Loretta Lynn sported a fancy pearl collar and Popcorn received a bandana as a present as the two dogs celebrated their third birthdays at Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia Sept. 16.
Joining in the festivities was Casey, who turned 9 in July..
Hospitalized children, who were able to leave their rooms, could visit with the dogs, color golden retriever coloring sheets or paint a plaster soccer ball during their celebration, but it was mainly staff on hand when it was time to sing “Happy Birthday” and watch the dogs devour their whipped cream on a plate.
Loretta Lynn and Popcorn, who have the same father, are the hospital’s newest facility dogs. Nugget retired in November 2025 at the age of 10 and Popcorn arrived around Thanksgiving.
While the animals helps in different areas of the hospital, they do socialize with each other and have play breaks during the day, according to Kym Allen, who manages Child and Adolescent Life Services.
Casey works in the OR with children getting ready for surgeries while Loretta and Popcorn work in different clinics.
These facility dogs undergo more rigorous training than therapy dogs brought in from other volunteer groups. Puppies spend nearly two years in training, including a “residency” at a children’s hospital. Then, the Child Life specialist who will “handle” the dog and a secondary handler team attend in-person training for a week before the dog comes to the children’s
hospital, according to a 2025 Augusta Good News’ article about the facility dogs.
The dogs come to the hospital staff already named and the names of litters follow themes. Canine Assistants, the organization that trains facility dogs and their handlers to provide support to patients in a hospital setting. They name puppies in their litters according to themes.
Loretta Lynn came from a litter of puppies named after country music singers. Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton are Loretta’s siblings while Popcorn came from a group of dogs named for snacks.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named best local writer by readers of Augusta Magazine in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here
