Facility Dog Program
We are pawsitively thrilled to introduce the newest members of our world class health care team at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital! Welcome to Iowa, facility dogs Corrin and Nacho!
As facility dogs, Corrin and Nacho help our pediatric patients reach specific clinical goals and promote healing through animal-assisted interventions. Examples of interventions include procedural support, pain management, treatment compliance, and outcome-driven play.
Alongside their handlers, who are child life specialists, these gentle canines support patients through motivation, encouragement, and companionship.
The Dogtors are in!
Meet Corrin and Nacho
Corrin (pronounced CORE-in)
Breed: Golden Retriever/Chocolate Lab/Poodle
Birthday: April 9
Primary Handler: Aly Humphrey (left)
Secondary Handler: Kristen Rooney (right)
Personality: Sweet, goofy, playful, calm
Hobbies: Corrin loves to play with other dogs, meet new friends, play fetch, and take naps!
Fun fact: Corrin is named after a Super Smash Brothers character, and has many siblings with Super Smash Brothers names, too!
Nacho
Breed: Golden Retriever/Poodle
Birthday: May 9
Primary Handler: Emily Bradley (left)
Secondary Handler: Taylor Turben-Fuhrman (right)
Personality: Sweet, calm, silly, playful
Hobbies: Nacho loves a good snuggle and will nap anytime, anywhere. He loves to play fetch and with his dog sister at home.
Fun fact: Nacho is from a Tex-Mex themed litter and has siblings that are also hospital facility dogs!
Facility Dog FAQs
Facility dogs are community service dogs who provide animal-assisted therapy (AAT) in a pediatric health care setting.
Our facility dogs are important members of the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital care team. Together with their handler—a certified child life specialist—facility dogs provide patient care and promote healing by helping pediatric patients reach various clinical goals through pain management, procedural support, outcome-driven play, sibling and family support, and more.
The facility dog program at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital is named “Wags and Waves" to honor our facility dogs and the famous “Hawkeye Wave.”
Our facility dogs provide care to children based on assessments made by the child life team. The clinic or unit child life specialist will work with the facility dog handler to prioritize and schedule care based on these assessments and facility dog availability. Unfortunately, the dogs aren’t able to visit every patient!
Please note, for safety and infection prevention reasons, facility dogs are not able to provide care/services to patients in isolation.
If you see a handler and facility dog at the hospital, please ask the handler if it is okay to approach the facility dog. Our dogs have full schedules caring for patients and may not have time to stop. If they do, the handler will invite you to say hello to the dog. Please do not pet the facility dog unless the handler says it’s okay.
Our facility dogs live with their handlers who love and care for them 24/7. When the dogs are not at work, they are like any other dog who loves to eat, play, and snuggle! When they take their vests off after leaving the hospital, they know they are “off work” and can enjoy their free time like any other employee!
The Wags and Waves Facility Dog Program does not replace the UI Hospitals and Clinics Furry Friends program. Both programs are meaningful to patients and families during their experiences in our facilities.
Dogs in these programs have different goals and support patients in different ways.
Learn more about the Furry Friends program.
The Facility Dog Program at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital is funded entirely by philanthropic dollars. We are grateful for these generous donations from members and partners in our local, statewide, and global communities.
Support the facility dogs through the Child Life program wish list.
Locations and Offices
