Frisco the Therapy Dog: The Golden Heart at DeTar

8/21/2026

Recognizing the healing power of therapy dogs on National Dog Day

About twice a month, as you walk down the hallways of DeTar Healthcare System, you might catch a flash of golden hair, an award-winning smile and a twinkle in the eye of a passerby.

That little ray of sunshine is Frisco.

The five-year-old golden retriever has become a familiar and beloved face at DeTar, where he visits patients and staff, offering comfort, companionship and plenty of smiles.

For the past two and a half years, Frisco and his owner, Mary Whatley, have visited DeTar twice a month. By now, Frisco knows his way around the hospital. He patiently waits for automatic doors to open and knows which turns to take as he makes his way through the hallways.

“He’s happy getting to make other people happy,” Whatley said. “We love to make people smile, and I’m just so thrilled that I get to share him with other people.”

Frisco’s journey as a therapy dog began when he was just eight weeks old. Whatley began taking him out of the house and introducing him to public spaces, people and other dogs.

To become a certified therapy dog, Frisco had to demonstrate that he could appropriately meet and greet people and other dogs, behave when separated from his owner, listen to commands, ignore items left on the ground and remain comfortable around hospital equipment, wheelchairs and carts.

At just 10 months old, Frisco was certified as a therapy dog by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, a national therapy dog organization.

“A large part of becoming a therapy dog is a dog’s personality,” Whatley said. “Frisco is just a natural. He’s super friendly, and he’s intuitive. When we visit the hospital, he always goes up to the people who need him the most. He’s a regular working dog; this gives him a sense of purpose.”

Whatley has been training therapy dogs since 2002, when she lived in California. Frisco is her fourth therapy dog. She named him after San Francisco.

For Whatley, the joy on people’s faces is what keeps her bringing Frisco to the hospital. Patients and staff often feel comfortable sharing their feelings with him, and sometimes simply having Frisco nearby provides the comfort they need.

Frisco has visited nearly every corner of DeTar. He has visited babies at DeTar Hospital North, spent time with patients receiving chemotherapy at DeTar Cancer Center, sat at the bedside of patients in the ICU, encouraged patients during rehabilitation and provided a moment of peace for nurses working on the hospital floors.

Nurses often step into the hallway when they hear Frisco is nearby, calling his name, getting down on the floor and opening their arms for a visit.

“They run to Frisco,” Whatley said. “They know his name, they call out to him. He’s like family.”

For nurses and other healthcare workers, those few minutes with Frisco can provide a much-needed mental break during a demanding shift.

“Frisco truly puts a smile on everyone’s face — patients and staff alike,” Rachel Knebel, RN, Director of Nursing Services, said. “The nurses are so focused and busy during the day. The chance to take five minutes to pet and visit with Frisco is a much-needed mental break.”

Frisco has a particular fondness for children and seems especially sensitive to babies. When he hears a baby crying during his visits to DeTar Hospital North, he often wants to go over and soothe them, seemingly recognizing that they are distressed.

While Frisco brings plenty of smiles to DeTar, his role goes beyond making people happy. He also has a remarkable ability to provide comfort during some of the hospital’s most difficult moments.

One of those moments came during an honor walk at DeTar.

An honor walk is a silent and respectful procession in which doctors, nurses, staff and family members line the hospital hallway as an organ donor is transported from the intensive care unit. The ceremony honors the patient’s final, life-saving gift while providing support to the grieving family.

Frisco happened to be visiting the hospital that evening during Nurses Week. As staff prepared for the honor walk, he remained nearby, available to anyone who might need him.

Among those who needed him was the donor’s young son.

As the emotional procession ended and the patient was taken to an ambulance, Frisco went directly to the young boy and stayed close to him, offering comfort during an incredibly difficult moment.

“It was the absolute perfect timing,” Erin Piwetz, RN, Director of the ICU at DeTar, said. “Our first honor walk had a young son, and his mother was loved by so many people that we were able to completely fill our hallways.”

Piwetz said Frisco provided comfort not only to the boy but to the many staff members and family members who were experiencing the emotional moment.

“Frisco was able to comfort the young boy after his mom was loaded into the ambulance,” Piwetz said. “So many people there were able to interact with Frisco and be comforted by him. Frisco tried staying with her young son for quite a while. He knew who needed that comfort.”

Piwetz has also seen firsthand the difference Frisco can make for ICU staff who spend their days caring for critically ill patients.

“The staff absolutely love having Frisco in the ICU,” Piwetz said. “It truly benefits the staff to be able to interact with him. With the critical patients they are caring for, they need that. I have watched Frisco run up to them so happy and excited and just change the whole outcome of their day.”

Frisco’s work doesn’t stop at DeTar. He also visits three local senior living facilities, bringing companionship and comfort to residents throughout the community.

And when he isn’t working as a therapy dog, Frisco has another busy schedule. Every other weekend, he competes in American Kennel Club competitions in obedience, rally and scentwork. He also participates in competitive dock diving for fun.

But for Frisco, there may be no greater reward than a hospital visit.

“He’s happy getting to make other people happy,” Whatley said.

Whether he is sitting quietly beside a patient, greeting a nurse in the hallway, soothing a crying baby or offering comfort to a child during an incredibly difficult moment, Frisco has become more than a therapy dog at DeTar.

He is a friend, a source of comfort and a reminder that sometimes a little unconditional love can make a difficult day a little easier.

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