Dogs help officers decompress through a new Cook County Sheriff’s Office initiative

Anna Wilk, a K-9 officer with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office who expressed interest in volunteering for PAWS, plays with Sanoma after a news conference Thursday at the PAWS Chicago Medical Center and Lurie Clinic in Little Village. The sheriff’s office and PAWS announced a partnership that allows officers to attempt to destress by volunteering to walk and interact with dogs and cats. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

Jerry Roman, a K-9 handler at the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, stretched out on the floor Thursday to pet Jada, a mixed breed who is up for adoption at the PAWS Chicago Medical Center and Lurie Clinic in Little Village.

Although Roman, 46, already works with a K-9 and has three dogs at home, he’s one of the first officers who signed up to volunteer for PAWS Chicago Medical Center through the Cook County Sheriff’s Office’s new wellness initiative.