The Sunday before the panel held its first hearing on the report, Bode lazed on a couch in the Judiciary hearing room, watching staffers at work.
“I remember walking with him through Rayburn thinking, wow, this is a historic moment,” said Bode’s owner, Amy Hasenberg, who joked that Bode has his honorary “Juris Dogtorate.”
Bode was there as the Republican staff pushed back against the impeachment charges aimed at President Donald Trump. These days, Bode is a fixture in the office of Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., where Hasenberg now works. He comes in every day of recess and has friends across the Senate.
Like many humans, Bode developed some anxiety during the pandemic and does not like to be left alone. But when he’s in the Senate, Bode is perfectly calm, Hasenberg said, whether he’s sitting by her chair or nuzzling colleagues. When Bode senses anyone is stressed after a meeting or phone call, the black-and-white mutt will trot over. Staffers describe him as “empathetic.”
“He’s not an emotional support dog or anything. But I think, like all animals, they are emotional support for their humans,” Hasenberg said.