Therapy Dogs Are Helping Capitol Hill Staffers Having a Ruff Time With the Impeachment Saga

Beth Baumann | November 13, 2019 11:03 PM

Stress has hit an all time high on Capitol Hill as Democrats move forward with their impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. It's so stressful that the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) brought a group of therapy dogs to the Hill on Wednesday, the same day public hearings began.

“This is a happy accident,” Mike Bober, president of PIJAC, told PEOPLE magazine. “We had this planned for several months, so when they announced the date of the hearings, we thought ‘if there was ever a time for a bipartisan source of comfort and relief, it’s today.'"

Pet Partners, the nation’s leading organization in registering therapy animals for animal-assisted interventions, and PIJAC came together three years ago to bring therapy dogs to Capitol Hill. It was such a success that it has become a yearly event. This year's event just so happened to coincide with day one of the impeachment hearings.

“Our goal is to improve human health and wellbeing through the animal bond, and not everyone can have a pet of their own, so this is where therapy animals can be beneficial,” Pet Partners' chief missions officer Mary Margaret Callahan said.

Wednesday's group of therapy dogs set up shop in the Hart Senate Building and Rayburn House Office Building from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The goal was to “offer congressional staff a break from the stress of wrapping up an exceptionally busy year” and show the positive “health and wellness benefits of the human-animal bond," The Hill reported.

Just look at some of the cuties: