Pet Pals TV Meeting a retired ICAN service dog ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Millie, a service dog who spent nearly a decade assisting young patients at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, is beginning her retirement. Millie worked as a facility dog at Ascension St. Vincent, where she helped children in physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Her handler, Ginnie Pellissier a speech-language pathologist, said Millie performed more than 60 specific tasks to help patients progress, such as walking across balance beams or touching cards to encourage speech. The Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN), a Zionsville-based nonprofit, trained Millie. The organization places service dogs with adults, children, and veterans across Indiana. Incarcerated individuals at three Indiana prisons lead most of the dog training. ICAN communications manager Samantha Thompson said this model benefits both the handlers and the clients. “We like to say we’re changing lives on both ends of the dog leash,” Thompson said. Following a “team training” period where clients work with incarcerated handlers for a week, the dogs transition to their new homes. Millie, a golden retriever, will now live as a pet with Pellissier. “She’s going to enjoy lying in the sun, chasing squirrels, doing all the things she’s never been allowed to do before,” Pellissier said. ICAN reports a 50% graduation rate for its dogs, which primarily include golden retrievers and Labrador-golden retriever crosses. The organization currently has a waiting list of about 50 clients and relies on donations to continue its mission. More information is available at iCanDog.org. ...read more read less