Texas Children’s welcomes a new princess to our One Amazing Team. Our newest facility dog, Noelle joins primary handler Shannon Stowers and secondary handler Victoria Rodriguez in the Heart Center.
As a child life intern in the PICU in the summer of 2020, Shannon dreamed of one day stepping in to a role as an animal assisted therapy coordinator. Inspired by Adair and Bailey (retired facility dog), she could see how much their presence and care meant for patients in the Heart Center, and now she’s living the dream.
“I saw firsthand how the Pawsitive Play program encouraged patients to reach their medical goals and promote patient and family coping,” said Shannon. “I believe this program helps to empower patients and their families while supporting the multidisciplinary team. I’m so excited to work with Noelle every day as I know her presence will bring joy and comfort to so many patients.”
Noelle, a black lab-golden retriever cross breed, came from Canine Companions like current facility dogs Crosby, Melman and Lawton. She trained for two years learning the valuable skills needed to become a facility dog. While she has a sweet playful side, when she is in work mode, she is a rock star and follows all her commands amazingly.
Shannon is a certified child life specialist and Victoria is the activity coordinator, both in the Heart Center. Noelle and team will focus on normalizing the hospital setting for patients and helping them cope while being in our care. They will assist with numerous treatments, procedures and co-treats alongside PT and OT.
“Having the chance to work with a facility dog has brought so much excitement to my days at work,” said Victoria. “I love seeing the joy on patients’ faces when they see Noelle walking the halls. She has made such an impact already, not to just patients but to the staff as well, me included.”
Shannon has learned so much about Noelle in a short time and has seen her be very playful and energetic or calm and comforting depending on the need – a perfect fit for the Heart Center. “One day she laid down in a patient’s bed to comfort them in preparation for major heart surgery. I was able to prepare the patient and answer their questions while they pet Noelle. With the next patient, she helped them walk laps around the unit to encourage mobility and then had a play session in their room,” Shannon shared.
The Pawsitive Play Program enhances the emotional well-being of patients and families in the hospital setting. Utilizing facility dogs, this program supports those who may have trouble coping with a hospital stay, new diagnosis or certain medical procedure. Facility dogs work full time alongside a child life specialist and coordinate with the multi-disciplinary team to provide goal-oriented, therapeutic interventions and emotional support for hospitalized children as well as families and staff.
Click here to learn more about Pawsitive Play.