Carilion Children’s Tanglewood Center Welcomes Wali, a Saint Francis Facility Dog
The region’s first pediatric facility dog will support young patients in therapy
Carilion Clinic and Saint Francis Service Dogs are excited to introduce Wali, a Saint Francis Facility Dog, who has officially joined the Carilion team to support some of its youngest patients at Carilion Children’s Tanglewood Center.
Wali is the first dedicated facility dog working in a pediatric health care setting in the region. Wali will support patients during therapy sessions, working full-time alongside licensed clinical psychologist Tara Mitchell, Ph.D. (who is also his handler on and off the clock).
Saint Francis Service Dogs, a Roanoke based nonprofit, placed Wali with Carilion Children’s at no cost. Saint Francis raises, trains, and places both service dogs with people with disabilities and facility dogs in healthcare, education, and courtroom settings. Wali began work in July, after completing more than two years of extensive training. Dr. Mitchell also completed Saint Francis’s structured training program that includes candidate classes, site visits, and Team Training.
The Saint Francis staff expertly matched Wali with Carilion Children’s to provide support focused on enhancing the patient experience. Using his grasp of specialized tasks and commands, Wali will help calm patients, encourage therapeutic conversations through playful activities, and help boost participation in treatment. His presence aims to create a more comforting and supportive environment for children as they navigate health challenges.
“We’re excited to have Wali join the team here at Carilion Children’s,” Mitchell said. “His unique skills are already helping patients reach their treatment goals through motivation, positive modeling, and bringing joy to each session. He’s also been a hit with staff, which has been an added bonus.”
As he settles into his role, his responsibilities will continue to grow, adapting to serve Carilion Children’s and the community even better.
“Our ultimate goal at Saint Francis is to place each of our dogs with their perfect partner,” said Cabell Youell, Executive Director. “We know Wali has found that with Carilion Children’s. We look forward to seeing all the ways he impacts the lives of both patients and staff for many years to come.”
Carilion Children’s
Carilion Children’s is the leading pediatric provider for southwest Virginia. Services include the region’s largest and most sophisticated level III NICU and the region’s only children’s hospital and level 1 pediatric trauma center. Acting as a care destination for pediatric excellence, Carilion Children’s clinical teams span 22 pediatric subspecialties in satellite clinics throughout the region. Thanks to support through its Children’s Miracle Designation, Carilion Children’s provides the latest technologies and meets patients where they are with the region’s only dedicated neonatal ambulance fleet. For more information, visit CarilionClinic.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Saint Francis Service Dogs
Saint Francis Service Dogs is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to help people with disabilities achieve their goals and have greater independence through partnership with exceptional service and facility dogs.
Since our inception in 1996, we have placed 178 service and facility dogs to assist people with a wide range of disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, joint and/or muscular diseases, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, paralysis, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and many other conditions.
Our service dogs are trained in over 40 different skills, and can assist a person with physical task-work such as turning lights on and off, retrieving fallen items, carrying items and going for help when necessary.
In addition to the tangible services that service dogs provide, the animal-human bond generates a strong emotional attachment between human and dog. Through this bond, the person often develops a positive focus and a stimulus to be active. The result is increased motivation, higher self-esteem, and a greater sense of belonging, as well as more social interaction and a higher quality of life. A service dog can act as a bridge to the world around them, steering the focus to the person and away from the disability.
Thanks to the generous support of individuals, corporations, and foundations, we absorb the cost of training and do not charge our partners for their dogs. Because of their support, we are able to empower and transform the lives of people with disabilities - One dog. One person. One family. One community at a time.
For more information about Saint Francis Service Dogs, visit saintfrancisdogs.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.