Liz Stewart, a longtime member of George Mark’s pet therapy community, has brought several beloved therapy dogs to the House over the years. Dayo, a Rhodesian Ridgeback with a calm and gentle presence, became especially close to many of our children, families and staff. Sadly, Dayo passed away recently. To help ease the loss we’re all feeling, we asked Liz to share some of the memories she holds closest and how she hopes her longtime canine partner will be remembered.
A sixth sense was his superpower
Whenever Liz Stewart picked up the visit bag, Dayo knew where they were going. Inside were his vest and treats for another visit to George Mark Children’s House. As soon as he saw the bag, he would run to the door.
Inside were his vest and treats for another visit to George Mark Children’s House. As soon as he saw the bag, he would run to the door.
Georgeeorge Mark had become one of his places. “It truly felt like his home away from home to him.”
Liz, a longtime member of our pet therapy community, has brought several beloved therapy dogs to the House over the years. Dayo, a Rhodesian Ridgeback with a calm and gentle presence, became especially close to many of our children, families and staff.
As we remember Dayo, who recently crossed the Rainbow Bridge, we asked Liz to share some of the memories she holds closest and how she hopes her longtime partner will be remembered.
What made Dayo special was his instinct for knowing what each person needed. He was calm. Watchful. Patient. “He loved to meet new people,” Liz said, “and he knew what each person needed.” Dayo’s intuitive sense allowed him to adjust to the situation at hand —whether someone just wanted him to lay next to them, go for a walk, cuddle, or lean in and give them a kiss.”
Sometimes Dayo greeted a child with a gentle touch of his nose to a hand, foot or forehead. Sometimes he rested his chin beside a bed or chair. And sometimes the best thing he could do was simply lie nearby.
Liz called Dayo’s intuition his that Dayo’s superpower.
Dayo loved activities and made everyone smile
Dayo joined children for stories and art projects. He stayed close during palliative aquatic sessions and loved walking with patients and families through Hummingbird Hill. Liz remembers one child happily kicking her feet beneath the water in the Hummingbird Hill fountain while Dayo walked beside her, checking in as they went. “He loved seeing her happy,” Liz said.
There were games of hide-and-seek, quiet afternoons beside a bed, and long stretches when Dayo seemed perfectly content just being part of whatever was happening. When a respite stay ended, Dayo would sometimes follow a child and family all the way out to their car.
Dayo managed to elicit some giggles, too.
Once, while Liz and a patient worked on LEGOs,™ Dayo settled at the child’s feet and fell asleep. Before long he started snoring. That got both of them laughing!
Being there during life’s hardest moments
Dayo was also present during some difficult days. Once, when a child was receiving end-of-life care, Dayo sat beside the child’s brothers while they played cards. He stayed just close enough so that either boy could reach over whenever they wanted to pet or hug him. There was no need for Dayo to do anything more.
Families remembered the comfort Dayo provided. Many looked for Dayo when they returned to George Mark for a Day of Remembrance, often hugging him near their child’s memorial tile. At one celebration of life, a family asked to add Dayo’s paw print to a memorial canvas alongside their own thumbprints.
In one particularly moving moment, a patient’s sibling sat down in front of Dayo, wrapped her arms around him, and cried. Dayo licked the tears from her cheek.
“He didn’t want her to be sad,” Liz says.
A furry, familiar face around the House
Dayo had regular routines with the George Mark our staff. , too.
At the start of a visit, there was often a stop to see Maira from our hospitality team, who greeted him with a kiss and a hard-boiled egg.
He visited the nursing station and front office for pets and hugs and leaned happily into anyone who found just the right spot on his neck or chest to scratch.
He belonged here.
And just as Dayo provided comfort to so many others, Liz says he provided it to her as well.
“Sometimes visits are can be emotional for me too,” said Liz. “ and Dayo’s presence kept me strong.”
“We were the perfect team,” she said. “and I miss my buddy.”
A life of companionship
Dayo’s story began in an unusual way.
Before becoming a therapy dog, he was a companion to a cheetah named Pancake at Wildlife Safari in Oregon. Later, he brought that same instinct for companionship to children and adults in many settings, including grieving children at Camp Erin, patients in healthcare facilities, adults with disabilities, and children participating in reading programs.
In 2024, Dayo was nominated for the American Humane Hero Dog Awards. The George Mark community rallied around him, helping share his story and encouraging others to vote. His nomination also brought wider attention to his work, with Dayo and Liz appearing on KRON4 and NBC Bay Area.
And in 2025, Dayo had another memorable moment representing George Mark when he and Liz took the field at Oracle Park to deliver the honorary first pitch at a San Francisco Giants game.
These moments were a source of pride for everyone at George Mark who knew and loved him.
Remembering Dayo
“I felt like Dayo knew he was the comfort and protector of his George Mark kids,” Liz said. That is how we will remember him.
Thank you, Dayo, for the walks through Hummingbird Hill. The nose touches and kisses. The snoring at a child’s feet. The families who searched for him when they came back to the House. And the quiet way he stayed close when someone simply needed another living being beside them.
Thank you, Dayo, for taking such good care of your George Mark kids. You will always be part of our House.
