Meet Pepa and Queso, Our Newest Facility Dogs

Children’s is beyond excited to introduce two new members of our Canines For Kids program.

Named for a character in Disney’s Encanto, Pepa, a 2-year-old golden retriever will join her handler in supporting our Heart Center and transplant teams at patient and family events, educational events, support groups and more. They will also make visits to patients during their stay at the Heart Center to provide animal-assisted therapy.

She will also join our lead chaplain in providing emotional support to patients, families and staff at Egleston Hospital and, eventually, Arthur M. Blank Hospital.

Queso, a 2-year-old golden retriever, gets his name from the popular Tex-Mex dip. He will be joining a team of handlers from our acute rehabilitation team at Scottish Rite Hospital.

Together with his handlers, Queso will participate in therapeutic sessions with patients to address goals and achieve functional outcomes related to gross motor skills, ambulation, fine motor skills, activities of daily living and emotional state regulation. He will also support in-bed mobility activities in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and many other areas of the hospital.

Canines For Kids is a goal-directed program at Children’s that helps our patients cope, heal and achieve treatment goals while at our healthcare facilities. Our dogs and trained handlers work as a team to provide comfort, support and distraction for our young patients during procedures and hospitalization. Bringing out joy even in challenging situations, our trained pups aid clinical teams in their work of providing treatment to kids. The first program of its kind in the country, Canines For Kids has since grown into a thriving program.

All dogs are special, but at Children’s, our furry fleet of specially trained pups truly go above and beyond to be a friend—and more—to those in need. We are so fortunate to welcome Pepa and Queso into our already amazing team of pups, as we work to make kids more comfortable in a healthcare setting.

. . .

How We Foster a Culture of Caring
Our employees care for our patients each and every day with strength and compassion. When we come together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish. See what makes Children’s a place our employees are proud to call home.

How We Work→

Join Our Talent Community

Join our Talent Community to be the first to know about hiring events and new job opportunities tailored to your skills and interests. You'll also get a special newsletter that will provide a closer look into what it's like to work at Children's.

Join Today →

599744_REC_Nurse-Flexibility-Campaign-story1