Recently in service dogs Category

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 

Check out Melissa Pamer's story in today's Daily Breeze about Redondo Beach Police officers who will compete this summer in the World Police & Fire Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Call them the Puppy Professors.

This Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, the dogs from PAWS to Read will be at the main Redondo Beach Library for a new Animal Assisted therapy children's literacy program.

Children can practice their reading skills by reading to one of the dogs in 15-minute sessions. "Dogs in the program help children overcome their fears by providing an attentive, uncritical, non-intimidating ear," said Madeline Bernstein, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, L.A. chapter. "The kids are then free to proceed at their own pace, leaving with a positive reading association."

The program, which is free and open to all readers, will be offered at the RB Library on the fourth Saturday of each month (Sept. 27, Oct. 25, Nov. 22, and Dec. 27). The library is at 303 N. Pacific Coast Highway. For information, call 310-318-0675, Ext. 6.

 LA.  for children

Don't miss reporter Sonja Sharp's "Walking in Solidarity" piece in today's Daily Breeze about Wakoda, a 10-year-old dog who has helped kids with cerebral palsy.

Wakoda and his owner, Noralu Longtin, are part of the Torrance Memorial Medical Center's Pet Visitation Program.

There's also a video linked to the story.

Karen Shirk of Xenia, Ohio, is profiled in a  CNN story  that tells about how her 4 Paws for Ability nonprofit group, founded in 1998, is helping children with autism.

The dogs help kids with a variety of issues, from mobility problems to seizures, but from the start Shirk wanted to find ways to assist children with autism.

Her program has placed 319 autism assistance dogs to children since 1998. The dogs are trained to intervene when a child is frustrated, reducing tantrums commonly known as "meltdowns."

But perhaps their most important role is to just be a friend. "For our children with autism, their dog might be the only friend they have," Shirk said. .