A PAW-fect pair: Sara and facility service dog Atticus team up to provide extraordinary care

When Sara Wilson joined Children’s Health in 2015, she didn’t expect to team up with a pup to help care for the hospital system’s patients. 

Moving back to Texas after a stint in Colorado, her background in speech-language pathology, which consists of the evaluation, treatment and prevention of communication and swallowing disorders, led her to becoming a team member at the Children’s Health Rehabilitation and Therapy Services. 

Her manager at the time was passionate about dogs and, with the help of philanthropic support, the hospital had recently launched its facility service dog program, which relies on philanthropic support and recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary.  

Looking into the ways animals can support patient care piqued Sara’s interest, so she began inquiring about becoming a facility service dog handler.  

Today, Sara oversees communication efforts, the promotion of continuing education opportunities and more as a program development manager for Children’s Health Rehabilitation and Therapy Services.  

She is also the proud handler of one of its facility service dogs — Atticus Theodor Finch, the nearly-all-black Portuguese water dog.  

“He has the fluffiest, softest black coat imaginable, with a tiny white patch on his chest,” Sara said with a smile. 

Working with Sara, Atticus has helped patients across the Dallas and Plano campuses and other Children’s Health specialty centers meet their physical, speech and occupational therapy goals for nearly 10 years. He gets kids energized and motivated to move by playing hide-and-seek, a game of fetch or going through obstacle courses with them.  

He’s also a big cuddler and will happily lend a paw or nuzzle a patient during procedures to ease their anxieties. 

“Working with Atticus has been such a meaningful part of my work,” she said. “The bond that we have forged has been absolutely phenomenal.” 

Sara mostly looks forward to observing the impact Atticus has on patients when making the rounds with him, such as when he gets kids out of their hospital beds to play or causes them to burst into laughter as he slips and slides chasing after a ball. 

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Those little moments make a patient’s stay better and bring a smile to their face. Some care team members will come up to me afterward and tell me it’s the first time that patient has laughed since their hospitalization.

— Sara, Children's Health employee

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Sara and Atticus love what they get to do each day, and they’re fueled by the people Children’s Health is made up of — including the patients, their families and other care team members. 

“The treats are a bonus,” Sara said, looking at Atticus. 

They both feel fulfilled by their work and supported by the hospital, which has made it easy for Sara to give back to help support the Children’s Health mission to care for kids now and for generations to come.   

In rehabilitation and therapy, Sara has seen patients achieve incredible milestones, such as taking their first steps, communicating again or doing things independently.  

“Employee donations also help provide specialized equipment, adaptive tools and therapy resources that allow us to individualize care for each child’s unique needs,” she said. “From advanced mobility devices to speech-generating technology, these resources help our patients regain function, achieve milestones and build confidence.” 

Sara provides her ongoing support through recurring payroll deductions, which allow care team members to easily make pre-tax contributions that add up over time and provide the system with regular source of funding to fund the hospital system’s areas of greatest need and enhance critical programs.  

“Giving back to Children’s Health helps promote a culture of care and generosity, and it all reflects on the care our patients receive,” she said. “Imagine how much bigger that impact could be if more care team members show their support this way. Every employee gift truly changes lives, and I’m proud to be part of it.”