Dogs help human victims of violence
August 26th, 2006 by admin
The Miami Herald printed a profile of Four Legged Advocates, a wonderful new organization based in Winter Haven that uses dogs, “to help children and teens victimized by sexual abuse or domestic violence get through Florida’s legal system.” The organization makes a dog available to attend court appearances and interviews with law enforcement, “with the hope that the dog can help the child feel safe and comforted.” A Polk County sheriff explained that the dogs, “got the children to open up and talk to us.”
This is the first organization to use dogs to support people in the criminal-justice system, although animals have long been used at hospitals to relieve stress in patients. The article quoted Dr. Sandra Barker, director of the Center for Human-Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University, “What our patients tell us . . . it makes them feel safe. It makes them feel calm. . . . They aren’t thinking about their medical treatment. They’re not thinking about being a victim. They’re just in the moment being with the dog.”