Doggedly pursuing justice
This 10-month-old black Newfoundland-Labrador mix is one of the newest staff members in the Carroll County state's attorney's office: a therapy dog in training, brought on to work mainly with young victims and witnesses of crime.
Therapy dogs are increasingly being used in the court system, popping up in places such as Florida, New York and Washington state over, but the state's attorney's office in Carroll County appears to be the first in Maryland to employ animal assistance.
Joyce Schaum, director of the Carroll County office's victim witness assistance unit adopted Buddy from the local Humane Society last fall.
A therapy dog can be a source of comfort in interviews with children, easing them into conversation, Schaum said: "You bring him in any situation and people smile. They just melt."
"Children don't want to talk about bad stuff that happened, especially if it's somebody they loved or still love," she said. "Lots of times, they're told not to talk. …They probably never were told not to talk to a dog."
Sun reporter Arin Gencer has the full story about Buddy and the program here.
Comments
I would love to know where this dog came from... I have an IDENTICAL dog, Ernie, who is blind. We think he is newfie mix and came from a disreputable backyard breeder in the city who breeds flat coat retrievers and newfs. For some reason, many of these dogs end up at shelters like BARCS, where my Ernie came from. The resemblance is incredible!
By the way, congrats, Buddy! I know from experience how helpful a therapy dog can be. Good Luck!
Posted by: Kelly | June 2, 2008 1:43 PM
There's a new book out that helps therapists include dogs in their work: Play Therapy with Kids & Canines, by Rise VanFleet.
Definitely worth checking out for anyone incorporating dogs into their therapy work.
Posted by: Colleen Pelar, CPDT, CDBC | June 3, 2008 7:55 AM
this pup looks almost exactly like the dog my family had years ago, except this one has a little more curl to his ears. Our dog was a Newfie/Lab mix and he was one of the best dogs we ever owned. This is probably the best mix of breeds because both are known for being the most friendly and protective of its family.
Posted by: Madonna | February 15, 2009 10:55 AM