Therapy Dogs Serve as Victim Advocates

The witness stand can be an emotional and scary place, especially for children. But a California district attorney is trying to fix that, with puppies. Starting this week therapy dogs will serve as victim advocates for people who are emotionally strained, or frightened to take the witness stand in Fresno county courtrooms. Some judges needed some time to warm up to the idea. But the dog’s trainer says when the first dog was brought in earlier this week to support a young girl on the witness stand. The benefits were easy to see. The district attorney says this is not a trial period. These therapy dogs will now be a resource for Fresno County every day going forward.