Therapy Dogs Sent to Capitol Hill for Stressed Staffers as Impeachment Hearings Begin

Pet Partners worked with the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) to bring some furry cheer to counteract impeachment stress on Wednesday.

The organizations said that the goal was to “offer congressional staff a break from the stress of wrapping up an exceptionally busy year,” and to demonstrate the “health and wellness benefits of the human-animal bond,” according to the Hill. Dogs were available this afternoon in both the Hart Senate Office Building and the Rayburn House Office Building.

“Who better to bring comfort and relief to the hardworking folks on Capitol Hill than a furry group of loving, intuitive, and bipartisan Pet Partners therapy animals?” the organizations asked. PIJAC posted pictures of the registered therapy dogs providing smiles free of charge. “Great to have so many staffers stop by our #pettherapy on the Hill event today!” it said.

It sounds like a good idea: According to therapy animal organization PAWS for People, the scientifically-proven benefits of pet therapy include decreasing anxiety, providing comfort, and even lowering blood pressure. And while these are all very relevant benefits for the day’s grueling impeachment hearings, it was not planned as such.

“This is a happy accident,” PIJAC President Mike Bober told People. “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.’”