ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Carilion Children’s Hospital introduced one of its newest hires, and while not a paid employee, it creates an invaluable experience for patients.

Wali is that employee and he is our hometowns first pediatric dog.

At just two-and-a-half years old, Wali, a black Labrador, has already booked his full-time job after completing his training at Saint Francis Service Dogs.

“He is employed. It even has its own badge!” said Dr. Tara Mitchell, Wali’s handler and Co-Chief of Pediatric Behavioral Health at Carilion.

He’s not your average employee, he’s a facility dog. He was trained as a service dog, but now works mainly in professional settings such as the clinic.

“He can open and close doors, go for help, pick things up. He can do all those things that a service dog can do, but we implement those tasks in a different way in this environment,” said Cabell Youell, executive director of Saint Francis Service Dogs.

Bringing a dog home from the facility is something Dr. Mitchell had been working for years. Her goal was to create a more comfortable experience for her patients.

“He helps motivate them, encouraging them. It’s an instant report,” said Dr. Mitchell

“It just helps kids reach their therapeutic goals, it makes their sessions a lot more enjoyable,” Youell said. “Patients report experiencing less pain during sessions. They’re more likely to come back for more therapy, and they’re more likely to be happy to come back.”

Wali can do all kinds of skills and tricks, but his real talent is working with patients and providing some comfort when things might seem scary.

“In a situation where a child may be dealing with a mental diagnosis, a health diagnosis. . . Having a dog there that they can give a command and ask a dog to sit, ask a dog to talk, gives them a modicum of control over a situation where they have none,” said Youell. “It’s really encouraging and can be incredibly helpful.”

Dr. Mitchell said she and Wali have been working with patients and staff for about three months, and he has become quite popular at the clinic.

“It has been a huge response with patients, parents and even staff. He’ll go to meetings sometimes and just drop the blood pressure in the room,” said Dr. Mitchell.

The hospital looks forward to all the work it will continue to do and form more partnerships like this with Saint Francis Service Dogs.

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