INDIANA — After nearly ten years of bringing comfort, joy, and therapeutic progress to young patients, Millie, a golden retriever facility dog at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent, is officially beginning her well-deserved retirement.
A graduate of the Zionsville-based Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN), Millie worked alongside pediatric patients in physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
Throughout her career, Millie served as a key partner in pediatric rehabilitation. Her handler, Ginnie Pellissier—a speech-language pathologist at Ascension St. Vincent—noted that Millie was trained to execute more than 60 specific tasks designed to help young patients reach therapy milestones.
Whether walking across balance beams to motivate physical movement or tapping specific cards to encourage non-verbal or developing speech, Millie provided a unique blend of clinical support and emotional comfort. Millie worked tirelessly to help children reach their goals.
Millie will spend her golden years living as a cherished house pet in Pellissier’s home.
The Unique Prison-Training Model Behind ICAN
Millie’s journey began through ICAN, an Indiana nonprofit that trains and places service and facility dogs with adults, children, and veterans across the state.
ICAN’s training structure relies primarily on incarcerated individuals across three Indiana correctional facilities, who act as primary handlers and trainers for the dogs.
- Mutual Impact: The program fosters accountability, empathy, and job skills for incarcerated trainers while preparing dogs for high-stakes service environments.
- Graduation Rate: ICAN reports a 50% graduation rate for its dogs, which primarily consist of golden retrievers and Labrador-golden retriever crosses.
- Team Training: Before transitioning to a client or medical facility, handlers complete an intensive, week-long “team training” alongside the incarcerated trainers to learn commands and handling techniques.
Replacing Millie: What’s Next for the Hospital
While Ascension St. Vincent and ICAN have not yet formally named Millie’s successor at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, the process for placing a new facility dog is already rooted in ICAN’s placement pipeline.
ICAN currently maintains a waitlist of approximately 50 clients and partner facilities statewide. Placing a specialized facility dog in a hospital setting requires matching a dog’s specific temperament and skills with a trained healthcare professional handler, followed by ICAN’s required team training transition period.
Until a new facility dog completes placement and takes up residency in the therapy departments, Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital continues to host volunteer therapy teams—such as those from partner organizations like Paws & Think—to provide comfort visits for young patients and their families.
| Program Metric | Details |
| Organization | Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN) |
| Primary Breeds | Golden Retrievers, Lab-Golden Crosses |
| Current Waitlist | ~50 clients and facilities across Indiana |
| More Information | iCanDog.org |
