ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 16: Caitlin Clark 22 of Indiana reacts during the WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream on August 16th, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA. Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire WNBA: AUG 16 Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260816027
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 16: Caitlin Clark 22 of Indiana reacts during the WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream on August 16th, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA. Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire WNBA: AUG 16 Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260816027
It's been years since Caitlin Clark joined the Indiana Fever, leaving Iowa behind. But she may have never expected another Iowa-born to be named after her.
On September 21, the UI Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital introduced its new facility dog to the world. "Caitlin is a twenty-month old Golden and Labrador retriever mix," said the page's Instagram post.
"She is from a basketball themed litter and is named after Iowa’s very own Caitlin Clark!!"
The hospital's facility dog, Caitlin, was trained at Canine Assistants to be a hospital companion. The twenty-month-old dog was even photographed wearing Caitlin Clark's No. 22 jersey!
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 16: Caitlin Clark 22 of Indiana warms up prior to the start of the WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream on August 16th, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA. Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire WNBA: AUG 16 Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260816069
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 16: Caitlin Clark 22 of Indiana warms up prior to the start of the WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream on August 16th, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA. Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire WNBA: AUG 16 Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260816069
The adorable post caught the Indiana Fever point guard's attention too. She posted a story featuring her fellow Caitlin on the same day.
The aforementioned hospital is the only nationally ranked children's hospital in the state.
It's also associated with the University of Iowa, where Clark played basketball. She specifically chose to stay in her state despite having offers from Notre Dame, her dream university.
Caitlin Clark chose Iowa for a reason
Clark has lovingly spoken about her state and university. She chose the University of Iowa because it was just about two hours away from where she grew up.
But that wasn't the only reason.
“And then I visited Notre Dame a bunch of times, and I was like, I love Notre Dame, and I like, as a kid, like, you want to go to Notre Dame," she said in an episode of New Heights hosted by Jason and Travis Kelce.
"It’s like the coolest thing, it’s Notre Dame, it has that tradition. They’ve had so many great players go through there in every single sport. But like, I just knew, like, something I could feel it in my gut, I was, like, I’m not supposed to go there, so I picked Iowa."
She believed she wanted to grow and help build a team instead of joining a well-known powerhouse. And she was right.
After Clark joined, the Iowa Hawkeyes reached the Final Four in 2023. The last time it had made it that far was back in 1993.
Today, Caitlin Clark is a national hero, but before it all, she's an Iowa-born and raised icon who repped the state for years.
Written by
Prit Chauhan