Three six-month-old therapy dogs born to AdventHealth Wesley Chapel's resident "chief barking officer" Wilbur are now on duty across Pasco County, the hospital system announced in late August.

Pilot, Skye and Boots each drew a different assignment. Pilot joins his father at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, greeting patients and families at the hospital on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. Skye lives full-time with Brendon Sanders, chief flight nurse for the AdventHealth AirStar 1 helicopter program, and accompanies him on daily rounds through emergency rooms, ICUs and labor-and-delivery floors at AdventHealth hospitals across Tampa Bay. Boots shipped out to Pasco County Fire Rescue, where the pup supports EMS crews in the field.

Sanders said Skye has settled into the role quickly. Skye runs into every office at the AirStar 1 base before they head out on hospital visits, greeting each coworker along the way.

"She brings a lot of comfort to people, especially in times of stress," Sanders said. "She kind of lightens the mood and is there to bring peace to otherwise stressful situations."

He described Skye's typical day: running office to office to greet coworkers, then riding along to hospitals where she visits patients and staff floor by floor.

The three puppies got their formal community introduction at a Puppy Pawty held at AdventHealth Dade City, according to the Laker/Lutz News. Patients, visitors and hospital team members met the dogs, learned about their assignments and shared pup-friendly ice cream.

Wilbur, the dogs' father, has served AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and Pasco County first responders for more than five years. AdventHealth said it has run a pet therapy program for decades, with dogs filling roles that range from patient cheerleaders to physical therapy assistants.

The expansion comes during a busy stretch for the Wesley Chapel campus. AdventHealth Wesley Chapel also opened a new stroke clot-removal suite in August.