Dogs Used in Court to Relax Victims of Violence
Animals are often used to comfort people when they’re sick or injured, but now they are being incorporated into courtrooms as well so that they can relax those giving testimony who have been victims of violent crimes. Some of the subjects covered in testimony of violent crimes can be especially hard for people to revisit and by allowing them to sit with an animal trained to comfort them it makes the process much easier and, more importantly, allows them to give a better statement.
The dogs used in the courtrooms go through a rigorous training school at the Canine Companions for Independence school in Santa Rosa, California. The school has trained 300 dogs, seven of which are now being used in courtrooms. The training school trains dogs to help people with a number of disabilities, including blindness. In some cases, the dog is just not meant to help certain people and so they need to undergo a “career change.” For example, one dog was being trained to assist the blind, but they could get it to stop pulling on the leash, an act that could be detrimental in the future. So, they transitioned that dog into the courtroom program and it now serves to help people in a different fashion.
The dogs have shown to be especially helpful when children who have witnessed or been victims of domestic abuse enter a courtroom. They act as a non-judgmental and soothing presence for the children and allow them to speak about the incident without being nervous or uncomfortable in such an exposed setting.
Using dogs in a courtroom has been so successful that the practice is now expanding across the country and there are multiple organizations who donate money to train the dogs who will be used to comfort those who have suffered from violence.
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