ROANOKE, Va. – Hardworking behind-the-scenes employees at Carilion got a special treat Wednesday.
Dozens of workers in the engineering department got a surprise visit from therapy dogs who are part of the Pet Pals program.
Maintenance specialist plumber Jeff Worley has been working in engineering at Carilion for 15 years and said the visit was a big morale booster.
"This is the first time anything like this has been done for us and I hope it continues in the future because it's a nice little break during the day from something that we're trying to stay on top of. It gives us an opportunity to just decompress for a minute, think about it, get back out on it and get back in it with a better attitude," Worley said.
Over the past decade, the Pet Pals program has focused mostly on visiting patients to calm their nerves, but a couple of months ago, employees spoke up, saying they could benefit from the furry friends too.