You’ve seen the ‘thank you’ events before.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, there have been events staged outside hospitals across the state to welcome frontline health care workers at change of shift and show outward signs of appreciation and support from people like firefighters and police officers, with a few even dressed as superhero characters to hand out free pizza.

And the front line medical workers have been appreciative.

But if you really want to get a response from the nurses, especially those who have left their home states to come here to help us, bring furry, four-footed friends along.

“They are so beautiful!” beamed traveling nurse Anna Sade after a dog from The Golden Halo Outreach smothered her with kisses while she crouched down on her way into RWJ Hamilton on a recent Friday night to take a selfie with the dog.

The Golden Halo Outreach is a ministry formed at St. Gregory The Great Church by Fr. McClane and Mary Theresa Weil, along with her husband Larry’s Golden Retriever, Kimiko, in March 2015.

The group of about 12 dogs and their owners regularly bring comfort to the sick and grieving and make stops at local nursing homes. When one of the members of the group asked Weil about the possibility of coming to RWJ Hamilton during the coronavirus pandemic, it didn’t take long for the idea to come to fruition.

“So what we do here is we just stand along the walkway during shift change and we thank them," Weil said. “And that’s what we do. And we come here every Friday, so as long as this is still going on, we will be here every Friday.”

Another traveling nurse, Kala Jeanneret, came all the way from California to lend a hand in New Jersey.

“We didn’t see the surge we thought we were going to see in California, so I said I’m going to go help out (New Jersey)," Jeanneret said.

“This is just amazing,” said Jennifer Williams, a traveling nurse from Texas. “I have a dog at home who’s like my baby in Texas. I miss my dog so, so much.”

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Michael Mancuso may be reached at [email protected].