Courthouse Dogs
Here's yet another great way dogs are being used in remarkable ways.
The Dallas Morning News reports on a program called Courthouse Dogs in which dogs are used to calm the nerves of abused youngsters facing the prospect of testifying in court:
"Sometimes, these children will say things to the dog that they're too embarrassed to say to a person," Courthouse Dogs founder Ellen O'Neill-Stephens said. "We had a girl who had been severely abused and she could never talk about it. But she petted (service dog) Jeeter for over 90 minutes straight and she was able to tell what happened."
Stephens said the courthouse dogs, usually golden or Labrador retrievers, or mixes of the two, go through an intensive training regimen. And even then, only about 30 percent of the dogs that start out actually make it, she said.
The group's web site includes a link to a case study from the ABA Animal Law Newsletter.
HT: Dogster
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About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.
Diane, I have tried contacting CCI several times in the past few years as I am very interested in working with them also. I am mostly interested in their work with adopted shelter dogs though, not so much the pure breed puppies that need foster homes until they enter their training programs. Do you know if there is anyone working locally on behalf of programs using the dogs for allergy alerts, epilepsy warnings or hearing impaired??
I believe that CCI is one of the unsung out there, but you'd have to personally know how their dogs have changed lives so completely and are treasured by the family members of the people who receive them. Thanks for alerting us all and identifying the vests - it was hard to determine but I know those colors well and they are representative of some of humanity's best and brightest. Bless all in CCI's loving embrace, no matter how many legs they may have or if their nose is wet!
These dogs are from Canine Companions for Independence (I can tell by the logos on their vests). CCI is an outstanding nationwide nonprofit that breeds and trains dogs to help people with disabilities other than blindness.
In fact, we have several puppy raisers for CCI in the South Bay and I have raised 7 dogs for them myself. Puppy raising is a ton of fun and we're in need of more raisers in the South Bay. Please, go to www.cci.org or contact me personally for more information.
The good that these dogs do is immeasurable and it's heartwarming. Help make it happen!