Velour Vanderbilt is the youngest employee at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
With only a few months on the job, “Vee Vee” as she is affectionately called, is already in high demand and quickly adapting to her work environment.
The 2-year-old canine has been described as bubbly, peppy and energetic. But it’s her keen sense of awareness that is “pawsitively” one of her most important qualities, according to her co-workers.
“We are so excited to officially introduce Velour and to celebrate the expansion of our Canine Clinicians Facility Dog Program, allowing us to provide comfort and support to more children. Squid and Velour, as our canine clinicians, along with their handlers, have become a very important addition to our health care teams.”
Meg Rush, MD, MMHC, president of Monroe Carell
“She is doing a really good job,” said Kaylor Glassman, MS, facility dog program coordinator and Velour’s primary handler. “She is quick to adjust her personality to the vibe in each room she enters. She does this naturally. It’s amazing how intuitive she is and how she meets patients’ needs just by being herself.
“She wants to do activities, go on walks with patients and get them motivated for movement and play. But when we are in the ED during a trauma situation for example, which is one of the areas we have been able to expand our services to, she is very calm and present. She has been able to use her strengths to engage patients depending on their needs. It’s really neat to see.”
Velour joins Squid, the hospital’s first facility dog, who was introduced in 2020. Both dogs are part of the Canine Clinicians Facility Dog Program at Monroe Carell and are members of the Patient- and Family-Centered Care team that supports, comforts and provides care to patients and families.
Velour was trained as a facility dog by Canine Companions and provided free of charge. She is supported by Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, Kacey Musgraves and Amazon.
“We are so excited to officially introduce Velour and to celebrate the expansion of our Canine Clinicians Facility Dog Program, allowing us to provide comfort and support to more children,” said Meg Rush, MD, MMHC, president of Monroe Carell. “Squid and Velour, as our canine clinicians, along with their handlers, have become a very important addition to our health care teams.
“The stories I hear about how they engage our patients to support healing are amazing, further reinforcing our ongoing commitment to provide comprehensive, compassionate health care across all programs. It’s also been a joy to see the positive impact they have on our staff. We are incredibly grateful for the generous support of Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, Kacey Musgraves and Amazon for making growth of this program possible.”
View a video of Velour’s impact on one of our patients.
The Facility Dog Program at Monroe Carell was established through collaboration with Mars Petcare through its BETTER CITIES FOR PETS program to support a full-time facility dog and a staff position for coordination of the program. The overall goal of the program is to show the positive impact a facility dog can have on patients, families and staff.
“Facility dogs support our patients in meeting their treatment goals through play, comfort and creativity,” said Glassman. “Dogs also love unconditionally, which is incredibly important to a child in a new and scary environment. Children who have been unable to engage with other providers will often open up once our facility dogs are present, allowing insight into the child’s experience, condition, and concerns.”
Glassman is joined by Meredith George, MEd, a Certified Child Life Specialist on the hematology-oncology floor, as the second handler for Velour, who works 25 hours a week. In August 2024 the pair traveled to the Canine Companions Southeast Region in Orlando, Florida, to bring Velour home after an intensive two-week instruction session together.
The overall success of the initial partnership evolved into the Canine Clinicians Facility Dog Program, a consult-based service that works with patients to meet treatment goals. In addition to engaging patients in their treatment, Velour rotates throughout the hospital to support families and staff experiencing the impact of intense medical situations.
“On behalf of my fellow area franchisees, we are thrilled to support the Joy in Childhood Foundation in their mission to bring the simplest joys of childhood to children battling illness through the Dogs for Joy Program,” said Victor Carvalho, Dunkin’ franchisee and chairman of the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation Board of Directors. “We have seen the incredible impact that our Dogs for Joy program has had on kids in hospitals throughout the country, and we are proud to help pediatric patients at Monroe Carell with this funding. We look forward to seeing the meaningful impact that Velour has on kids here.”
“I put on her vest right as I get her out of the car in the parking garage and as we are walking into the building, she knows it’s work time,” said Glassman. “It’s cool to see her switch to professional mode.”
Patients and staff can interact and learn more about the 52-pound, yellow Labrador during “Visits with Velour,” a monthly meet and greet session on the second Monday of each month at 3 p.m. at the Performance Stage on the second floor of Monroe Carell.
There is no question that Canine Clinicians have a positive impact, said Glassman, who recalls an encounter with a patient who had been in a motor vehicle accident.
“He was traumatized from what he had seen happen to his family,” said Glassman. “Velour draped over him in the bed, and he started telling her (Velour) what he had seen and his fears. He just started opening up about everything that had happened.
“He was released, but his younger brother is in our PICU. He comes with his family to visit him. During one of our visits, his mom mentioned that they would all need counseling to process the accident and the aftermath and his response to her was ‘Mom, I don’t need a therapist, I have Velour.’”
“Every child deserves moments of joy, especially when facing medical challenges, which is why we at Amazon are deeply committed to supporting these brave young patients,” said Courtney Ross, senior manager of Community Engagement for Amazon. “Through our support of the Canine Clinicians Facility Dog Program at Monroe Carell, these remarkable dogs help transform difficult hospital experiences into moments of comfort and healing.”
