his best, he is groomed weekly and his paws are wiped down daily. Before making his journey to Texas Children’s, Pluto underwent extensive training at Canine Assistants, a non-profit in Atlanta, which has matched more than 1,500 service dogs with individuals and hospitals.

Pluto is extremely friendly, so whenever you see our newest four-legged employee make sure you greet him with lots of hugs and affection.

He loves to meet new people and is very social which means I get to talk to new coworkers all the time that I normally wouldn’t get to meet so that has been very fun. He is also so tall which means his head is always at the perfect height to be pet and I love that he makes it so easy for us to love on him. He likes to snuggle up next to me when he is tired and it just makes me feel so loved.

October 3, 2017

Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark Wallace and his wife, Shannon, recently donated a very special gift to the Texas Children’s Pawsitive Play Program in memory of their beloved black Labrador, Cadence. The Wallaces have generously pledged an initial $80,000 contribution to the program to enable Texas Children’s to hire another animal-assisted therapy coordinator and therapy dog team to provide therapeutic interventions for patients and families in the Legacy Tower.

“Shannon and I are both animal lovers through and through, and we could not think of a better way to honor Cadence than by donating to the Pawsitive Play Program in her memory,” Wallace said. “We were very attached to Cadence, who brought us so much joy before she passed away. We saw what a positive impact Elsa has made on our patients and their families, and we know the addition of a new therapy dog will allow even more of our patients, employees and staff to benefit from this program in the Legacy Tower.”

Since joining Texas Children’s one year ago, Elsa, Texas Children’s first therapy dog, has provided targeted therapeutic interventions to patients and their families in numerous patient care settings at the Texas Children’s medical center campus. The hospital’s second therapy dog will be specifically trained to care for patients and families in the critical care environment.

“The Pawsitive Play program has made an incredible difference in the healing process for our patients and their families,” said Texas Children’s Assistant Vice President Sarah Maytum. “And the impact extends to our employees and physicians as well. Elsa brightens everyone’s day. I often see her in the hallway, surrounded by a crowd of employees who have stopped to greet Elsa as she is on her way to see patients.”

Texas Children’s will again collaborate with Canine Assistants, a non-profit organization in Atlanta, Georgia, that has matched more than 1,500 therapy dogs, including individual and hospital placements. The organization will conduct a site visit to learn more about the critical care areas of the Legacy Tower before selecting the ideal therapy dog for that environment.

Many of the clinical areas that are moving into Legacy Tower have had great success with the Pawsitive Play Program already. Elsa visits the intensive care and progressive care units on a regular basis. While some patients will not be able to receive a visit from the new service dog because of their clinical conditions, the families, visitors and staff throughout Legacy Tower will be able to experience the comfort of our newest therapy dog.

The Wallaces’ contribution will support Texas Children’s second therapy dog and its handler over the 8-year service life of the dog. Texas Children’s plans to have this new furry companion on staff in early 2018. This will allow sufficient time to get the newest furry member of the team oriented and ready for the opening of Legacy Tower.

“Legacy Tower is so distinctive and innovative,” Wallace said. “It is being equipped with the most advanced technology and much larger, family-centered critical care spaces. It will complement the hospital’s existing ORs and radiology services, and will be home to Texas Children’s No. 1 ranked Heart Center. With so much to look forward to, Shannon and I thought it would be great to bring a special new therapy dog to the patients we will care for in our new critical care tower. We are so fortunate to be able to do something like this, and we both can’t wait to welcome our new friend.”